Epic Love, Exorbitant Cost
By Jackina Stark It is said that John Milton, 17th-century poet, arguably the greatest poet of all time, read everything of consequence in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, and that he knew the Bible...
View ArticleSinners and Saints
By Diane Stortz Are you a sinner or a saint? If you come to Communion today as a believer and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, the answer is that you are both. God gave the Passover observance to his...
View ArticleWe Fear No More
By Jackina Stark John Donne, 17th-century poet and preacher, wrote some of the most beautiful poetry in the English language. His Holy Sonnet X, “Death Be Not Proud,” may be the greatest expression of...
View ArticleRemember Me
By Diane Stortz With missionaries in the family, she had become pretty good at saying good-bye, although it’s never easy. This time, the leave-taking felt especially difficult, because not only were...
View ArticleWriting a New Ending
By Diane Stortz We rightly associate faith in Christ with new beginnings—but because of Jesus we can have new endings too. Heaven is a new ending, of course. Death won’t be the final chapter! But what...
View ArticleCome to the Table
By Mandy Smith The phrase “come to the table” can mean gathering to find understanding, as in meeting to discuss how to solve a problem or end a disagreement. Lawyers “come to the table” to reconcile...
View Article‘I Knew You Weren’t Dead’
By Mark S. Krause Shirley Temple was one of America’s greatest actors, winning a special Academy Award when she was just 6 years old. Her greatest film may have been The Little Princess. In the movie,...
View ArticleOut of Our Depth
By Mandy Smith What makes you feel out of your depth? Starting a new job? Taking an exam? Having a child? So many situations in life force us to face the size of our own limitations. And when we...
View ArticleOrdinary Sacredness
By Mandy Smith We know Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover feast, which Jews have celebrated for generations. Passover is an annual festival remembering God’s salvation of his people...
View ArticleLower Is Better
By Mandy Smith Mountaineer Joe Simpson tells his chilling story in the book and movie Touching the Void. Thousands of feet up the side of the 20,814-foot Siula Grande mountain, Joe’s safety line was...
View ArticleDiscerning the Body
By Marsha Relyea Miles If you were to worship with tribal Jesus followers in the jungle of Papua New Guinea, you might find yourself sitting on a rough-hewn log rather than a comfortable pew or chair....
View ArticleNo One’s Perfect
By David Ray On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was on the verge of pitching a perfect game—a feat so rare that, in all of baseball history, only 20 pitchers to that point had...
View ArticleEmbrace the Cross
By David Ray Born on an Indiana farm that had no electricity or indoor plumbing, John Wooden shot his first basketball through a hoop nailed to a barn hayloft. But he went on to lead his high school...
View ArticleThe Past, Our Greatest Enemy
By Charles Gerber Everything changes. If you put macaroni and cheese in a refrigerator for a month, it becomes green and fuzzy. It changes into something unhealthy and nonnutritious. But, while most...
View ArticleIncarnation and Resurrection
By Teresa D. Welch Strips of cloth, angels, a man named Joseph, a bed, spices, an angel’s “do not be afraid” message, and a group rushing to tell others the good news. In the context of December, with...
View ArticleAll in the Family
By Daniel Schantz “Seven times a day I praise you” (Psalm 119:164). It’s Thanksgiving season, the perfect time to give thanks for the family of God. The Father—We can be thankful that God, the Father,...
View ArticleGood News
By Greg Swinney Bad news shouts at us from the television, newspaper, doctor’s office, and our checkbook registers. Some days we seem to wake up and find ourselves plodding through our routine in quiet...
View ArticleThe Other ‘Silent Night’
By Doug Redford “Silent Night” remains one of the most beloved of the traditional Christmas carols. The words, the tune, the message are all so simple yet so unforgettable (which is true of the...
View ArticleIrreplaceable
By Doug Redford Every Christmas season a funeral home not far from where I live sets up a nativity scene in the front of its property. Live animals are part of the scene, and the people are represented...
View ArticleKeeping Down Appearances
By Doug Redford Some years ago an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer featured this headline: “Appearance Counts When Wrapping Holiday Gifts.” Said one employee at a luxury goods store in San Antonio,...
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