At least a couple of days each week, I feel nervous as I drive to work. This has been an issue since I graduated from college. In the past year, I’ve switched careers from being a middle school teacher to being a behavior tech working with kids who have autism. While some of my worries are a little different now, I’m still concerned that some random, unpredictable event will happen, and I won’t know how to handle it in the moment.
Read MoreThis week, Paul brings in another analogy to explain our relationship to God and sin: marriage. Let’s study how Paul connects these things.
Read MoreMission statements may feel corporate and you might wonder what role they have in a Christian’s life, but here’s the thing: if you do not have a clear destination and purpose for your time here on earth, life will just pass you by. Today, let’s talk about what a mission statement is and why you need one.
Read MoreIt’s easy to forget that everything we wear is made by living, breathing, human beings. I grew up believing that my garments were made by some mass factory machine, blissfully forgetting about the hearts and hands that contributed to each item in my closet. How often do we look at our labels and ask, “Who made my clothes?”
Read MoreThis month, our theme in Tirzah Magazine is justice and missions. Missionary work is often bucketed into just one category: overseas missions. But what if we’re called to missions work in one way or another, whether it is at home or abroad?
Read MorePaul makes a big statement in this week’s passage: you’re either slave God or sin. In today’s world of a watered down Gospel, some people may try to tell you that there’s a middle ground: that you can live as you please without being a slave to God or to sin. Let’s study what the Bible has to say about this.
Read MoreYou’ve heard the warning. Beware of the guy who wants you for your body. Watch for the one who leads you closer to the Lord. Run from the one who looks at you with lust. Well, I have a new warning for you.
Read More2020 was quite the year for all of us. The word “unprecedented” seemed to describe the entire twelve months in a nutshell. For some, it meant doing church on Facebook Live, for others it included getting married on Zoom. Some folks suffered great loss being laid off from their jobs, or endured the death of a loved one from Covid-19, or both. When we rang in 2021, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope that 2020 was over and that everything would change as soon as the clock struck midnight.
Read MoreI grew up singing a song in chapel at school entitled; “He Makes All Things Beautiful in His Time.” It’s a beautiful song giving me, and many others, hope to look beyond our present situations to have the courage in believing for a better turnout of events than our family of origin, our education, our own home churches and all the worldly wisdom and experiences we could set us up for.
Read MoreAs a kid I loved stickers. Every single sticker I could get my hands on got a place of honor in my Lisa Frank sticker book. Mostly they were random “good work” stickers from school or a smiling tooth giving a thumb’s up from the dentist’s office. And 90s kids, remember the sticker boxes? They opened like a treasure chest to reveal several individual compartments filled with rolls and stacks of colorful, sparkly stickers.
Read MoreIn law school, one of the first things you learn is that it is just as important to know opposing counsel’s arguments and case law as it is your own. You need to anticipate their every possible defense and know every piece of law that could support the other side’s argument.
Read MoreIn so many places we are told to put on facemasks these days. It has become normal. Slip it on, slip it off. That got me thinking. What if someone asked the opposite? Just imagine. Something along these lines: “For your own good and the good of others, please remove your mask.”
Read MoreDying eggs. Baking a ham and whipping up fluffy salads. Picking out the finest pastel dress from your closet and maybe a matching hat. Hiding those eggs for little kiddos to find (or maybe just your friends). Picking up some chocolate bunnies and sugar-coated marshmallow chickies to nibble on for weeks to come. Despite their fun and entertainment, the accessories of Easter can take a lot of work and attention. It is easy to get wrapped up in all of these activities and forget what Easter is.
Read MoreI remember how cold it was that day: lower thirties, typical Chicago weather. Although it was November, snow had not yet kissed our city streets. “All you need to do is be cool. Just walk into that restaurant, smile and ask for an application. That’s it. Just ten minutes of bravery. The worst they’re going to say is no, and if they do, you can try Olive Garden next.”
Read MoreWhen I was little, my neighbor had rows full of strawberry plants in her garden. At the time, I knew that people grew vegetables, but the idea that you could grow something as delicious as strawberries in your own backyard fascinated me. I would have been only slightly more excited to find out that you could grow chocolate.
Read MoreThis week, we’re going to get to the heart of the Gospel that for many continues to be a paradox: how could the death of one man provide salvation to an entire world?
Read MoreRecently I was listening to Becoming Us: Joel and Moriah Smallbone. It’s a short, cinematic podcast about their relationship and marriage. For those who don’t know, Moriah Smallbone is an independent Christian artist and also part of an all-female band called Trala. Joel Smallbone is the lead singer of the band For King & Country. They both have stages and platforms - separately and now together. One of the interesting things they talked about was the process from engagement to marriage and how there were moments of loneliness for Moriah. This led me to a couple of thoughts I would love to share.
Read MoreNo other year has the message of Easter hit home like it did this year. A few weeks out from the holiday, my sister texted me the concerning news that my two-year-old niece was unwell. They had admitted her to the hospital for pneumonia. We prayed for her and believed that she would recover. A week later, unexpectedly, my niece’s health took a dramatic turn for the worse and within a few short hours, her life hung in the balance.
Read MoreI heard a statement recently from someone who has been hurt by another in the church. When I say "in the church," I mean within the body of believers that makes up the church, not the actual church building. That got me thinking about what we do when people hurt us.
Read MoreWhere is your faith placed? Is it in man? History and current events should help you conclude that will never be the best idea. Or is it in Jesus Christ? I hope this is your answer.
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