“Do not despise the day of small beginnings…” I have a confession to make. I was never super excited about “Tirzah at Work”. It was the one section that I just couldn’t gear up the passion to write for. In my years of writing, I’ve never contributed to this section until now.
Read MoreI’ve been spending many of my summer evenings at the river, swimming in the salty marsh river near my home in coastal Georgia. Before I jump in, I watch the water. The current flows confident and trusts the tides to continually flow. I want to enter the flow. I want to feel the flow on my skin. I want, even more, to feel the flow in my soul. I want to enter a flow state.
Read MoreThis week’s study focuses on two parallel lives, the root of each stemming from either living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. Whatever you live according to is determined by what you set your mind on: the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. To set your mind is more than just thinking about something though, but instead, it implies a deeper focus on something - to become preoccupied with it, to let your attention and imagination be captured by something.
Read MoreHave you ever felt God calling you to do something, but you definitely did NOT want to do it? Let me introduce you to Jonah. He would probably be saying, “Same, girl, same.” Jonah is the Biblical icon of disobedience to the Lord.
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but when I used to think of missions, I limited it to preaching the gospel to developing nations that are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles from home. Little did I know, I was putting God in a box. I limited the gospel to impoverished people who live far away from me.
Read MoreIf you Google “the Bible” and “justice,” you’ll find lots of websites that walk you through the story of Joseph (the guy who had the coat of many colors), you’ll find mentions of mercy, and there will be a lot of Psalms. You might stumble across the mention of Biblical justice.
Read MoreIn Happy Valley, South Australia, Travis and Pixi Johnson call 72 Candy Road their home-away-from-home. Built in the 1800s, the little old church sits proudly on the corner, sheltered by peppercorn trees and besides a grassy hill often dotted with kangaroos.
Read MoreWe’ve all experienced that sinking feeling when you’ve messed up yet again and did the thing you told God you wouldn’t do anymore. You know you shouldn’t have, and for a while, you did so good, but then a hard day or something triggers you and the flesh wins out. And in that moment, the enemy will tell you that you’re the only one like that; like everyone else has it figured out but you’re the only one constantly struggling. Yet, here we have Apostle Paul saying, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” So, if a man like that struggled with this too, where do we find the hope? Let’s study that this week.
Read MoreThe most daunting portion of mission work is often the first step of the journey. It can make any potential missionary candidate to sweat a little, if not a lot, over any number of things that can crop up. There are so many questions, and a slew of potential unknowns.
Read MoreWe’ve got a responsibility as artists, creatives, writers and the like to handle the Great Commission with care. So what are we doing about it?
Read MoreYou really couldn’t have thought the story was over...right?
Read MoreWhat does mission work look like now, after a year of most everything being shut down? This is a question I’ve been pondering lately. When we hear the word “missions”, most of us think of someone living far off, possibly even in another country. Today, I believe it looks like that, plus something a little different.
Read MoreUp to now, Paul has repeatedly talked about how we don’t live by the law anymore. Such teaching had the same reaction back then that many Christians do today: religious rules are bad, so we don’t need the law anymore. Such thinking then leads to wanting to live however we please. So, where does the law fit into a Christian’s life? Let’s study that this week.
Read MoreFor as long as I can remember, insecurity has been a part of my life. As a child, I had a skin disease called vitiligo, which causes loss of color that appears in patches. Fortunately, these blotches have become far less noticeable as I’ve grown up in the desert sun, but during junior high, I was incredibly insecure about my pale skin. I had ultra-white patches on the eyelids which made it look like I was constantly wearing eyeshadow and I always had to wear twice as much sunscreen as everyone else and constantly take breaks during my soccer games to reapply. Until wearing make-up became acceptable and age-appropriate, I would hate seeing myself in the mirror.
Read MoreI lean my head back, spread out my arms and legs and allow the water to softly suspend me on the surface. I’m not swimming, forcing forward motion, or treading water, barely keeping my head above water. I’m floating: free to rest, be still and simply be. I welcome the weightlessness and wonder why I don’t float more often. Floating, in the water and out in the world, both takes faith and renews my faith. And I’m beginning to believe faith is a float.
Read MoreRecently, I’ve been thinking about what it means to live a life worthy of the Lord’s calling. It’s easy to believe that my work or circumstances define me; when, in fact, I know in my heart that true salvation comes by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Read MoreAt 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?”
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