I always find it interesting to read about the battles where one side is overwhelmed with unimaginable odds, and yet chooses not to surrender. Growing up in Texas, the Alamo was one of those we heard about a lot. In this tiny mission-turned-fortress, about 200 soldiers fighting for independent Texas
When I began writing this article, I sat at my desk and stared out the window for a solid ten minutes. Simply crafting the title brought joy and sadness to my heart as a dear friend (who I consider to be family) mourns and processes the death of her mother, who battled cancerous brain tumors for two years. This article is a tribute to her mother’s life, legacy, and the hope of heaven she carried to death’s door, only to pass through and see the face of her Savior. The words on my friend’s mom...
Many of you know that I work I teach English at a local Chinese congregation. I want to share with you a story about one of my former students. Note: Name and identifying information changed to protect the identity of the student. Yan Dong A few years ago a new student, Yan Dong, started began
The Psalms begin with a promise from God and end with a call to praise God. “Blessed is the man!” shouts the author. Any man? Every man? No...
Have you ever been through a season of spiritual dryness? No resolve or motivation to read Scripture? No yearning to be with God’s people? No desire to talk about him or be admonished by his Spirit? Scripture seems dull. His people seem dry. It is not well with your soul. Outwardly, life keeps going. But inwardly there is a torrent of emotion as you wrestle with a lack of feeling toward God. Not surprisingly, most Christians would resonate with one or more of these statements. This is called...
This world is such a harsh place, isn’t it? What do we do when children are killed … and evil prevails … and anger boils? What do we do? We keep a tender heart.
The book of Job has fascinated all those who have read it, since the plight of Job has touched the lives of sufferers throughout the ages. To some people, the book of Job is offensive because of th…
How do we find hope when we feel hopeless? Lamentations teaches us to find hope by remembering ("call to mind") that the Lord is our "portion." As our portion, God has promised to take care of us. We can put all our hope in him, secure that he will provide as promised. This is t
Some days you wake up and it seems the whole world is on fire. And you haven’t even turned on the news! The financial strain looks like it will push you into a place you never imagined yourself or your family. The health prognosis gives you pain on top of pain, and no good treatment or way ahead. Or
Some of the people in the Corinthian church said there is no resurrection of the dead. The Apostle Paul took issue with the error of their thinking. He told the
