Fifty teens swayed shoulder-to-shoulder, singing “This Little Light of Mine” with childish gusto in a dim basement. It was my first youth conference, a weekend layered with friendship, lessons, outreach, prayer, and service—and those weren’t even the best moments. The best part was the hour we prayed and studied quietly, Read more…
Esther wasn’t always a queen. Growing up, she likely had never thought she’d have to be the one to save her country’s Jewish population, yet her willingness to do God’s will saved thousands. Let’s take a look at the things that made Esther the perfect candidate. Humble Beginnings Once upon Read more…
Are you good at being patient? In 1 Corinthians 13:4, we see that love is patient. When we look at the same verse, but from the New King James Version, we find that the word “patient” is replaced with “suffers long.” Yikes. “Suffers” sounds a bit extreme to me, but Read more…
Prayer is a raw, real, and powerful way to connect with the God of the universe. However, countless people have attempted to make prayer simple, designing acronyms like P.R.A.Y. or A.C.T.S. They’ve made prayer templates and handed-out products. These people often have good intentions, but their method has a problem. Read more…
The Egyptians were afraid. Afraid that God’s people would grow too numerous and take control of the country. They needed a solution, and they chose slavery. The Egyptians terrorized the Israelites into forced labor. The Israelites despised it. They loathed their oppressors, and they hated that there was no escape. Read more…
In a single day, thousands of people die. Many aren’t Christians. Some wouldn’t dare step foot in a church for any occasion. That gives us, the Christians, a terrifying dilemma: thousands of souls are eternally separated from their Creator every day. We are running out of time to reach the lost Read more…
The church needs you—a humble and capable servant, ready to use your unique spiritual gift in some capacity. But sometimes, it’s hard to know how to serve the church. But for starters, here are eight ideas. 1. Make Some Noise Do you play an instrument? Has anyone ever complimented your Read more…
Faith should be easy. After all, it’s trusting in our savior. But since Jesus says faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, and I haven’t seen any colossal land masses get up and walk, I’m guessing most people lack even that little drop of faith. Some people Read more…
Normal water sustains life. Humans can only go three days without it before perishing. It fills creeks, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Water douses fire, floods us with nutrients and health, and forms landmarks. Dehydration causes headaches and confusion while being hydrated keeps you healthy. But living water? Living water has Read more…
A few years ago, I had the privilege of helping lead the three- and four-year-old group in my church’s children’s program. Expecting maybe three kids, we ended up with close to fifteen. Nearly every night. For a week. Yikes. I had so much fun hanging out with these kids and pointing them Read more…