“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…” Isaiah 9:2 Advent begins by acknowledging darkness — our struggles, fears, and the things that feel heavy. God doesn’t wait for everything to get better before He brings hope. He sends light into the darkness. Hope is not pretending everything is fine; it’s trusting…
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” — Luke 5:16 There is something sacred about stillness. In a world that pushes us to hurry, measure, perform, and keep moving, quiet places become more than escapes—they become invitations. Recently, I have had the opportunity to walk through woods and along a lakeside with Mirek, and…
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 At first glance, “submit” and “resist” seem like opposites. One sounds like giving up; the other sounds like fighting back. But James uses them together as two sides of the same spiritual coin. When we submit to God, we…
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”— 1 Corinthians 12:27 Jesus didn’t just speak love—He showed it. He touched the leper, fed the hungry, comforted the broken, He showed that people mattered. Today, He continues His work through us. When we serve others, we become…
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 We live in a world that rarely stops. Our days are filled with noise – emails, traffic, conversations, endless to-do lists. Even our “quiet moments” are often filled with screens and scrolling. But in the middle of all of this “noise,” God invites us into…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 Let’s be honest—trusting God sounds a lot easier when life is going smoothly. It’s not so hard to have faith when the bills are…
Have you ever seen God bring good out of a hard situation? Yesterday, we saw how Paul’s imprisonment actually advanced the Gospel. In Philippians 1:27-30, Paul calls all believers to stand firm together. In persecution, in need, in dark times, we need each other for help and support. This is a great time for the…
Margie and I just spent a week in Key West with our granddaughters. And while being away from the stress of our everyday lives, I found myself creating different kinds of stress many times on our “vacation.” What to do? Where to eat? Why are the girls crying? In a beautiful setting, I was missing…
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10 At some point, every one of us asks the question: “Why am I here?” The world offers countless answers: success, happiness, comfort, and influence. But those answers leave us empty…
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13–14 Think about someone you’ve known who was strong and steady. Not the loudest. Not necessarily the most successful. But someone whose faith stood the test of time. Maybe it was a grandparent who read their…