Recently, my relationship with God has felt more like a checklist item than something living and vibrant. The fault is mine. I haven’t been to church in over a month, partly due to traveling but also due to our family’s struggle to find a church where we feel a sense of belonging. We want to…
Six years ago, I made a mistake. I was most of the way through my second pregnancy when things went a little haywire with my blood pressure. The doctor gave me a day or two to see if we could get things under control, but when I went back for a check-up, he walked into…
Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites faced many adversaries. When Joshua was close to the end of his life, he warned the Israelites that the land of the Philistines was one of the areas they still needed to defeat (Josh. 13:1–3). Because the Philistines were not completely removed as God had commanded, Israel faced them…
I have a problem with prayer. The older I get, the more I realize that throughout my life, I have treated prayer like a magic formula. If I could get the order of the words just right or say the right words, then my wish would come true. I treated God like a powerful wizard…
“Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” (Matt. 8:25 NIV) When I was a little girl, about second grade or so, I really wanted glasses. I thought they were cool. My mom wore glasses, so I wanted to…
I abhor running. I have a workout shirt that reads, “If you see me running, please kill whatever is chasing me.” When I think about endurance, I think about runners. I’ve managed to eke out a 5k where my feet left the ground at just enough speed to be considered a jog for the duration…