20 Bible Verses About Pruning and Growth
In the corner of my kitchen, where light breaks in through the window, hangs a beautiful and abundant golden pothos. For years, its vines have lengthened, wrapped, and steadily crawled along a nearby banister. Recently, we noticed some of the leaves were turning yellow. After some internet research, an adjustment to our watering schedule, and […]
Good Writing Begins with Ordered Love
The day my friend Tiffany received her driver’s license, she also received a brand-new 1992 Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible. Also known as a “Rabbit,” her car was “Tornado” red with a white top and white leather interior. It was quite possibly the cutest car I had ever seen. We climbed in, dropped the top, and primped […]
The Christian Writer’s First Obligation Is to See
It all happened so quickly. At first, we weren’t sure what had happened. We saw it out of the corner of our eyes as we drove along the freeway. A flash of light lit up the night sky, and a millisecond later came the explosive crack and boom. “What was that?!” My husband, Tim, adjusted […]
20 Bible Verses for Creatives and Makers
From the very first chapter of the Bible, we learn that God is creative. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” To be made in God’s image (Latin “imago Dei”) means that we are like him. Our […]
20 Bible Verses About Christian Community
Some words seem compatible until you press them hard enough. Scrolling and boredom — we scroll to escape it, but usually find more boredom waiting. Crowded and alone — most of us have stood in a room full of people and felt completely unseen. And then there’s this one: Christian and alone. We are each […]
The Spirit of Adoption: What it Really Means to Be a Child of God
Normally, I don’t have deep philosophical thoughts on the treadmill, but thanks to my daughter, today was an exception. We had just started our exercise class, and between the hum of treadmills and the overhead music, we could barely hear each other. My sixteen-year-old leaned over and shouted over the noise, “Do you ever look […]
20 Bible Verses About Spiritual Vigilance
Several years ago, when our kids were little, we took them to the Grand Canyon. On our drive, we talked about the beauty, the colors, and the magnitude of what they were about to behold. But we also warned them. The edge is slippery, and the rocks can give way under your feet. There are […]
Class of 2026: Timeless Truths in an Age of Brain Rot
Dear Gracie, In just a few days, you’ll be graduating from high school, and my heart will simultaneously burst with joy and break for what’s left behind. Motherhood has made me familiar with this strange phenomenon of holding two contradictory emotions at once. Somehow, though, the sadness will be eclipsed by the gratitude your Dad […]
20 Bible Verses About the Compassion of Christ
Have you ever seen someone else’s suffering and felt a visceral reaction to it, like a sucker punch to your gut? The suffering may not be your own, but it still hurts, and you want to help alleviate the pain. This is what the Bible calls compassion, and it literally means to co-suffer with someone. […]
The Most Important Doctrine You’ve Never Heard Of
Who do you think you are? I mean that in the nicest way possible. At the most foundational level of your personhood—who are you? When you wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror, who (or what) do you see? All day, we think thoughts and say things about ourselves to […]