Delighting in God’s Love and Approval
Rule Following vs Approval Seeking If you’ve ever spent any considerable amount of time around young children, you might have observed that kids take great delight in many things, but following the rules is not often one of them. At two years old, my youngest has an...
Delighting in God’s Love and Approval
Rule Following vs Approval Seeking If you’ve ever spent any considerable amount of time around young children, you might have observed that kids take great delight in many things, but following the rules is not often one of them. At two years old, my youngest has an...
Entering God’s Presence with Praise
Several years ago, I spent a 40-minute drive to my parents’ house instructing my American fiancé how to properly greet his Cuban soon-to-be father-in-law. I explained that my family kissed on the cheek, rather than just shaking hands. We forgo all the formality and...
Women of Prayer: A Voice for the Vulnerable
Argula von Grumbach is known for standing up for what she believed was right. A Bavarian noblewoman, Argula married a nobleman named Friedrich von Grumbach and had four children, three of whom died before she did. After the death of her first husband, Argula married...
Wait Expectantly
In our fast-paced culture, it is hard to wait. We are accustomed to getting what we want or need at an ever-increasing speed. Fast food sometimes isn’t fast enough anymore. Our internet speeds are instant, no longer the dial-up wait times of the past. Even being able...
There’s More Where That Came From
I remember my mom once telling me a story about something her father was known to say: “There’s more where that came from.” Her father had a very generous and compassionate heart. Even though their family did not have much in the way of wealth, they lived with open...
Women of Prayer: Including Women
Marie Dentière joined a convent when she was young, committing to a life of serving the Lord from an early age. In 1525, Marie left the convent, moving to Strasbourg, France, to join the Reformation movement. Like many others, Marie was captivated by the...
Call to Mind
A few weeks back, I went into the backyard with a bucket and picked up a bunch of rocks. I carried the heavy pail inside and poured its contents onto the kitchen counter. Then I grabbed a black marker and wrote down the current year on one rock. Underneath the date, I...
Announcing Our Next Study!
Have you ever felt unseen? Have you ever felt like no one knows what you're going through, or even cares? We long to be seen, cared for, and known, but sometimes we don’t know where to turn. Life can feel overwhelming and, at times, we can feel lost and alone. ...
Grace Upon Grace
Loss is something I have become very familiar with over the years. First, it was my dad, then my younger sister six months later . . . then my mom. I still remember each phone call I received, telling me I had yet again lost another family member. Within five short...
Why Does God Hear Our Prayers?
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes...
Women of Prayer: Never Finished
In a time when women received almost no recognition for their contributions to the Christian faith, Hildegard of Bingen made a significant impact on the church. She lived in Germany from 1098 to 1180. Hildegard had many health problems. Her parents isolated her,...
His Character Makes Me Confident
As a kid, I remember going to a father-daughter camp with my dad. One of the activities was to climb up a double pamper pole together. If you have never been on one of these, it is a tall wooden pole with metal hooks all the way up to place your feet on as you climb....
Women of Prayer: Great Influence
As the oldest of ten children, Macrina was born in A.D. 330 and made to care for others. She lived in Caesarea, Asia Minor and was betrothed at a young age to a young man who died suddenly. After his death, Macrina decided that she would remain single and would serve...
Hope in the Cross of Christ
Sometimes I can’t help but wonder why God doesn’t answer all prayers the same way. I wonder why I see one prayer answered the same day I prayed it and yet another prayer left unanswered for a long time. I have realized that God’s timetable is not mine. He has a...
Abide in Christ
We sat in a room in the basement of the church that was typically used by a middle school youth group. Although I had attended several women’s studies at the church, this was the first one that my husband and I chose to do together. I couldn’t tell you the name of the...
Women of Prayer: Faithful Prayers
Brought up in the faith by her maidservant, Monica of Hippo knew the power of Jesus. Though she was given in marriage to an unbeliever, Monica’s faith in Christ did not waiver. Living in North Africa in the fourth century A.D., Monica was influential in the lives of...
The Power of Prayer
“Thanks for calling customer service. Press 1 for billing, press 2 for … yada yada yada.” Some of my worst moments are when I lose my temper (ridiculous, I know) with the automated customer service robot and yell that “I just need to talk to someone real!” It can be...
Women of Prayer: The First Archaeologist
Helena was a Greek woman of low social status who married the Roman emperor Constantius. Together, they had a son named Constantine. Then Constantius exiled Helena for political reasons. Years later, when Constantine became emperor of the Roman Empire, he restored his...
Find Time for Prayer
For a long time, I thought that having a “successful” prayer life would require me to spend hours at a time with the Lord. I thought that to really pray effectively, I needed to get better or improve my prayer time. In my imagination, having a healthy prayer life...
5 Ways to Pray for Others
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. –Colossians 1:9 There is a battle raging all around us. We all feel it. For...
Women of Prayer: In the Face of Death
Blandina was an enslaved girl in the Roman Empire who lived in Lyons, a city in the region of modern-day France. Blandina had come to know Christ and was part of the church in Lyons. In A.D. 177, Blandina, along with other Christians, was arrested and subjected to...
Lifting Our Hearts to Our Great God
My phone started to ding and I picked it up to read a very discouraging message. Someone I loved was in distress. Just a few days earlier, my friend had been released from the hospital after battling COVID. I thought he was past the hard part and home, but he took a...
Prayer: An Everyday Treasure
As a single mom of three kids, life has many challenges. However, through the difficulties, prayer has become a daily treasure. Not only do I get to spend time with God through prayer, but I’ve learned to rely on Him in my battles. I know He hears me and I know He...
Be Devoted to Prayer
Look throughout the Bible and you will see how God moves powerfully through His children when they devote themselves to prayer. We witness it at the beginning of Acts as God birthed the church and we've seen it as He has miraculously answered the prayers of those who...
Introduction
“Prayer is the most important subject in practical religion. All other subjects are second to it. Reading the Bible, keeping the Sabbath, hearing sermons, attending public worship, going to the Lord’s Table—all these are very weighty matters. But none of them is as...