the God who suffered
People tell me that you can turn any smoothie or shake into a snack loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. The idea is to sneak vegetables (spinach, cauliflower, kale, beets, or other healthy veggies) into the beverages of unsuspecting drinkers. They think they’re only imbibing their mango and honey treat, but they’re also downing green veggies. The beverage may be in the form of a smoothie, but the substance is something far different.
risk it
What’s one thing you hope to hear God say to you in heaven? I’m guessing it’s these words: “Well done, My good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). This verse is quoted so often that it’s invaluable that we understand its meaning.
that’s not fair!
Go ahead. Say these words out loud: “That’s not fair!” Whether as a sibling, a spouse, an employee, or a sports fan, we’ve all said those words. At some point, we’ve all compared ourselves to someone else or their situation and concluded that we’ve gotten a raw deal.
The cry of unfairness appears in a parable Jesus told in Matthew…
pictures of Jesus
The story of Jesus is presented in four different Gospels, each capturing His life from an individual writer’s unique perspective. It’s been said that Matthew presents Jesus as the King who comes to reign and rule; Mark portrays the Servant who comes to serve and suffer; Luke describes the Son of Man who comes to share and sympathize; and John…
the church has left the building
Bekah Rosie skipped church on Sunday. So did her Sunday school teacher. So did her pastor. In fact, the whole church skipped church—and got out into the community for the entire weekend, serving wherever they could: cooking and delivering meals, clearing shrubbery, giving food to the homeless.
The next Sunday, Pastor Eric Thomas told his church, "You were living church…
being otherly
John and Bessie Gonleh needed help. They had already endured John being gunned down by rebels in their native Liberia (he barely survived), years of disease-ridden refugee camps, and the death of three of their children due to regional warfare.
A fellow believer, businessman Bruce Beakley, was returning to the United States from hip replacement surgery in Belgium when he…
