Devotional

(If you missed the first part of this post, you can find it here.) 5. protective There’s no doubt about it: The best mirror is a friend’s eye. If you find someone who loves you enough to tell you the truth about yourself, hold on to that person. You’re going to need him or her…

One of the greatest gifts in the world is a true friend: someone who chooses to love you even though they have no obligation to and who is there for you even when they can’t be here with you. When you find someone like that, you want to hold tight to them, because a faithful…

You’ve probably heard the phrase “faith over fear.” For today’s topic, I would like to adapt that expression to love over fear. When it comes to our relationship with God, we’re constantly having to choose faith over fear, trusting even when we doubt and following even when we don’t see. Just as choosing faith over…

When I first started editing others’ work, I thought it would help me develop a more fine-tuned awareness of what makes good writing. What I didn’t consider was that it would also show me things about the process of spiritual growth.  (And don’t worry: while these thoughts are drawn from my experience as an editor,…

Is it just me, or does anyone else think humility is one of the harder virtues to take hold of? With other qualities, it’s not hard to evaluate whether you have them or whether you don’t. Take love, for instance. You can look at your relationships and consider if you’re being loving, and it isn’t…

You know how sometimes a phrase keeps popping into your mind, and you can’t seem to shake it? Lately for me, it’s been the idea of sharing the stage. What is that supposed to mean?  I don’t know what comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “sharing the stage,” but for me, it’s…

Playing the piano has taught me a lot about relationships.  Specifically, playing with others. Let me explain. For years, I played by myself. This meant I could change the tempo whenever I wanted, work through challenging parts as many times as I needed to, and add my own flair without having to worry about being…

For every teen who longs to follow Jesus with all their heart. created and called I am a child of the King. My worth comes from knowing that I am loved by the Creator of the universe, who holds the planets in place and sees every sparrow that falls (Matthew 10:29–31). He is in control…

There’s a great need for godly leaders. So many today are lost and misguided. While only One can lead us all the way home, we need fellow pilgrims to help us along the road. It’s hard going alone while forging a path for others to follow.  While everyone wants to have someone they can look…

“What are you going to do now that you’ve graduated?” is a question that the recent high school graduate learns to expect and can come to dread. It’s not the question itself that is the problem so much as the expectations that simmer behind it, the limited selection of ways people anticipate you to answer….

Last time we talked about the importance of asking thought-provoking questions; today, let’s take it a step further and venture into the realm of conversations. After all, the two are close companions. Since we already met the quirky Question, let’s make our acquaintance with the (hopefully) calmer Conversation and see what we find.  controversial conversations…