God’s Kingdom Matthew 13 contains seven parables Jesus told to describe God’s Kingdom, all based on everyday life in the first century. The parable that caught my attention this week is the parable … [Read more...]
A MODEL PRAYER
A MODEL TO PRAY BY When his disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus gave us a model. Instead of responding with a lecture on theology, he said, “This is how you should pray.” He didn't … [Read more...]
WHY BOTHER TO PRAY?
WHY PRAY? Why pray if Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” [Matthew 6:8b]. Okay, but what about what we want? God knows what we want as well as what we need. The question … [Read more...]
LET YOUR WILL BE DONE
Incarnation After Jesus and the Twelve celebrated the Passover meal we call “The Last Supper,” Jesus took his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. At Christmas we talk about … [Read more...]
GOD’S GRACE IS ENOUGH
The Context To understand what Paul is saying about God's grace, we must look at the whole paragraph: 2nd Corinthians: 7-10. From verse 7, we see that Paul is relating a past experience he had with … [Read more...]
WHEN WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO PRAY
We are Weak and Don’t Know How to Pray “We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words.” [Romans 8:26] As hard as … [Read more...]
PRAYER, FIRST PRIORITY
Prayer First Prayer is the foundation of the one resolution we decided on for 2016: to seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness first. After reflecting on what seeking God's kingdom means, I … [Read more...]
Only One Resolution
ONE RESOLUTION It’s the first of January—the day we’re supposed to make resolutions for 2016: a list of goals that will make our lives better. We think about losing weight, saving money, stopping … [Read more...]
Christmas Means God Is With Us
CHRISTMAS MEANS GOD IS WITH US It’s easy to say “Don’t be afraid” when life falls apart. It’s harder to say why we shouldn’t be afraid. We find the answer twice in the Bible, once in the Old … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Afraid
DON’T BE AFRAID We shouldn't be afraid of Christmas. Or should we? Most of the Christmas letters we receive describe this time of year as a moment of joy set apart from our complicated lives. In … [Read more...]
A passionate reader, I began writing as a young girl. After graduating from college, I became a teacher. Over the course of my career, I taught high schoolers, college undergraduates, and public school teachers how to write personal narratives, expository and persuasive essays, as well as poetry and short fiction. I continued to write: publishing professional articles, two textbooks, short stories, and poetry. In 2013, I won first place in Romantic Suspense in the ACFW Genesis Contest.