When was the last time you heard someone talk about fasting? For many Christians, it’s the least familiar of the spiritual disciplines. We understand giving. Most of us have some sort of prayer life. But fasting often feels mysterious, intimidating, or perhaps even unnecessary. Yet Jesus spoke about it as though it were perfectly ordinary.… Continue reading

Students! Today’s lesson takes us out of grammar books and into the poetry section. Your old professor enjoys a well-crafted poem, particularly when the poet knows how to employ our favorite little conjunction. Today’s exhibit comes from Annie Johnson Flint (1866–1932), a prolific Christian poet and hymn writer. If you’ve never heard of her, you’re… Continue reading

But the Angel Called Out Some moments in life feel like standing at the edge of something you never wanted to face. Perhaps it’s a difficult decision, a painful goodbye, an uncertain diagnosis, a broken relationship, or simply the realization that you can no longer control the outcome. You’ve done everything you know to do.… Continue reading

But God Remembered Noah! There are seasons in life when it feels as though the rain will never stop. Not the rain falling from the sky, but the kind that settles over a heart. The kind that arrives in the form of grief, uncertainty, disappointment, loneliness, strained relationships, unanswered questions, or circumstances we never would… Continue reading

An Excerpt from Chapter 5 ~ The Sermon on the Mount The big but of Matthew 5 appears repeatedly as an instrument in Jesus’ teaching:“You have heard it said … but I tell you …” The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount sets the stage for all the other teachings of Jesus. He’s going to proclaim… Continue reading