Deanna was over the moon when the pregnancy test was positive. But when genetic testing indicated the little girl growing inside her had Down syndrome, Deanna was certain that God had gotten it all wrong. “There was a storm inside me. I felt like all my dreams were gone,” Deanna said. “My mind went to a very dark place wondering, ‘Why me?’” But God knows what we need, and He gave Deanna the perfect gift to understand the depths of His love.
How do we best pray for others
Today, we’ll pose the question, “How do we pray for others when we don’t know what’s best for them?” In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul gives us a model on how to do that, so we can pray, even when we don’t know what to pray for. That’s today on “Discover the Word.”
Where’s Your Garden?
My friend enjoys painting, but this sensitive soul often feels guilty when she’s working in her studio. She wonders whether she should be doing something more “Christ-like” with her time. How can I be taking up my cross if I’m doing something I enjoy? Have I become too focused on the stuff of this world?
3 Lessons I’ve Learned From Writing a Letter to Myself
On the last day of 2014, while my church friends and I were gorging on a humongous meal, my dear husband gave us the idea of “writing a letter to your future self”. It intrigued me so much that I decided to give it a go.
Her Father’s Zoo
June Williams was only 4 when her father bought 7 acres of land to build a zoo without bars or cages. Growing up she remembers how creative her father was in trying to help wild animals feel free in confinement. Today Chester Zoo is one of England’s most popular wildlife attractions. Home to 11,000 animals on 110 acres of land, the zoo reflects her father’s concern for animal welfare, education, and conservation.
Solomon had a similar interest in all creatures great and small. In addition to studying the wildlife of the Middle East, he imported exotic animals like apes and monkeys…
Praying for others is risky business
The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I have you in my heart.” As a model for how we are to pray for others, those words may be the most powerful ever spoken. Today on “Discover the Word,” we’ll talk about how just as faith takes risk so does love. Find out why loving others and praying for them is risky business on “Discover the Word”!
Mortality and Eternity
Mortality motivates and eternity influences. These two things motivated and influenced Puritan leader Richard Baxter, who is credited with saying, “The face of death, and nearness of eternity, did much to convince me what books to read, what studies to prefer and prosecute, what company and conversation to choose. It drove me early into the vineyard of the Lord, and taught me to preach as a dying man to dying men.” Baxter’s mortality made him discriminating as to how to use his time. When we look at the Scriptures, it’s clear that they influenced his understanding.
Do You Know Who You Really Are?
Are you an ENTP*? What are your top strengths? What does your sleeping position say about you? Did you know that your favorite color says something about who you are?
Before the Phone
As a mom of young children I’m sometimes susceptible to panic. My first reaction is to call my mom on the phone and ask her what to do with my son’s allergy or my daughter’s sudden cough.
Mom is a great resource, but when I read the Psalms, I’m reminded of how often we need the kind of help that no mortal can give. In Psalm 18 David was in great danger. Afraid, close to death, and in anguish, he called on the Lord.
David could say, “I love you, Lord” because he understood God was a fortress, a rock, and a…
True confidence comes in Christ alone
In the film, “The Sound of Music,” Maria von Trapp sings, “I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain.” But nature can’t help you when you need answers to prayer. The apostle Paul modeled true confidence. His trust was in Christ alone and the power of prayer to transform people into His image. Don’t miss this important conversation today on “Discover the Word”!
Resting in Jesus
American journalist James Surowiecki recently wrote this interesting quote:
How Do I Live Without Him?
Have you heard the story of the little eagle which was raised as a chicken? Every day, he ate and played with the other chickens, so much so that he believed that he was one of them. One day, he saw an eagle flying high above, and gazed at the magnificent bird in awe.
What Is It?
My mother taught Sunday school for decades. One week she wanted to explain how God supplied food for the Israelites in the wilderness. To make the story come alive, she created something to represent “manna” for the kids in her class. She cut bread into small pieces and topped them with honey. Her recipe was inspired by the Bible’s description of manna that says it “tasted like wafers made with honey” (Ex. 16:31).
When the Israelites first encountered God’s bread from heaven, it appeared on the ground outside their tents like frost. “When [they] saw it, they said to each other,…
Recently my pastor opened the sermon by asking: “Have you ever found yourself somewhere you really didn’t want to be?”
The question immediately grabbed my attention. Of course, I thought. Haven’t we all?
He continued, “Have you ever been in a place that is hard and painful and not getting better anytime soon?”
I immediately begin to think of times I’ve felt stuck when the pastor asks us to turn to a passage from the book of Jeremiah.
Personal confession: before this sermon series I could not have told you much about Jeremiah’s life. I knew he was a prophet. I had memorized the ever popular words of Jeremiah 29:11, a comforting verse reminding us that God has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
What I did NOT know is that Jeremiah is nicknamed “the weeping prophet” by scholars. You see, Jeremiah was chosen by God to deliver a message of warning to an increasingly wicked people. Jeremiah knew that if the people did not repent, massive judgement was coming. And—surprise, surprise —the people did not listen.
Yet God called Jeremiah to continue to deliver His message, even as it repeatedly fell on deaf ears. On top of that, Jeremiah carried the burden alone, without support from family or close friends. Jeremiah found himself in a place that was hard and painful and not getting better anytime soon.
I begin to wonder if the story of Jeremiah is destined to be depressing.
Just as I’m wondering this, my pastor highlights something truly remarkable about Jeremiah. Despite ongoing rejection from the people—and Jeremiah’s own personal feelings of desperation—he continued to obey God. Jeremiah continued to deliver God’s message even though it didn’t make any sense to him. Even when he was crying out to God in pain, Jeremiah was still in the habit of obeying and saying yes to Him.
I quickly consider my own life. I think about times when I have been in situations that are hard and painful and not getting better anytime soon. As it turns out, my default is often panic over trust. I am quick to try and fix things myself. If something doesn’t make sense or is difficult, I wonder if God has just overlooked it.
I think it is human nature to want to improve or change difficult circumstances. After all, who wants to suffer?
And yet, I think there is something to learn from Jeremiah. Because without a doubt, there will be times in life when we end up somewhere we don’t want to be. And it will be okay to cry out to God and tell Him that the situation is painful and it hurts. But is there a way to still trust Him? Is there a way, like Jeremiah, to practice obedience when it just doesn’t make sense?
It’s certainly not easy. And there are times when the suffering might be too much to bear. But God has promised us—just as he promised Jeremiah—that he will always be with us.
In fact, it might be time for me to memorize another verse in Jeremiah. Because though I will always find comfort in the words of Jeremiah 29:11, I think a deep peace can also be found in the words of Jeremiah 1:8, which read “Do not be afraid of them [insert whatever challenge you are facing], for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
