Topic > Christian Ministry & the Church > Mission & Purpose >
My Identity Crisis: All I Wanted Was to Fit In
I spent a large part of my adolescence searching for my identity as if it were a lost item to be found. I suppose it was because a large part of my childhood and early teenage years was spent moving between various states in Malaysia before settling in Auckland, New Zealand.
When My Hard Work Amounted to Nothing
I know people who are avid fans of Japanese author Haruki Murakami—his most notable books include Norwegian Wood and 1Q84. But while I don’t understand the extent of their fanaticism, I do see why Murakami’s works are so well-received
Scattering Seeds
I received a wonderful email from a woman who wrote, “Your mom was my first-grade teacher at Putnam City in 1958. She was a great teacher and very kind, but strict! She made us learn the 23rd psalm and say it in front of the class, and I was horrified. But it was the only contact I had with the Bible until 1997 when I became a Christian. And the memories of Mrs. McCasland came flooding back as I re-read it.”
Jesus told a large crowd a parable about the farmer who sowed his seed that fell on different types of…
Reaching Beyond Our Grasp
Reaching Beyond Our Grasp
What is God Calling Me To Do?
There have been so many times in my life when I didn’t know what to do. Sometimes, those moments were silly, and getting the answer wrong didn’t have significant consequences.
The Patience To Wait for the Vision
Patience is not the same as indifference; patience conveys the idea of someone who is tremendously strong and able to withstand all assaults. Having the vision of God is the source of patience because it gives us God’s true and proper inspiration. Moses endured, not because of his devotion to his principles of what was right, nor because of his sense of duty to God, but because he had a vision of God. “. . . he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue— he is devoted to God Himself.
Why I Stopped Full-Time Work
Two years ago, God called my husband and I to take a year off work to spend time seeking Him. We had just completed our sixth year of work. So I quit my job while my husband took no pay leave.
Do You Worship The Work?
Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God. This will mean that all the other boundaries of life, whether they are mental, moral, or spiritual limits, are completely free with the freedom God gives His child; that is, a worshiping child, not a wayward one. A worker who lacks this serious controlling emphasis of concentration on God is apt to become overly burdened by his work.
Songs Before Dawn
While spending a few days in the great outdoors, a bird woke me up one morning before dawn. His persistent singing eventually roused the rest of his winged friends, who also sang until the trees teemed with excitement. It was as if the first tweets I heard were a lullaby for the night animals and an alarm clock for the day creatures. One bird appeared to prepare an entire forest for the sun to rise.
What is my purpose? God’s love in action
It’s Easter, and it’s the perfect time to reflect on God’s great love! Hear the stories of Josh, who finds that no amount of running can separate him from God’s love, and Matt, who learns that the love of Jesus gives us life abundantly!
Love is the glue that holds us all together
The Bible tells us that the church is the body of Christ. And when a foot goes one way, and a hand goes another, tensions are bound to arise. So today the Discover the Word team gathers to talk about how the way we love each other is the glue that holds us together. Listen to […]
Discover how Christ changes our hearts to be like His
The Bible tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. But even that is worthless without this one thing. Today on Discover the Word, the team continues their study of 1 Corinthians 13 titled, “Falling into Love.” We’ll see how Christ changes our hearts to be like His. Join us […]
There is no substitute for love
Everyone with a smartphone has an entire library in their pocket. A few taps or clicks, and we can get the information we have questions about in mere seconds. But we’ll see today on Discover the Word that knowledge is no substitute for love. Join us around the table as we talk about “Falling into […]
Calling on the Caller
One of my favorite lines in Donita K. Paul’s Realm Walkers book series is, “The called must call upon the caller.” I don’t usually pause to ponder wording in the middle of an action-packed book, but this line left me thinking about what it means to be called.
What Will We Become?
I spent my birthday this year at a conference with my husband and some friends. At the end of the conference, I enjoyed taking some time to talk with an acquaintance that is a year younger than I am. As we chatted, he said, “The older I get, the more I realize I haven’t accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish by now.” Then he wistfully remarked, “I may never accomplish it.”
