When you think about it, joy in suffering makes no sense apart from God’s grace, yet this is the testimony of believers throughout church history. Take, for example, the Christians to whom the apostle Peter sent his first epistle. He addressed them as “elect exiles of the dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1).... continue reading
We could spend all our limited time and energy chasing answers to our questions. It's certainly tempting to think that if we only caught them, we'd be satisfied. But what if God intended our questions to drive us to him—the satisfier of our souls—instead?... continue reading
Most of us love to eat. Away from home we explore different foods, take more time over meals and treat ourselves. In our family, we have various traditions around food on trips away—taking it in turns to cook, going out for breakfast and several others. Personally, I love ice cream, especially on a beach, in a cheap cone with a chocolate flake. To me that’s the taste of sun, freedom and childhood.... continue reading
How do we rest in the world of frenetic activity? How do we rest in the way Jesus calls us to rest? How do we rest in a way that leaves our souls refreshed, our hearts overflowing with love, our minds at peace and with space for creative thought, and our hands willing to do good works? For me, one answer is the sea.... continue reading
There will be a day when every child of God will be invited to the one funeral that we will all want to attend: we will be invited to the funeral of death.
Yes, it really is true—death will die and eternally be no more. Along with it will die all the grief, pain, fear, sadness, suffering, and loss that death always drags with it. The completely righteous life of Jesus, the acceptable sacrifice of Jesus, and the victorious resurrection of Jesus, all accomplished on our behalf, guarantee that the enemy of everyone living—death—will finally and forever die.... continue reading
One of the best things about longer days and time away is getting to read more. Staycation, vacation or simply living at a slower pace over the summer are all great excuses to settle down with a book you've been wondering about or to dive into a topic you don't normally have the headspace for.... continue reading
As you write out your packing list for summer vacation, don’t forget to include a few books to enjoy on the porch, poolside, or even in the car! Here’s what we would recommend this summer and why. ... continue reading
What is it about grace that’s so hard to grasp? I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve asked children and young people from Christian homes why Jesus died, or what difference forgiveness makes to our lives, and they’ve come back with thoughts about how you ought to behave—no grace in sight. Or I’ve asked them what grace means and they’ve triumphantly told me it’s God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense, but without being able to explain what that means in practice. “What riches?” I say. “Ummm…” they reply.... continue reading
“You can’t take the Bible seriously—it’s so full of contradictions!” Perhaps you have heard statements like this. Perhaps you’ve made them. Maybe you’re not sure how to respond. The apparent contradictions in the Bible appear to undermine the reliability of the Christian faith.... continue reading
Joni Eareckson Tada’s new kid’s book The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party helps kids understand—and get excited about—a future forever with Jesus.
To help this wonderful truth stick, kids benefit from hearing the storybook and engaging with it and the concepts via games, crafts, coloring and more. Throwing a “Forever Party” for your family or a kid’s ministry is a great way to make the truth about forever-with-Jesus memorable.
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