When we were kids, we sang this silly little song: “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I think I’ll go eat worms…” (I did mention it was a silly song, right?) Being disliked isn’t a good feeling. Most of us want to be liked. But the fact is, if we…
When I was in high school I had an album called Natural High. It was a pretty radical record in my Mennonite household, but words from one of the songs spoke to me then and speaks to me in memory: “Just to think of the cross moves me now. The…
Most people like thinking about Jesus’s love. And why shouldn’t we? His love is unconditional. His love is universal. He welcomes into His presence the prostitutes and tax collectors and the lowliest of society as well the “goodest” among us. His arms are always ready to receive sinners. But we…
HYMN DAY! My mom’s favorite hymn was “I Love to Tell the Story” by Katherine Hankey. Before the second stroke stole her ability to speak at all, her last coherent words were the chorus to this hymn. She had experienced Jesus’s love, and she wanted others to have it, too.…
When we do as Jesus advised us in yesterday’s verse, remain in His love and walk in obedience, there is a natural offshoot: Jesus finds joy in us, and we find joy, as well. People who commit crimes and run instead of facing the consequences always have to look over…
Have you or someone you know gotten all enthusiastic about something, such as an exercise plan or diet, couponing, or a new hobby? In the beginning, we’re all in, diligently focused and on track, but as time goes by, keeping up with it becomes difficult. Our initial excitement dims, it…
When my girls deliberately did things they knew they shouldn’t, it bothered me a lot more than when they made innocent mistakes. I remember my mom telling me before I went out with friends, “Remember Whose you are.” In other words, I’d made a commitment to Christ; the way I…
Does this verse kind of give you the shivers? I realize participation trophies are a big things—everyone gets rewarded whether they win or not. On one hand, that seems kind; no one is left out. But on the other hand, there’s no real benefit to scoring the most points or…
HYMN DAY! “Children of the Heavenly Father” was originally written in Swedish by Caroline/Karolina Sandell-Berg, who was known as the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden.” After losing her beloved father in a drowning accident, she wrote hymns to cope with her heartache, and many of her 650 hymns were used in…
If you chop off a branch and toss it aside, it will wither and die. Without being attached to the life-giving vine, it can’t survive. Once we’ve received Jesus as Savior and committed ourselves to Him, trying to live like the world becomes a frustrating, sad, lonely existence. To experience…
