A new year means new books! We’re rounding up some of the most anticipated books of the new year. Now is the time to create your reading list for 2018. You’ll want to curl up every day with these books that offer inspiration, comfort, spiritual guidance, and motivation. 3…2…1…let’s get reading! 1. The Case For…
Family Pain: The One Who Died on the Cross Understands
Lord, You are the God of infinite strength and knowledge, mercy and love! Pileups happen. Especially in families. That’s what happened to mine. That’s what happened to Keith’s. That’s the nature of family. The ties are so close that the same cord that hangs one, tangles all. They say alcoholism is a family disease, but…
When Relationships Break
Forgiveness Brings Hope If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them. — Mark 11:25 Rocks piled into long, low walls dot a countryside. They keep cows from crossing but are not high or strong enough for much else. Each spring neighbors mend the walls that storms have toppled. The walls enhance the beauty of the…
Encouragement: You’re Prime!
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. — 1 Thessalonians 5:11 In the classic 1904 novel Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter, a kindly couple gives a young man who is “intensely eager to belong somewhere” a new chance in life by offering him employment.1 The boss’s wife treats Freckles like a son, becoming the…
Rock Gardening: The Impossible Person
Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. — 1 Corinthians 3:7 Who is the seemingly impossible person in your life whom you must interact with on a regular basis? There’s someone like that in everyone’s life. Perhaps we work with them, serve with…
The Shovel and the Spoon
Are you the kind of person who’s going to move through life being able to have relationships that are meaningful and fulfilling and significant? Are you able to relate? — Louie Giglio Orientation If you have ever been near schoolchildren on a playground, one of the things you are bound to overhear is the accusation,…
Only Love Today: My Vow to Soften
By being softer you can hear more, learn more, feel more, and love more. I’ve had enough of my hard edges. I’m tired of straining my voice. I’d like to loosen up and laugh a little more, be positive rather than negative. I’d like to feel the upward curve of my lips. I’d like to…
This Life I Live: The Right Thing
I asked for God to give me a sign… He gave me a building-sized billboard. Joey and I kept in touch and would talk to and see each other now and then, but it was clear that she was headed in one direction and I was headed in the other. And just as she had told…
Letting Go: Love Has Teeth
If you live with a prodigal, you know what it means to love someone. Love is a means of survival. Love is what gets you up each morning and inspires you to serve someone who acts like they hate you. Loving this way means duty, sacrifice, responsibility, and resilience. Many years back, an R&B icon…
How to Let the Offense Go and Talk Yourself Happy
Recently, I was in a situation in which someone I trusted betrayed me. At a point in my life when I needed help the most and longed to surround myself with safe people, this person not only lied to my face but also took something from me that wasn’t theirs to take. I was so…