My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. — 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV The Scriptures don’t provide the specifics, but we know that the apostle Paul struggled with what he referred to as a “thorn in [his] flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Whatever the problem was, it was so bothersome…
The Promise of Strength to Endure
Our scars tell our stories. They are the mile markers of our existence, reminding us where we have been. Like chapter titles, they announce what has been written onto the pages of our lives. Even as they cover and hide our wounds, they reveal to all that we have suffered. As with a block of…
Be Strong! The Right Kind of Strong
Editor’s Note: I’m excited to share this unique and bold book with you. As a Jesus-follower constantly facing my personal frailty and fierceness, strengths and needs and seeking God’s divine interference in my life to find the sweet spot of graciousness and yet dauntlessness, I believe Mary speaks straight to the heart of issues women…
Religion Makes Enemies / Jesus Makes Friends
We are trained to make enemies. From birth it’s always “us versus them.” Black vs. whites. Conservatives vs. liberals. Rich vs. poor. Republican vs. Democrat. Americans vs. whoever we’re at war with. Let’s be honest: sometimes Christians are the worst. Calvinists vs. Arminians. Complementarians vs. egalitarians. Charismatics vs. cessationists. Catholics vs. Protestants. As if the world…
A Yoke for Rest?
In Jesus’ day, farmers used a yoke — a kind of collar — to link two oxen to each other. The yoke was then attached to some other object, such as a plow. Linked by the yoke, the two oxen could then work together, pulling whatever burden was attached to the yoke. Jesus applies this…