I had an eating disorder for six years. Anorexia was the name of my game. I never threw up; I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And it never got so bad that I had to be put in a rehab center. But it plagued me for years. You never would have known. I mean,…
This Isn’t Fair
A huge piece of bakery deliciousness sat in front of me. It was a combination of three desserts in one. One layer was cheesecake, one layer was ice cream cake, and in between those was a layer of brownie-like chocolate cake… all drizzled with some kind of fudge icing that was calling my name.…
Don’t Fear Weakness
Editor’s note: Bear Grylls is a survivor. You’ve likely seen him on one of his many survival and adventure TV shows, such as Man Vs. Wild, You Vs. Wild, The Island, and Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In his life, Bear has served with British special forces, climbed Everest, crossed the north Atlantic unassisted,…
Champions Find God’s Strength in Their Own Weakness
It would be so much more comfortable if God would keep us in our “strength zone,” wouldn’t it? But God keeps thrusting us into our “weakness zone” because it is only in our weakness that He is made strong. [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect…
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…
Love That Lasts: What Makes You Beautiful
Editor’s note: Jefferson and Alyssa Bethke are on a mission to help marriages — from newlyweds to long-time couples. In their new book Love That Lasts they tackle some of the lies that trip us up and focus on God’s design for rich and fulfilling marriage. * I had an eating disorder for six years.…
Power in Weakness
Several years ago, I (Jamin) had the joy of vacationing in Greece. The drive from Athens to Corinth took about an hour. The drive is so beautiful you almost forget about your destination. The brilliant blue water of the Aegean Sea is visible nearly the entire way. The city of Corinth is strategically positioned…
You Knit Me Together: All God’s Kids Have Special Needs
In My Prayer Closet My prayer closet is often a bathtub filled with bubbles. And it was while soaking in this prayer closet, at the end of a particular hard day, that I found the words of Psalm 139:13 echoing in my head, a cadence that seemed almost taunting. You knit me together… You knit…
Understanding a Theology of Suffering: Sing a New Song
Without a theology of suffering, we will assume something is wrong, broken, or out of balance whenever we face trials. We may then find ourselves wavering, frantically searching for prosperity and blessing that we believe is the Christian experience, rather than obediently moving forward in the steps of the Savior. Our comprehension of suffering as…
Refining Grace
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I…