Jesus Is Enough Jesus didn’t live an easy life or die an easy death. The glory of Easter was preceded by the sorrow of absolute rejection. Our Redeemer knows what it feels like to be stripped of all comfort and ease. He experienced the betrayal of best friends. He sobbed alone, without a single person…
Why Your Prayers Need to Be Dangerous
Hey, Craig, do you believe God still does miracles?” “Of course,” I said. “Good — because your prayers are so lame.” I tried to laugh with him, but my friend’s joke stung — mostly because he was right. We had just left a prayer service together, back when I started working in ministry. My buddy…
Secret Messages Inside New Folsom Prison
Editor’s note: Casey Diaz was a violent gangbanger whose crimes had caught up to him landing not only in jail but in solitary confinement. Then he experienced a miraculous encounter with Jesus and chose to follow Him. As he grew in his faith, he began to look for ways to share the Gospel among…
God’s Gospel Has a “Whoever” Policy
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 Whoever unfurls 3:16 as a banner for the ages. Whoever unrolls the welcome mat of Heaven to humanity. Whoever invites the world to God. Jesus could…
Christmas Day
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! — 2 Corinthians 9:15 Jesus was the unique God-man. As God, He walked on water, calmed the storm, healed the sick, and rose from the dead. As man, He got thirsty and tired; He felt sorrow and pain. Jesus came to earth as a helpless, tiny…
When You Believe in God But Aren’t Sure He Loves You
Several years ago, I was having lunch with a man I had just met. For some reason, he opened up to me about his struggling marriage. When I asked him how God fit into his marriage, his countenance darkened, and he cut me off: “I don’t believe in God, and I don’t want to talk…
The Power of Persistent, Spirit-Led Prayer
A note from the author: After another weekend of devastating mass shootings across America and the senseless loss of dozens of lives, our hearts go out to the victims’ families, and our minds ask “Why?” and “What can we do?” As for “Why?,” these things are happening because as more and more people reject God…
25 Scriptures to Start Memorizing with Your Kids Today
Motherhood is flying by. It seems just yesterday I was postpartum-weeping with a fussy newborn in my arms. Now, my oldest is nearly a decade old, which leaves me just 412 Saturdays left with him. (I counted.) Of all the things I hope to accomplish in this brief window of time with my children, at…
Belief That vs. Belief In
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 This verse is probably the best-known passage in the Bible. It is also one of the most misunderstood. Many people reduce it in their minds to…
He Chose the Nails: He Chose to Be One of Us
God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. — Romans 8:3 NLT You alone are the God for us…