I’m asked often: what is verse mapping? And that’s followed up by… Could it be for me? Plain and simple — verse mapping is getting real about studying the Bible. All of it. And it’s not just reading. It’s researching everything you can about a verse to really understand the Bible — maybe for the…
Walkaway Jesus
Since Jesus came from Heaven to walk among us, Christians tend to think that walking away from anyone, or letting anyone walk away from the truth, is a failure on our part. But Jesus walked away or let others walk away… a lot. I reread the gospels and counted every occurrence where Jesus deliberately parted…
Yes! You Can Color, Draw, and Paint in Your Bible (or Bible study)!
A New Form of Worship: Bible Art Journaling Bible art journaling – have you heard of it? Journaling in the margins of your Bible isn’t something new, but drawing, doodling, and creating art in your Bible is becoming tremendously popular as a way to connect with God’s Word in a creative new way! In my…
Family Fume: Speaking in Love
One spring day, I sat in my backyard with my friend Suzy and our kids. While we relaxed in lawn chairs, sipping lemonade, a few of the children played on the swing set. The rest sat at our bright yellow children’s picnic table, purchased just days earlier. They were happily creating masterpieces on the pages…
Healing Is a Process
God Stopped for Her The closest communion with God comes, I believe, through the sacrament of tears. Just as grapes are crushed to make wine and grain to make bread, so the elements of this sacrament come from the crushing experiences of life. ~ Ken Gire, Windows of the Soul Aaron was Gail’s only son,…
You’re Invited to our Spring OBS (And it’s Your Pick)!
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland… — Isaiah 43:10 Hey, friends! You’re in for a treat! For the first time ever, we’re offering two completely different Online Bible Studies for you…
Good Goes Hard
Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” — Genesis 3:12 I’ve got to be honest with you. When God challenged my heart toward Eve, it shifted the way I related to Adam. At first, I felt bad for the…
God’s Majesty Unfolding
Editor’s note: Do you love poetry? Have you recently come to appreciate the beauty and creativity each line of prose offers? Well, we’re hanging on every line of Morgan Harper Nichols’ new book, How Far You Have Come. Morgan’s heartfelt storytelling and desire for experiencing the most authentically human parts of life are both…
Hurt: But How Do I Get Through the Next 86,400 Seconds?
The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. — 1 Peter 5:10 I want healing to be as neat and predictable as a checklist. I don’t want to be inconvenienced by…
Fight: You Don’t Take Me Seriously
Note: Not one single marriage in the history of marriages has run perfectly all the time. At our worst, when our fights reached critical mass, we were miserable. We knew there had to be a better way to keep our marriage running smoothly, so we found ourselves an honest mechanic — our lifelong friend…