“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” * Your hope and future dictate how you live in the now. I was in an important room for an important meeting with very important…
Praying Through Cancer: The Woman in the Mirror
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? — 1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV During the course of chemotherapy treatments, my body changed. I was very thin with a few sprigs of hair sticking out of my scalp. My skin was a pasty white,…
Don’t Take It Easy
Rocky Balboa is a small-time boxer living in a rundown apartment. (Yes, he’s a fictional character, but it kind of feels like he’s real, right? There is a statue of him in Philly, after all.) He doesn’t have anything to his name — just a passion for life and for boxing. He gets paid by…
Through a Season of Grief Where Is the Hope?
Editor’s note: Jesus didn’t tell us that we might have trouble, could go through heartbreak, and should be shocked if we ever surprisingly endure sudden loss and bereavement. He told us that in this world we will have trouble. Because of that, even as Christians, we experience grief and sadness. If you’re there today, you…
What Did Jesus Say About Forgiveness?
(And a confession: why I need this next Online Bible Study but have been avoiding it like the plague.) There are a lot of opinions out there about forgiveness. Experts will tell you that you do not have to forgive. The media is rife with articles about not forgiving those who have hurt us, or…
The Beautiful No: A Story I Didn’t Deserve
Editor’s Note: He Speaks in the Silence is the story of Diane Comer’s search for the kind of intimacy with God every woman longs for. Disappointed with all Diane had been told was supposed to fulfill her, she begged God in desperation to give her more. And He did. But first He took her through a trial…
It’s Never Too Late: Never Give Up
Lord, You have told me that if I have a need I should just ask it of You. There is never too great a task for You. So, Lord, now I’m asking You. — “All That I Need” by Kathie Lee Gifford With time and distance, and hopefully a dash of wisdom along the way,…
Suffer Strong: Post-Traumatic Growth
In sharing our story, we’ve given many people permission to share their stories back to us. Those stories cover all the ways a person can hurt — loss of a child, divorce, financial struggle, cancer, dysfunctional relationships, addiction — and naturally, many of them are stories similar to ours; that is, they’re related to stroke…
Fiction Friday — Colleen Coble: What Every Aspiring Fiction Writer Should Know
It’s Fiction Friday! Today, we get to hear from our friend, Colleen Coble, a USA TODAY bestselling author and the CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. If you love story-telling or you’ve thought about writing, Colleen shared with us 10 Essentials Every Aspiring Fiction Writer Should Know: Expect rejections. The rejection isn’t a personal thing either. The…
What Makes Rejection So Awful?
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness. — John 12:46 My mouth was dry. My hands a bit numb. There was a stabbing tightness in my chest. My mind blurred as my thoughts became a fragmented kaleidoscope of a million pictured…