Words have the power to encourage.

“The law” gets a bad rap. But we believe that the law of the Bible can be a source of radical encouragement and in this post, we’ll show you why. Here are five often overlooked truths.

The other day my boss asked me how I liked my job. It was an interesting question because he knows that this is nowhere near where I expected to be at this point in my life.

By the end of this post, you’ll see some of the core teachings of Jesus in a brand new light. Some of His teachings are not easy to understand. Others are easy to understand; they’re just not easy to swallow, so we end up reading alternative meanings into them. Sadly, even the most devoted believers are guilty of gross misreadings and misinterpretations.

Sometimes God’s faithfulness is easiest to see when we look backward instead of forward. We’ve all heard the saying “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way,” and I agree with the sentiment of that statement. It is really unhealthy wallow in the past. But I’ve found that reflecting on the past can give you hope for the future…

Have you ever perused through Scripture, plucking out various Bible quotes, hoping to find an answer you’ve been waiting for? I’m here to tell you that you may never find it there. But that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost, nor does it mean that the Bible is good for nothing. It may just mean that God desires a different kind of relationship with you than you’ve been taught to believe. We’re going to explore that relationship in this post.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline often overlooked. I don’t hear much about traditional fasting in church, though I have heard things like, “I’m going on a social media fast,” or “I’m going on a sugar fast.” And there’s nothing wrong with those. But the ancient practice of depriving oneself of food for extended periods of time, though gaining traction in the fitness world, is losing its place in the standard American Christian faith. But fasting can teach us how to get closer to God on several different levels.

There is no biblical mandate regarding baby baptism or dedication. Yet the ritual, for many, serves as a public declaration of the parents’ intent to raise the child for God’s glory. The heartwarming spectacle makes for a pleasant gathering of family and friends and often spawns some adorable photos. But can we make it into something more? Something that spills over the sanctuary stage and into the home?

You’ve enjoyed so many quality times together, and now your best friend texts to cancel lunch because she is sick. Really sick. What do you do with the unexpected free time? Turn your disappointment over the missed meeting into a thoughtful act of service for her.

Is Christmas a hard time of year for you? If you or someone you love is grieving during this season, here are some ideas to celebrate your loved one and bring some joy back to your Christmas celebration.

Before we learn how to pray God’s promises, we need to lean into a foundational question: what are the promises of God?

It can feel really awkward as a grown woman to walk up to someone and say “hey, let’s be friends!” We don’t want to be seen as that crazy lady. But friendship is essential to staying encouraged.

It used to bedevil me. Sally Jean would post a photo of her steaming coffee and heavily annotated Bible at the same time every morning, and each post would incrementally dismantle my confidence in my own faith. My mornings didn’t look like that- at least not all the time. So the guilt gnawed at my conscience…