Meet Lydia
Her name appears in Scripture only twice (Acts 16:11-15, 40), yet Lydia’s life leaves a lasting impact. She was known as a worshipper of God. In just one verse, we read: “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message” (Acts 16:14). Lydia’s story teaches us the value of faith, generosity, and how using […]
The Larger-Than-Life Ego
I remember going forward to the altar for prayer one Sunday after a sermon. This was years ago, and I was one of many impacted by the sermon. As I slipped out of my seat and started down the aisle, I became painfully aware of myself. I felt like everyone was looking at me, focusing […]
The Grover Reminder
Years ago, I taught Children’s Church. Wanting to instill in the children a sense of belonging and purpose in Jesus, I made a flat marionette-like Grover (blue, fuzzy, skinny arms and legs, huge eyes.) Everyone knew this Sesame Street character. He was assembled with brads, so the main joints moved. He illustrated the Body of […]
Precious
I realize I use the word precious quite frequently—a precious thought, a precious baby, a precious photo, and so on. So, what does this word mean? In Hebrew, precious means prized, weighty, rare. English defines it as of great value or price, as in precious stories. What does God deem precious? One thing is wisdom. […]
A Zebra’s Stripes
I stood in awe of God’s creation on the savannah plains of the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Our safari guide, James, confirmed how lucky we were to see more than the big five in one day. We exchanged the rhino for hippos, a hyena, ostriches, a herd of wildebeest, and cheetah. I saw that as […]