Faith Columns

When was the last time tears streamed down your face, your heart ached, and your thoughts were too jumbled to think clearly? When did you know beyond a doubt that this time, for sure, your situation was hopeless?  How many years did it take for you to return to the reality you’ve known for years?…

I like to think I’m a kind person, but when someone disrespects me or disagrees with me on something I care about, I find it hard. Don’t you hate the part of you that has to get in the last word? We can’t let the matter drop. We spit out words fueled by the heat…

Can you recall how heavy your worst sin felt before you confessed it to God and received forgiveness? Imagine if the crushing weight of all your sins (every sin you’ve ever committed) suddenly dropped on you. Now, envision if all the world’s sins, every sin ever committed, were suddenly dumped on you. Are there any…

Are you overwhelmingly discouraged – and so, so, so embarrassed? As you make big stupid choices and constant small ones, do you feel as if the guilt of your sins will eventually crush you? You’ve failed and failed – and failed – so often that you don’t know where to go from here. It’s hard…

Carol waved to her best friend from across the grassy field. She grabbed her 3-year-old daughter, Shelby, and swung her onto her right hip. Shelby giggled as her mother’s long stride bounced her as they hurried toward Jesus.  “I’m glad to see you again,” she said. “I have so much to tell You since the…

I would be devastated if God was a detached god. One who created us and then sat back and left us to fend for ourselves.  A god who left us in our sins with no plan of rescue or hope for a transformed life. Imagine the level of despair we’d feel. The chaos. Picture how…

If your life was featured in a magazine article, would you send copies to your family? Would you invite your friends on social media to read it?  If you took snapshots of the difficult seasons of my life, you’d end up with a collage of huge failures and disappointments. How I wish I could relive…

“I will get up, go to my father, and tell him I’m sorry. That I’m really, really sorry.”  Jason sighed deeply and slid down the wall to a seated position. He squeezed his eyes shut for a long moment. “But I spent my early inheritance on girls, booze, and fun – and worse, I turned…

Are you feeling weak? Vulnerable? Is your self-esteem in trouble? Self-esteem is a fragile thing, especially when we don’t base it on what God’s Word says about us. In the past, I based my self-worth on what I did (or didn’t) accomplish or what others thought of me. My relentless need to be loved and…

You’re angry. He’s angry. What’s new? It’s been a long time since you’ve enjoyed each other’s company. When was the last time you really laughed with your spouse? You can almost hear Tom Hanks’ voice paraphrasing his famous line from “A League of Their Own,” “There’s no laughter in marriage!”  But what if the laughter…