5 Ways to Combat Half-Hearted Worship on Sunday
“It's already difficult for my weak flesh and distracted mind to worship the Lord rightly, and if I’m not doing anything to prepare my heart for worship on other days of the week, it's even harder. How much more would I benefit from Sunday’s blessings if I anticipated them rightly ahead of time? After all, worshiping God together alongside the body of Christ is a gift. Singing songs of praise, confessing our faith with other brothers and sisters in Christ, and hearing God's Word preached faithfully is something we as Christians look forward to each week, and part of anticipating its blessings is preparing practically for it!” - 5 Ways to Combat Half-Hearted Worship on Sunday by Lainee Oliver
Unity in Female Friendship: A Liturgy
“May we be full of hope for each other,
believing the best about one another,
rejoicing with pure hearts at our sister's success
and carrying her burden when the weight is too heavy.
May we lay our lives down,
as our first Friend taught,
filled with honor and binding ourselves in love,
trusting that Your generosity extends to us all.” - Unity in Female Friendship: A Liturgy by Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore
Hope and Healing in the Bread and Cup
“Through the Lord’s Table we are invited into a special aspect of on-earth-as-it-is-in-Heaven: we choose healing instead of bitterness, we choose love over hatred, and we choose to belong to each other. We participate in the ministry of reconciliation rather than amputating ourselves from the body of Christ. In Communion with the local church, mercies are made available to us that we wouldn’t otherwise experience. This is the mercy of ushering down to earth parts of heaven, bringing to parched ground the living waters of God’s Kingdom. Together, we take, break, eat, and drink in remembrance of the God who has come and will come again.” - Hope and Healing in the Bread and the Cup by S. A. Morrison
Outward Comfort for the Inward Ache
“Two months ago, I lost my sister. In my sorrow, I learned two things. The first is this: the gospel is big enough to hold up all our hurts. The pain of this world does not get to have the last word. Not in my sister’s life. Not in my life. And the second? Love is a verb and is best lived out in workaday ways. It doesn’t have to be flashy. It just needs to be faithful. It just has to show up. Hygge is not a necessary component to healing the hurt of searing loss. But, it certainly helps. If we let it, the comfort we provide to those in grief can be a tangible tool to show them the love of Christ.” - Outward Comfort for the Inward Ache by Jamie Erickson
The Church: Essential to Our Endurance
“These brothers and sisters whose lives have been woven into mine have encouraged me, prayed for me, welcomed me to their tables, and adopted me as “auntie” to their kids. We’ve lived through high highs and low lows together, prayed for God’s provision and lifted up our longings and laments to him, pointed one another back to Jesus and the good news of the gospel time and again, and seen God at work in many ways. Church has always been part of my life, part of my week, and often part of my work. But it’s taken a pandemic and a sabbatical to reveal to me that church is not just important, it is essential to faithfully following Jesus.” - The Church: Essential to Our Endurance by Jenilyn Swett
Help! I'm Trapped in My Insecurities!
“If we can see each other we can say hello, we can make a new friend, we can have a funny conversation about Colossians or Kingsolver or Costco. We can let the stifling air squelch out like an untied balloon, flying out of our fingertips until it flops to the ground, deflated and powerless, no longer trying to lead the way. De-weaponized awkward balloons make way for something else to lead the way: like truth.” - Help! I'm Trapped in My Insecurities! by Holly Mackle
Single, But Not Alone
"When our churches and friends fail us, when we face temptation, when rejection breaks our hearts, Jesus—himself a single man—identifies with our suffering (Isa. 53:3-4; Heb. 4:14-16). When we feel alone, are tempted towards despair, or look for salvation in something other than Jesus, the Holy Spirit reminds us of what is true (John 15:26-27). And when we question our worth, fear scarcity, cry out in lament, or humbly repent, the Father is ready and waiting to pour out his love and comfort (2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 3:14-21; 1 John 3:1-3).” - Single, But Not Alone, by Jenilyn Swett
"I Just Can't Go": The Importance of Gathering with the Local Church
"In today's fast-paced world, the thought of joining a church prayer meeting or gathering with brothers and sisters for a Bible study (sometimes even on Sunday morning) can seem overwhelming. It's one more thing on top of our already-hectic day. Speculations swirl through our minds. Darting thoughts remind us of the faults of others—and ourselves. We're tired, and it's easy to make excuses to keep us from assembling with the saints. But amidst these weary, heavy days, our greatest need (apart from Christ himself) is to be among the Lord's people.’” - I Just Can’t Go: The Importance of Gathering with the Local Church, by Katherine Pittman
Dear College Student: 4 Encouragements to Live on Mission
"For four years, you have the opportunity to reach those from the other side of the globe with the gospel by simply walking across the hall. If we are called to go and “proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15), this is the most risk-free step of obedience we can take. We have the privilege of fulfilling the Great Commission right here on our campuses.” - Dear College Student: 4 Encouragements to Live on Mission, by Ellie Sauder
5 Truths About Your Physical and Spiritual Health
"When it comes to our physical lives and our spiritual lives, we must each choose who we will serve (Joshua 24:14-15). We must each run the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1). We must each set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:1). Let us ask the God who made us to help us commit to both our spiritual and physical well being. These bodies and souls and lives are not our own—they were bought with a price. May we honor and glorify our God who made us, saved us, and strengthens us.” - 5 Truths About Your Physical and Spiritual Health, by Jen Oshman
Where is God When Life Changes?
"We know change is inevitable. To be human is to experience the ebbs and flows of life. Some changes are planned and are accompanied with minimal strain; others are so life-altering we sometimes refer to them as death and rebirth. We know our lives will change, but the inevitable is still shocking. Even when change is good, it’s hard. Yet with every change, we have an opportunity to learn with greater conviction that God is good.” - Where is God When Life Changes, by Shar Walker
Fighting Relational Fear by Cultivating Delight
"Our natural bent in relationships is to seek safety by trusting our own wisdom: we fight back, run away, endeavor to please people, judge others, or compete against them. This dark side of self-protection is really a form of fear, and even for those of us who are in Christ, it can still be a visceral response that rules us. So how do we learn to be ruled by something better than our own wisdom?” - Fighting Relational Fear by Cultivating Delight, by Aylin Merck