The Lord's Nearness and Our Good
“There are times when we don’t necessarily feel God’s nearness to us. And it is then that it is absolutely vital to regularly be immersing our souls in Scripture. One of the places I consistently turn to is the book of Psalms. The Psalms give us language for our lament and teach us how to pray honestly before the Lord. The Psalms remind us of the character of God and foretell our Savior. In our moments of distress, we cry out, because the psalmists model for us what it’s like to bring all of our feelings and emotions to God.” - The Lord’s Nearness and Our Good by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik
Finding God in Our Anxiety
“It had been a week, and I was still in bed. I was unable to work, drive, or even leave the house. Anxiety had showed up again and knocked me down, leaving me barely functioning. I still had a husband who was writing a dissertation and teaching undergraduate students, three children needing help with all the things, and a job at my church shepherding the women God had brought to us. But as I woke from another night of restless sleep to more intrusive thoughts, movement back to a normal life seemed a distant hope. I felt like I was lost inside my own mind.” - Finding God in Our Anxiety by Hope Blanton and Christine Gordon
The Blessings and Benefits of Scripture Memorization
“Though I have long praised the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading and prayer, I put memorization in an extra-credit category for the super-spiritual. It’s hard enough committing to daily study, but memorizing Scripture? That’s for pastors, missionaries, and perhaps children who can’t read yet, right? I had access to a Bible any time I needed it. What was the point of memorizing it? I could flip through the pages of my Bible or swipe through verses on my ESV app. Does the extra step of memorizing Scripture really matter?” - The Blessings and Benefits of Scripture Memorization by Glenna Marshall
Our Forever Home
“My husband and I are preparing for our seventh move in ten years of marriage. As I pull packing tape across the top of yet another box, I begin to feel a familiar ache. I’m homesick. I cannot wait for the day we are finally done moving—the day we unpack our last box and settle down in our forever home. This yearning has grown with each move, but I know it won’t be fully satisfied in our next house, even though we hope to plant our roots deeply there.” - Our Forever Home by Hunter Beless
Drawing the Hungry to the Lord’s Table
“Nearly every evening, church members or neighbors drop by the Butterfield home for the evening meal and family devotions. That’s right: Not just every once in a while. Nearly every evening. They talk through their days, hear how they can help people in the neighborhood, and offer prayer for those who sit around the table. There’s always another seat around the table, whether or not you believe in Jesus.” - Drawing the Hungry to the Lord’s Table by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
The Cost and the Beauty of World Missions
“Lined up were dozens of women dressed head-to-toe in Abayas, the traditional black robe worn by women in the Gulf region of the Middle East. With no knowledge of the Middle East except what I had deduced from sensationalized news and bad action films, I arrogantly said to God, ‘I will never live in a country where women have to wear that.’ Six years later, I learned to “never say never” as I boarded a one-way flight to the United Arab Emirates with my husband and baby. We moved there for the sake of ministry, but we were the ones who were served in the end.” - The Cost and the Beauty of World Missions by Bev Berrus