How We Stand

"Take up the whole armor of God … Stand therefore … having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace … taking the shield of faith … the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."—Ephesians 6:13–17 Paul wanted the Ephesians to recognize that we are in a spiritual battle. To win, we need to stand. But what does this mean? It means taking up “the…

In His Hands

Excerpt from Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness by Tracy Crump All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16, NIV) Winter weather had trapped eighteen-month-old Emily inside for days. When the next morning dawned cold and clear, her mother bundled the toddler into a stroller and set out for a walk along…

Don’t Just Push Past the Pain — Move It Out!

Excerpt taken from The Body Revelation: Physical and Spiritual Practices to Metabolize Pain, Banish Shame, and Connect to God with Your Whole Self by Alisa Keeton Moving the Bad Out of Your Body As a fitness professional in pursuit of good health, I knew something deep inside me was sick and needed help. My soul was crying out for the unconditional love and attention I lacked in my youth. For…

The Rock of Certainty: A Better Place to Stand

Excerpt taken from Christ and Cornovirus by John Piper. Playing the odds is a fragile place to put your hope. Odds like 3% versus 10%, youth versus old age, self-isolated versus home meeting with friends. Playing the odds is not a firm place to stand. There is a better way … a better place to stand: a Rock of certainty rather than the sand of probabilities. I recall being told in 2005 that…

Dave Says: A Church Car? You’ve Got to Be Kidding!

Dear Dave, My mom took out a Parent PLUS loan in 2009 to help pay for my college education. I also took out $70,000 in student loans myself. My mom never made a payment on the loan she took out for me, and now the amount due on the Parent PLUS loan has ballooned to $100,000. She recently told me in her mind it was my loan in her name, and I should be the one to make the payments after I became…

Able Soul: God Is Always Accessible

Excerpt from Able Soul: Empowering God’s Spirit Within by Lucy Goncalves Lack of accessibility is one of the challenges I face living with a disability. In terms of physical accessibility, I use a power chair to navigate around. Even though accessibility in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia has greatly improved over the years, it is still limited for people with disabilities.…

Robert Ri’chard on PTSD, Faith in Hollywood, and ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ (Part 1)

John Farrell: Tell me a little bit about My Brother’s Keeper. Robert Ri’chard: My Brother’s Keeper is a faith-based movie that deals with a lot of the internal trauma that comes from mental illness, coming back from war, finding your spirituality, connecting with your brother, and being open about the vulnerabilities that you have in your life. It’s an outstanding story and so relevant to…

Strategy for Success

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God."—Ephesians 6:12–13 NASB Paul used military terms to describe the Christian life. He knew we are engaged in a real war with serious consequences. Paul also…

Are You Practicing Scripture Meditation?

Many of us have access to a smorgasbord of Christian activities, Bible studies, and church services. These opportunities can be a real blessing, and many lives are changed because of them. If we wanted to, we could just go from one banqueting table to another, because God’s Word is available to us from so many places. But if we aren’t careful, we can become too dependent on this spoon-feeding.…

Familiar

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."—Ephesians 6:10–11 ESV Even the most successful musicians can take their skills for granted. They can let down their guard and rest on past accomplishments, not putting in maximum effort. This attitude can lead to carelessness, mistakes,…