What I'm Reading
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Staggering, Yet Compelling Statistics
Women have always been a vital part of the ministry of the church—serving, teaching, praying, and leading others toward Christ. Yet recent Barna Research reveals something deeply concerning: Gen Z women, ages 18–24, are leaving the church faster than men, with 38% identifying as agnostic, atheist, or having no faith at all. That statistic makes my heart ache. If you’re in my generation, you’ve likely witnessed the beautiful growth of women’s ministry in the church—from its humble grassroots beginnings to a nationwide movement that helped women grow deeper in their faith. Some of us remember the prayers, the labor, and the passion it took to build those ministries. But for…
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Some Things I’m Studying and Listening To
Some things I’m studying and listening to. These are from LifeWay Women Bible studies and MARKED podcasts: 1. Jennifer Rothschild on Heaven Podcast Jennifer’s study on Heaven is also amazing and I highly recommend it to those young in the faith as well as the mature. 2. Answer YOUR Questions About the Essentials of the Faith This podcast helps ground followers of Christ in foundational theological doctrines. 3. Added to that, I just finished Alive. Such a great reminder for any believer what it means to follow Christ as Savior. For those young in the faith, it’s a MUST! How I wish I’d known these things soon after I became…
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I CAN’T!
I CAN’T! How many times have you woken up in the morning and just wanted to tell God, “I just can’t”? Some days, and seasons, truly feel impossible to manage from a human standpoint. But as believers in Christ, we have access to a supernatural power that enables us to face anything the Lord allows into our lives. This truth is beautifully captured by Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru), who said: This resonates deeply with 1 Corinthians 15:57, which declares, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” It’s not our own strength, but Jesus’ power that allows…
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Two Responses: Our Choice
When you’re faced with a decision, what guides your response? Do you act based on emotion in the moment, or do you pause, pray, and thoughtfully consider your options? And when you sin—what’s your first reaction? Do you blame, ignore, make excuses, or repent? In 2 Samuel and 1 Kings, we read about two kings, David and his son Solomon, each with different responses to sin. After his impulsive and grievous sins of adultery and murder in 2 Samuel, David was confronted by the prophet Nathan. Instead of hiding or excusing his actions, he humbly confessed. In 2 Samuel 12:13, David said, “I have sinned against the LORD.” His repentance…
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God’s Enduring Desire: To Dwell Among Us
From the dawn of creation, God has expressed an unwavering desire to be with His people, longing to walk with us, guide us, and draw us into worship. This profound yearning for connection is a consistent thread woven throughout Scripture. Recently my F260 reading plan landed on 1 Kings 6. The plan’s commentary led me to think about how God has desired to dwell with His people from the beginning. We continue to see this desire throughout Scripture. A Journey Through God’s Dwelling Places (This list is from my reading plan but the comments are mine.): Photo by Igor Rodrigues on Unsplash Photo by Anton Mislawsky on Unsplash This incredible…
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Our Response to Truth
Perhaps you’ve read Psalm 119 and noticed, in this longest chapter in the longest book of the Bible, that it focuses on God’s truth, precepts, commands, word, instruction, statutes, decrees, judgments, and ordinances. We get the point at least 179 times! We must know His Word! But, what do we do with that truth? This time in reading Psalm 119, I focused on what the psalmist says his, and our, response should be to God’s Word. Here’s what I found: Why does the writer do this? I believe we see the reason in Psalm 119:160. The entirety of your word is truth, each of your righteous judgments endures forever. Psalm 119:160 Do…
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Repair Our Broken World
We often wonder what our purpose is in today’s world—and why Jesus doesn’t just return now to make all things new. As I finished Kristi McLelland’s Luke in the Land Bible study, she guided us into the book of Acts on the final day. Luke, who authored both the Gospel of Luke and Acts, originally wrote them as one continuous narrative. In Acts, we don’t simply see Jesus as resurrected and ascended—we see Him as having left instructions for His followers as they waited for His return. His resurrection wasn’t the conclusion of the story but the beginning—the launching point of the apostles’ mission, and the beginning of our mission,…
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Finding Your “Davar in the Midbar”: God’s Voice in Dry Times
Kristi McLelland’s “snapshot” from her Luke in the Land study today offered both insight and encouragement, particularly resonating with my ongoing exploration of biblical lament. For nearly a year, this has been a persistent area of study, where each apparent conclusion seems to usher in new resources and scriptural connections. McLelland’s session, titled “Davar in the Midbar” (Word in the wilderness), has become another valuable addition to my notes. Drawing from Luke 4, she highlighted Jesus’ Spirit-led journey into the wilderness for his temptation, a practice familiar to the Israelites as a time of seeking God’s voice in solitude. McLelland reminded us of pivotal “wilderness encounters” throughout Scripture: Moses at…
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Obedience Pleases a Holy God
I hate times I feel like I failed at something. Or if I did something half-hearted, not putting my best into it. It’s never quite fulfilling, is it? We know we can do better. Contrast that with the feeling we get when we put all we can into an assignment. Isn’t it rewarding when we know we did something well? Especially when our obedience and best efforts are pleasing to the Lord. Obedience acknowledges a holy God’s direction over every aspect of our lives, from dedicated prayer and Bible study to our interactions with a restaurant server. All we do is to testify to our serving our holy Father. In…
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Test: Pass or Fail?
A new favorite song is Flowers by Samantha Ebert. It’s about a beautiful way to walk through hard seasons. Trials, loss, broken relationships, health issues. Knowing God brings growth (flowers) out of pain adds meaning to those experiences (in the valley). Sometimes, difficulties arise when the Lord tests our faith. In Exodus 20, we see God testing Israel’s obedience. They had already failed one test: the test of physical sustenance. He provided manna in the wilderness and gave explicit instructions for how they were to gather manna each day. Some chose to collect more than they needed. Now the test was one of waiting for Moses to come back down…
