Two doors. Two thrones. Both the doors are hinged. Both the thrones are filled. One door stands open while the other is closed. One throne exalts a King, while the other extends a royal invitation. You must keep your eye on the Man to distinguish between the two. For you see, He is present in all four instances. You can …
Sleeplessness. This ordinary disruption affects many of us in some way. Whether it begins in the middle of the night or at its beginning, lying awake in the darkness is a petri dish for growing anxiety. Although not directly related to COVID-19, my inability to sleep through the night began in June 2020. As I worried about the past, present, …
By: Mark Persall Deborah is the singular female judge of Old Testament history. Nestled in a seldom-read segment of chapters four and five in the Book of Judges, her story is more easily dismissed than studied. Yet, in times of battle between “my body, my choice” and “women should not be in authority over men,” Deborah’s life is a model for …
The stories of Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman contrast starkly. He is religious, she is immoral, he is a leader, she is an outcast. He sought Jesus, and she didn’t know He existed. Yet both had one striking thing in common—Jesus took time for a one-on-one experience with each. The One God sent to earth intersected with these two lives …
Without remorse, she scooped the last cosmetics into the waste urn. The rose petal rouge, the lead-sulfide eye shadow, and the chalk face whitener would no longer be needed. Yesterday, these products seemed essential for an aging woman in her line of work. Today, they were cast aside without value onto the layers of scented fabrics she had culled earlier. …
In one of my favorite books, nineteenth-century author Hannah Whitall Smith tells the following allegory: “Satan called together a council of his servants to consult how they might make a good man sin. One evil spirit started up and said, “I will make him sin.” “How will you do it?” asked Satan. “I will set before him the pleasures of sin,” …
The room fell quiet as the Spirit hushed our verbal prayers simultaneously. Months ago, Tara and I prioritized intercession during our time together. Opening our Bibles in prayer, we eagerly await His direction for our friends, our church, and our world by allowing His Word to pilot ours. He has guided us into many “ah-ha” moments as we ask Him …
What if each time someone celebrated my skills Or expertise, I re-gifted the applause to the Father Instead of desiring an encore ovation? What if each time someone praised my wisdom Or education, I returned the accolade to the Lord Instead of celebrating with a personal party? What if each time my child scored a goal, made the grade, Or won an award, I restored the admiration to His Name Instead of attempting to build my own? …
Freeze the frame and silence the audio. Look closely at the stop-action scene. Faces of merchants pose in various states of shock. Bulls and sheep halt in mid-air on their frantic search for an exit. Coins suspend as tables freeze in tilt position. Allow the visual to fill your imagination. With authority, the God-Man clears thirty-six acres of temple grounds …
Passover 28 A.D. This time of year, all Jewish men crowded Jerusalem, even those living outside the country. Often, whole families joined the pilgrimage, causing the city’s population of 25,000 to swell four-fold. Every room in every inn and hostel was filled to capacity. The walled capital teemed with citizens and pilgrims flooding in to commemorate a miraculous escape from slavery 1500 …
