When it comes to parenting, the adage “More is caught than taught” rings true. None of us wants to send the message “Do as I say, not as I do” to our kids. We want to be sure they see us as trustworthy, and we want to be godly examples for them to follow. We […]

The Fullness of Joy Series celebrates the launch of the new Give Me Jesus Journal and the Fullness of Joy Collection. Each article in this series is a devotional on a passage from Psalm 16. Read the other articles in the series here: “Embracing Childlike Faith” by Jasmine L. Holmes “Hoping in a Beautiful Future” […]

The Fullness of Joy Series celebrates the launch of the new Give Me Jesus Journal and the Fullness of Joy Collection. Each article in this series is a devotional on a passage from Psalm 16. Read the other articles in the series here: “Embracing Childlike Faith” by Jasmine L. Holmes “Keeping Close to God” by […]

The Fullness of Joy Series celebrates the launch of the new Give Me Jesus Journal and the Fullness of Joy Collection. Each article in this series is a devotional on a passage from Psalm 16. Read the other articles in the series here: “Hoping in a Beautiful Future” by Erin Davis “Keeping Close to God” […]

Sometimes praying for rest is like praying for patience. If you’ve ever prayed for patience, maybe you’ll know what I mean. When I need to be more patient (pretty much all the time), what I really want is for God to shower me with loads of supernatural patience. I want to suddenly be calm and […]

This article is adapted from Kristen Wetherell’s new book, Help for the Hungry Soul.   Why Don’t I Read My Bible? You know the scenario: you’re reading through a Bible passage, only to find your thoughts wandering to that work project you have to finish or that recent debate you heard online (which causes you […]

Could I come over this afternoon to talk with you? The mid-morning text from a grieving younger woman in my church surprised me. I looked up from my phone to survey my kitchen. Crumbs and dishes from lunch still cluttered the table. My laptop sat open on the counter, a constant ping reminding me of […]

It’s mid-afternoon and I have almost nothing to show for my day. Instead of crossing tasks off my list, I’ve spent hours replaying a conversation I had yesterday with a friend from church. I’ve been repeating her words and rehearsing what I could have said that would have made the conversation more fruitful. But I […]

Black trash bags laid piled in the driveway—all my belongings, in a heap on the ground. I fought back tears as I walked inside. My unwanted presence buzzed over my head like a housefly. By sixteen, I had been tossed about from home to home, this being one of seven. No one seemed to want […]

There was a strange rule in my graduate counseling program: don’t pass the tissues. It’s not surprising, but a lot of crying happens in counseling programs. I remember the first time one of my professors gestured to a fresh box of Kleenex in the center of the room and instructed us not to touch it—unless […]