A sea of middle-school students surged through the hallway between periods. Suddenly, one seventh-grade girl lost her grip on her books and dropped them on the floor. Much to her chagrin, the boy behind her seized the opportunity and kicked the pile of books, sending them sliding down the hallway. His cronies hooted with laughter, humiliating the girl even further. Not one of the ruffians offered to help pick anything up. That girl was me—and unfortunately, that awful day was one of many bad junior high days. But now, middle school is behind me, right? No more eye-rolls or Continue Reading

Recently, a Christian university posted their official statement against racism on social media, a statement which is founded on imago Dei and which is part of the school’s fundamental beliefs. Immediately, someone criticized the university for not posting their statement sooner. “Do better,” chided the self-righteous individual. This uncharitable attitude angered me. Nevertheless, I can’t allow criticism, or the discouragement it causes, to stop me from doing my part against the evil of racism. Innocent blood keeps getting spilled on the soil of our nation. That blood cries Continue Reading

“I’m not interested in Christianity,” said the woman. “I know of a minister who encouraged his congregation to welcome homeless people to their church, and they voted him out for that.” How many times have you heard similar complaints? The hypocrisy of folks who call themselves Christians can serve as a convenient excuse for the skeptic. After all, if the followers of a religious figure fail to live up to his teachings, then that leader must be bogus, right? The apostle Paul debunks that notion: “…If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Continue Reading

Watching her husband’s pickup head down the road toward the construction site where he was working, “Mona” had a feeling something bad was going to happen to him that day. However, Mona had been trained in the art of positive confession, so she brushed the thought from her mind. It’s just the enemy trying to get me to be fearful and negative. The feeling came again, stronger this time. Mona got more aggressive and rebuked the negative thought. Later that day, Mona’s husband was injured when he fell from a roof. She realized then that God had been warning her so she could pray Continue Reading