In our current verbiage, the term “radical” has adopted an unsavory note. It’s usually used to describe someone who’s gone off the religious deep end, or who’s pushing some kind of harmful or even anarchistic agenda. But in truth, something is truly “radical” when it relates to or affects the fundamental nature of something, particularly […]

Different generations seem to have different qualities they laud and applaud. In times past it was honesty, integrity, grit, strength…nowadays, it seems the best thing you could ever be is independent. The ability to care for oneself irrespective of the input of others is considered tantamount to achieving nirvana. According to our modern culture, when […]

When my husband first proposed, we weren’t in the worst shape financially. We were both blessed to still live with our parents while working full time, so we’d managed to sock away a decent savings. Still, the prospect of living on our own, being solely responsible for bills and rent, was intimidating! We had to […]

It can be so hard sometimes to grapple with the fact that in our imperfection, our fallen, flawed state, we are still the representatives of the only man who ever walked out this messy, complicated life in perfection. For all of my shortcomings, I’m meant to be his disciple. Um—HOW?! There have been many times […]

I think the hardest thing God has ever asked of me is to live peaceably with all men. I tend to spin out at the slightest inconvenience. I’m working on improving at that, with the help of my Creator, but there are times when it’s so hard not to completely lose my cool and get […]

One of the most comforting verses in the Bible to many Christians is found in Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” There is so much hope to be derived from these simple words. Many have taken this […]

While counseling a friend recently through a struggle—deep discontentment over a lack of feedback on a project she’s put years of effort into—the question arose of what would truly make her happy in this scenario. She could name five people who liked her project. Deep down, she wanted everyone to love it. Another friend asked […]

Jesus once told a great parable about the wise man who built his house on the rock vs. the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Both men wanted a wonderful place to dwell, and both probably figured they were going about it the right way. One could even speculate that the houses […]

Division is not hard to find. In fact, unity is rarer. Ever since the Tower of Babel and the times of the Patriarchs, humankind has found increasing ways to divide itself. The Pharisees set themselves apart from Jesus by their known heritage (casting scorn on Jesus’ own conception). The Jews separated themselves from the “dogs” […]

(This blog was graciously submitted by the talented John Sandt. Thank you, John!) People, Christians and non-Christians alike, make hundreds of choices every day. Many of the choices we make involve several or even many options. “What time should we go to the movies?” “Which shirt should I wear?” “What color and type of cell […]