Woman

The coronavirus pandemic has left us all with questions, some new, some old. When is it safe to go out? Can we go back to church? How can I keep my family safe? And of course, it has also spurred many deeper questions: Why did my friend get sick? Why did my loved one die?

In the midst of quarantines and shelter-in-place orders, celebrating Easter will be different than ever before. Worship services may be online, family gatherings may be smaller and meals may be simpler. Yet, even amid this shocking shift that comes with constant changes, the message of the cross and the truth that Jesus has defeated death

“Easter is canceled this year!” my youngest sister said. As we watched the president’s announcement to “Stop the spread for 30 days,” all of us slumped into our family couch. Since March 17, I have had the privilege of working at home, only seen two other people outside of my family and not left my

How do I look? We aren’t asking ourselves that question or caring much about our looks since the COVID-19 outbreak has confined us to our homes. I saw a news reporter do a story from his home computer with a jacket and tie on and then get up to reveal his pajama bottoms. Before the

Praying is a good thing. Always! For the believer prayer should be the first thing we go to. And yet we know that some prayers are more effective than others, at least to our human experience. So how should you pray during the COVID-19 crisis? There are Christian believers who have gotten and will get

Our son was diagnosed with leukemia a month shy of his kindergarten graduation. During his treatment, I educated Daniel and his twin sister, Caroline, at home. Prior to cancer, home schooling had not been on my radar. I replicated what I remembered from my first-grade classroom experience: The ABCs wrapped around the top of our

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which will be greatly rewarded. For you need patience, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive the promise” (Heb. 10:35-36). These Scriptures come just before the long list of heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11, which illustrates confidence and endurance. I

Are you kidding? “The aircraft reached its weight limit,” the airline agent said to those of us waiting at the gate. “We cannot board any more passengers.” I knew the plane was small. But I also knew that per ADA regulations, they should have allowed me to board first (not that I’m special or anything,

“I trust the Lord.” “I’m trusting in God.” “You should trust in Him.” Phrases like these cross the lips of Christians almost automatically—or at least they did before the coronavirus crisis. This unexpected season, however, has caused many of us to think more seriously about the one in whom we place our hope and trust.

“With this faith I will go out and carve a tunnel of hope from a mountain of despair.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Without question, our lives are in a Matthew 24 moment. Jesus warned us of the birth pangs our natural world would experience as it yearns with eager expectation to be free from its

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12b-13a, ESV). “I’ve never seen anything like her,” my high school cross-country coach said about the star runner on our team. She was the fastest runner our

With the COVID-19 pandemic raging all around the globe, life can feel pretty dark. The news is sobering and for many, the future looks grim. People are anxious and depressed. In fact, in just the last two days I’ve heard of three suicides. Staggering! This morning as I opened the Scriptures, I read, “Light shines

Are you getting high on fear? According to sociologist Margie Kerr, in a CBS Sunday Morning television news story, people do. They actually crave and thrive on being afraid. It’s one of the top reasons why Halloween is so popular and why we like scary movies, amusement park rides and carnival fun houses. And let’s

Reading an article recently published in The New York Times nearly brought me to tears—not in sadness, but in pure amazement. I can’t say I know just how long it’s been since His name has been in a good light in this sizable piece of secular media, but it was a definite tear-jerker for me.

Chonda Pierce says if this coronavirus lasts any longer, she’s going to run out of closets to reorganize. Like many touring speakers and artists, the popular comedian recently announced that she would have to postpone all current shows on her tour in light of the recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S. Now she says she