Spiritual Formation: Bible Study & Devotions
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Prefer the Given
My friend Stacey was over two months ago for tea and snacks when she announced she was heading to France for two weeks by herself. Let me repeat: France. Two weeks. By herself.
Honestly, nothing could have sounded better to me at that moment. A moment where it was all I could do not to scream and throw something at the wall behind which my kids fought and yelled and the TV blared in the other room. ...
Related Topics: Comparisons, God's Will, Gratitude, Talents, Thankfulness
Inscribed on the Heart
Even in a brief conversation with Priscilla Shirer, you realize she doesn't just talk about the importance of knowing the Bible, she lives it—passionately. A Bible teacher, she regularly appears alongside Beth Moore and Kay Arthur at conferences, and has written several bestselling books, including her most recent Life Interrupted: Navigating the Unexpected (Broadman & Holman). She and her husband, ...
Related Topics: Bible Study, Biblical Guidance, Faith, Growing in, Growth, spiritual, spiritual disciplines
The Prodigal Reader
Twenty years ago, I taught English and American literature at a Chinese university. My students were smart, spoke amazing English, and read literary works even native English speakers find difficult—Shakespeare, Faulkner, Joyce—all with an enthusiasm I've rarely encountered since. Victims of China's Cultural Revolution in the late '60s and early '70s—a book-burning, knowledge-squelching ...
Related Topics: Bible Study, Biblical Guidance, Inspiration, interpretation, Struggles
Naked!
Judge me if you will, but I fancy dressing the way God created us before Adam and Eve began shopping at Abercrombie and Fig. So it should have been no surprise when I found myself in nothing but a towel prancing around a strange neighborhood after locking myself out of the home at which I was house sitting. Yes, I'd been chunky dunking in the pool. After a relaxing, enjoyable time of swimming and ...
Office Supplies and Scripture
I love school supplies. Although by the time you're my age, they should probably be called "office supplies." But this lifelong student tries to find some excuse to buy at least a new binder or a pack of pens at the beginning of each semester. I only wish graduate school professors assigned more posters and artistic work so that I could justify a brand new pack of magic markers.
Bible study requires ...
Related Topics: Assumptions, Bible Study, Bible, Truth of, Scripture, Seeking God
The Most Misunderstood Woman in the Bible
Her name was never revealed and yet she may be the most infamous woman in the Bible. Augustine labeled her "the devil's accomplice." Calvin called her "a diabolical fury."
And the contemporary understanding of Job's wife hasn't improved on Calvin or Augustine. It's difficult to find a book or sermon treatment of the life of Job that doesn't include the usual condemnations toward his wife. It has become ...
Related Topics: Commitment, Conflict, Confrontation, Marriage, Partnership, Tragedy, Trials
What You Say Before You Die
My sister Marilyn was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was 46 and I was 43. The disease was in an advanced stage since her symptoms had been undetected—masked by another serious medical condition.
She lived with brain cancer as a valiant warrior who displayed a quiet and determined demeanor for the entire 10 months of its stranglehold. The ravages of the disease could have given her reason ...
Related Topics: Afterlife, Attitude, Belief, Death, Kindness, Serving
Why God Loves a Good Story
Oh great, here we go again … My little brother and I shot a glance at each other across Grandma and Grandpa's extended dining room table. Dinner was long over, but we sensed that the aunts and uncles were gearing up for yet another nostalgic storytelling marathon.
We were antsy to be excused so we could play games or explore the basement with its endless hiding places. But we knew that once ...
Related Topics: Singleness, Spiritual Heritage, Struggles, submission, Testimony, Thankfulness
Living in the Moment
I help care for a Benedictine Sister at Our Lady of Peace Monastery who has Alzheimer's. Sister Jane is 87 years young. I'm not sure when her Alzheimer's began, but I've witnessed the progression of it over the last few years.
I found this peaceful monastery, and the group of Benedictine sisters who live there, in the middle of a personal crisis in my life. Feeling weak, weepy, and worried, I instinctively ...
Related Topics: Appearances, Appreciation, Celebration, Letting Go, Trust
Knowing What's Best
You'd think that after all these years, she'd learn.
I love my mother-in-law. Obviously, she produced my wonderful husband, and she's a loving and generous nana to my two sons. But sometimes, I feel like her concern and fretfulness cross over into my parenting territory.
"Does he eat any protein?" "Does he get any Vitamin C?" "You let them throw a Nerf football in the house?" "Don't you think you should ...
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