Discipleship has never been easy. The tenth chapter of Matthew chronicles Jesus’ words of advice to the twelve disciples as he sends them out for the first time. At this point,...

At the center of today’s passage is Hagar, an enslaved Egyptian who bore Abraham a son named Ishmael. Because of her status, Hagar occupied a marginal place in society and experienced...

We all experience seasons of life that wring us out. These are times of wilderness where we tread through tangles of uncertainty, pain, frustration, and loss. Seeds of desolation take root...

When I hear a good joke, I can’t wait to share it with others. When I witness other people laughing, I find it hard not to join them. Sometimes the laughter...

Sometimes we think that everything will work out well if God’s grace is with us. Then any opposition we experience is evidence that we are not doing the right thing, as...

Once we experience God’s grace, we want others to experience it as well. We see the whole world in need of God’s grace, like fields ready to be harvested. So Jesus...

In response to an experience of God’s grace, we find ourselves asking with the psalmist, “What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?” We long to...

Is this a cause worth dying for? I hear that question when those around me know that I am on the verge of making a decision that will upset others. The...

I don't remember my parents saying that boasting is a sin, but boasting was not welcome in our home. If I talked too long about one of my accomplishments, my mother...

Reading this passage makes me wish I were an artist. I would love to paint this last exchange between God and Sarah, the moment when God calls Sarah’s laughter out into...