A God with Scars
When Sonya lost her dad, grief nearly swallowed her faith. But in the Gospels she noticed something — even after the resurrection, Jesus still carried scars. The marks of pain weren’t erased; they became part of the story. That realization steadied her: you can trust a God with scars. The Incarnation isn’t abstract theology — it’s God stepping into our suffering, and never leaving us alone in it.
‘Light Of The World’ A Giant Leap Forward For Faith-Based Animation
Faith-based animation has rarely gotten the investment or attention that live-action films have. But “Light of the World” changes that. Told through the eyes of a young John, this hand-drawn film about Jesus stumbles at times but ultimately becomes something beautiful — warm, creative and surprisingly moving. It’s a breakthrough, a hopeful sign that Christian animation may finally be stepping into its own.
Envy: My Inner Basilisk
Envy slithers quietly, but it scorches everything it touches. Like a basilisk in medieval lore, its very breath withers the green around it. I’ve felt its sting — not in some dramatic betrayal, but in quiet moments scrolling, wishing another’s success would wilt. Envy steals joy, blinds us to God’s goodness and corrodes our capacity for love. The only antidote is love itself — rejoicing where envy would mourn.
What’s God Up To?
God’s invitations often arrive quietly. A request for prayer. A conversation over coffee. A nudge toward listening more than speaking. Again and again, the question rises: What’s God up to? Spiritual direction isn’t about fixing someone’s life. It’s about holy companionship — making space to notice God’s presence, to pay attention to his gentle nudges and to trust he’s already at work.
Writing in the Dirt
Writing has always been more than marks on paper. It’s a way of listening — to the heart, to God, to the stories we carry inside us. In John 8, Jesus bends down and writes in the dirt while a woman waits, her shame exposed. He doesn’t look up at the crowd. He just writes. And maybe that’s the invitation: to slow down, touch the dirt and let God’s voice write in us too.
A Misunderstood Passage
Ephesians 5 is one of the most misused passages in Scripture. Too often it’s reduced to a slogan about wives submitting to husbands. But Paul’s real message is bigger — and more radical. “Submit to one another,” he writes. Every believer is called to humility, to serve, to give up rights for the sake of love. Husbands, wives, parents, children — all. The gospel advances when we choose servanthood over self.
What Is Prayer?
Prayer is not self-expression but transformation. A way of being reshaped into the likeness of Jesus. Unlike mindfulness, which turns us inward, prayer lifts us upward to God and outward in love. We come with praise, confession and petition. We rely on the Son’s name, trust the Spirit’s groans and receive the Father’s presence. Prayer is communion. It’s dwelling with God until our hearts echo his.
Lament: A Journey from Suffering to Worship
Lament gives us language for suffering. The psalmists show us how to cry out honestly, even in anger or despair, while still turning toward God. It’s not denial, nor is it despair — it’s wrestling that ends in trust. In lament we call out, complain, request, remember and finally praise. And through that rhythm, suffering is transformed into worship, and isolation into intimacy with God.
A Life of Cards
Imagine carrying every sin you’ve ever committed — each one handed to you on a card. The pockets of your heart would overflow. But God doesn’t ask you to carry them. He asks you to confess them. To agree with him. To hand over the whole stack. And when you do, he doesn’t read them aloud or hold them against you. He tears them up. Every single one.
Guidance: Lost Without a Map
We weren’t meant to navigate life alone. God knows how tricky it can be to hear his voice in the noise, so he gives us each other — friends who pray, listen and help us discern his will. Guidance begins with humility, continues with seeking him and deepens when we listen together. Alone we guess; together we hear.
Joy: The ABC’s
Joy grows when we remember what’s true: God is near, even now. He’s not waiting for us to clean up or calm down. He’s already with us, ready to pour out his Spirit. So we stop spiraling, breathe deep and ask for help. Joy doesn’t depend on what’s happening around us. It depends on who’s right here.
Do You Struggle To Receive God’s Comfort?
God’s comfort isn’t scraps; it’s all comfort. As real as a mother gathering her child after a fall, as near as breath. Yet we often refuse it, waiting to feel before we believe. Faith works the other way: believe first, and comfort comes. Set your will toward trust, and let his promised comfort flood in.
All of Us Here
In a circle of strangers, I said what I had never said before: “I want to feel like I can do nothing and still be loved.” And when they wrapped their arms around me and whispered “I love you,” I felt it — not just from them, but from God. “You belong,” the Father said. And in that moment, I finally believed him.
Blow the Dam: When You’re Suffering Divine Dehydration
You were made for living water. For the presence of God rushing through your life like a river in flood season. But sin dammed it up. Left you parched. Empty.
‘What If …’ Re-Released 15 Years Later
Before “The Chosen,” there was “What If…” Now re-released 15 years later, Dallas Jenkins’ early film reminds us how far faith-based cinema has come — and how much it still gets right. With strong performances and surprisingly sharp writing, it remains one of the best examples of its genre, even as it wrestles with ideas that feel more relevant now than ever.
When Nothing Else Matters
When you glimpse the joy of Christ, everything else shifts. You stop needing to prove yourself. Stop chasing things that never satisfy. The goals, the image, the striving — it all fades.
Madeleine L’Engle: A Universe That Bends Toward Love
She didn’t separate faith from imagination. Madeleine L’Engle just lived wide open — heart and mind. Her books pulled readers through time, across galaxies, into the mystery of grace. She believed beauty told the truth. That story could carry both wonder and doubt. And that God’s love wasn’t narrow or tame, but wild enough to bend the whole universe toward redemption.
When Life Becomes Prayer
There’s a kind of prayer that doesn’t require silence or structure. It doesn’t follow a guide or wait for the right moment. It just happens — while you’re driving, making coffee, walking the dog. It’s unfiltered, constant conversation. And somehow, in the middle of the ordinary, you realize you’re not alone. Your whole life becomes prayer — unpolished, unplanned and full of God.
Healing and Reverie
Sap clings to my feet. The morning breeze brushes my face. And something in me aches to be known — by God, by others, by me. Healing isn’t tidy or quick, but it’s worth every scar it asks us to touch. When we stop running from the shadows and let love move through us, even our hidden places can become holy ground.
Joy Even in Chains
Joy isn’t the absence of pain. It’s not tied to comfort, ease or getting your way. Joy is a choice. Paul made it in chains. We can too — right in the middle of everything we don’t understand. Whether you’re staring down disappointment, rejection or just a world that feels upside down, God’s invitation stands: Rejoice. Not later. Not someday. But now. Joy isn’t just possible. It’s who you’re becoming.