Until I visited the Northern Kenyan desert in January, I’d never experienced such dry and dusty conditions. Four years with little or no rain. It was hard to imagine, until seeing it. Relief organizations say this is the worst regional drought in a decade. Villages move to follow water. Women...
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Indescribable.” The Apostle Paul used the Greek word “anekdiēgētō” (don’t worry, I can’t pronounce it either!) in this verse to indicate a gift so wonderful and so inexpressible that words failed him. As believers, this “indescribable gift” of Jesus...
Fall is harvest time in this part of the world. Driving through Midwest backroads recently, my husband and I saw field after field being readied for an abundant harvest. Huge combines, windrowers, and things I really don’t know the names of, rumbled down roads and in fields. The Amish, using...
“Lord, please help me to be generous,” is my prayer every day. I’ve found, maybe you have too, that praying to live generously is like asking God for patience. Opportunities to live that prayer generously toward others come at the most “inconvenient” times! British evangelist and theologian John Wesley said,...
You’ve likely seen the statement, “The worst purchase I made in 2020 was a calendar day planner!” 2020 was, and 2021 is, a year of surrender—surrendering our routines, plans, and comforts. Trusting, adjusting, and planning for the unknown. Many of us are ready to go on vacation, go out to...
Our 2020 theme verse was: “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2 (NIV) 2020—with all of it’s twists and turns, disappointments and surprises—wasn’t a surprise to God. I praise God that throughout a difficult...
Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2 My family did a lot of camping when I was a child. To this day, I don’t know how my parents...
2020 … the year we were all going to keep our New Year’s resolutions. The year we were going to lose weight, spend less money, be kinder, read the Bible more, live more simply, be more generous, take up a new hobby, and live our lives with less stress. Simple,...
The year 2020 once seemed to be so far in the distant future, didn’t it? Now … BOOM … it’s here! People have long predicted what our lives would be like in 2020. Some predictions were accurate—including self-driving cars and computer watches. Other predictions—such as time travel or vacationing on...
When I was growing up there was a shampoo advertisement that ended with “… and I told two friends, and they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on …” Remember that commercial? I was reminded of it recently when Dara Vanden Bosch, ASM Compassionate Care Coordinator,...
Globally, a staggering 80% of the world’s population are considered “oral communicators,” by necessity or preference. These are people who can’t, don’t, or won’t read, or who prefer to learn and communicate by methods other than written text. Even North America is increasingly becoming a post-textual society, more and more...
I’m a natural-born klutz. That’s not self-deprecation; I’m just being truthful. I don’t gracefully glide across the floor. No, I have to intentionally watch each step, aware that a misstep could find me on the ground, looking up. Adding in a slight case of positional vertigo (from recent ear-nerve damage)...
Recently, I’ve found myself “leaning in” to conversations. I’d like to say this started because I want to be more engaged in the discussions, but the truth is I’m having hearing issues in my left ear.* A virus I picked up out of country recently attacked the nerves in my...
Everywhere I go, I carry a flashlight. It goes with me to church, to get groceries, to work, and to other countries. It’s nothing flashy (no pun intended), just a little blue flashlight from the local discount store. I started carrying a flashlight more than a decade ago. Yes, I...
87% of Americans own a Bible, and many households even have 3-4 copies. We are truly blessed by having ready access to God’s Word – in printed form and in audio. However, people in other parts of the world are not so fortunate. The Joshua Project says more than 1.5...
The Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) Team has been exploring new ways of telling the stories of people whose lives have been changed by God’s Word. Not everyone can go in person to participate in the work in Mozambique, Mexico, or India. ASM Africa Director Chad Vanden Bosch recently developed several...
“Know that today, the Lord will cross over before you,” Deuteronomy 9:3 In my office, I have a photo by a Grand Rapids, MI artist of the Mackinac Bridge with that verse. As a Michigander, the Mackinac Bridge has always held special significance in my life. Every summer, my brother,...
My parents modeled a deep love and respect for God’s Word that transferred to their three children. Some of my earliest memories are of listening to my dad read the Bible each night at family devotions, and seeing my mom and dad reading and praying over their Bibles early in...