What the Enemy Meant for Evil, God Will Use for Good Scripture: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” — Genesis 50:20 There are some verses that don’t feel like a cute coffee mug verse. They feel like a survivor  verse.Genesis 50:20 is one of those. Joseph isn’t saying that what happened to him was “no big deal.” He was betrayed by his brothers, sold, lied about, forgotten, and delayed. Joseph is naming it plainly: evil was involved.  People made choices. The...

“No Excuses: Saying Yes to Jesus in the New Year” (Luke 14:16–24) Scripture (Luke 14:16–24): Jesus told them: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests… But they all alike began to make excuses…”  (paraphrase) There’s something about the new year that makes us reflective. We think about what we want to change, what we want to leave behind, what we’re hoping will be different. And if we’re honest… a lot of us want change spiritually, too. We want to pray more.We want...

If the holidays feel heavy this year, I just want to say this right up front: You’re not crazy. You’re not “too emotional.” You’re not failing Christmas. You’re grieving. And grief and glitter don’t always mix very well. We see the twinkling lights, hear the songs, watch everyone post their matching pajama pictures—and meanwhile, our hearts are saying: “Someone is missing. This will never be the same.” If that’s you, you are so seen. I know this feeling all too well. “The Lord is near to the...