God's Word Acts Like a Slow Drip, Not a Big Splash

In her book Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg retells the following story about a famous first century rabbi named Rabbi Akiva:

One day ...

Building Homes with Too Much Sand Leads to Tragedy

While doing relief work in Haiti following the devastating earthquake there on January 12, 2010, Palmer Chichen observed firsthand the tragedy of building ...

Prayer Is Easier Than Many Think

Prayer is easier than we think. We want to think it is too hard or too high and holy for us, because that gives us an excuse for not doing it. This is ...

How Singing Together Shapes a Community

As a freshman at the University of Michigan I sang the Michigan fight song along with my fellow students—at football games, in the student lounge, ...

Is the Church More Like an Old-Fashioned Hardware Store or a Home Depot?

Pastor Kevin Miller writes:

When I was a kid, Saturday mornings were chore day. Often my dad would say, "C'mon kid," and I'd hop in the ...

The Art of Maple Sugaring Compared to the Discipleship Process

When it comes to syrup, there's a reason the real stuff is pricy. Through a slow and painstaking process, the traditional Native American art of maple ...

Ancient Chinese General Sun Tzu on the Importance of Preparation

Every battle is won or lost before it is fought.

—Sun Tzu, Chinese General and Strategist, in The Art of War, written in the late sixth-century BC ...

Philip Yancey Describes the Revolutionary Call to Follow Christ

In his book What Good Is God?, author Philip Yancey illustrates what it is like to build upon the rock by hearing and keeping the words of Jesus.

Yancey ...

Christian Life Is a Journey, Not an Arrival

It has been called the greatest rescue mission of World War II.

Late in that war, American bombers were sent on dangerous missions over southern Europe ...

Looking Behind the Veil of Ordinariness

In his book Practice Resurrection, Eugene Peterson tells the story of a woman named Judith, an artist in textiles. He writes:

Judith had an alcoholic husband ...