E-275 Call Me Crazy: Candid Conversations about Loneliness and Reclaiming Peace
This week's Big Question: Have you ever been [...]
A Book for All Seasons
CHRISTINE GORDON | CONTRIBUTOR Everyone has a water bottle nowadays. They come in every size and color, with a variety of price points and mechanisms. You can find them in the hands of schoolchildren, construction workers, bank tellers, and everyone in between—and that’s a good thing. We’ve learned that an appropriate amount of water in specific body systems can make or break our health. According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, proper hydration regulates body temperature, keeps joints lubricated, prevents infections, delivers nutrients to cells, helps organs function properly, improves sleep quality, helps cognition, and regulates mood.[1] While most of us forget to drink as much as we should, most Americans now understand at least some of hydration’s benefits and try to get their glasses in every day. We know water will help us to function and even thrive, so we make sure to have it with us, no matter what we’re doing. What if we thought about Scripture like water? Oh, I know the messages that are out there. There are enough “shoulds” about Scripture reading in the Christian world to choke us, which is what they normally do. We’re told we should read the Bible for lots of reasons, many of which involve some sort of shame spiral if we don’t. They can sound like this: “How will your children learn to love the Bible if they don’t see you loving it?” “How will you know Jesus if you don’t read his Word?” “If you have time to watch TV, you have time to read the Word.” These may be true, but I don’t know that they’re the best motivators for a joyous occasion of intimacy with our Lord. What if you thought about the Bible like you do your water bottle—something your soul needs to survive and thrive, that can refresh and reset, regulate and help you to function, even prosper? Believe it or not, this is what the Bible says about itself...
E-274 Call Me Crazy: Candid Conversations about Comparison and Reclaiming Peace
This week's Big Question: What areas of your [...]
E-273 Call Me Crazy: Candid Conversations about Cliques and Reclaiming Peace
This week's Big Question: How do cliques rob [...]
E-272 Call Me Crazy: Candid Conversations about Anxiety and Reclaiming Peace
This week's Big Question: How does anxiety choke [...]
E-271 Call Me Crazy: Candid Conversations about Criticism and Reclaiming Peace
This Week's Big Question: What was an unexpected [...]
E-270 Call Me Crazy: Candid Conversations about FOMO and Reclaiming Peace
This week's Big Question: How does our FOMO [...]
E-269 Call Me Crazy: Candid Conversations about Decision Making and Reclaiming Peace
This week's Big Question: Where do you start [...]
No One Left Behind! Made for More: A Shared Journey
KAREN HODGE | CONTRIBUTOR My family and I prepared for a hike during a recent trip to England. As we got ready, we needed to ensure we had all the equipment necessary for a long journey: the right shoes, plenty of hydration and food, and an accurate trail map. The first mile of the hike was relatively easy until we came to the edge of Malham Cove. I stared at four hundred steps straight up a three-hundred-foot incline to the white cliffs above me. At this point, I was tempted to turn back since I was only one mile into a five-mile hike. Half of my family was already at the top, and they shouted over the ledge, "The view is worth the effort!" I took my time so as not to trip or fall. I looked over my shoulder, and my kind son-in-law walked behind me. He is an expert hiker, so I urged him to speed up. As I huffed and puffed, he said, "Nobody in our family gets left behind." Over the next several hours, we saw spectacular views including grand vistas and beautiful waterfalls. I was also thankful that my son-in-law had an "AllTrails" app that helped us see when we were veering off the marked trail. That evening, when we got to the trail's end, we feasted and reminisced about our walk through the beauty of God's creation. A Shared Journey This fall, PCA Women’s Ministries will embark on a Made for More shared journey that will take us to eight cities around North America. It is our hope that these intergenerational conferences for young women third grade and up will just be the beginning of an ongoing conversation. We will be talking about the things that matter most surrounded by the people that matter most in our lives. We will explore big questions such as who is God, why am I here, what is my purpose, and what is my final destination on this faith journey? We hope that these questions spark conversations that will continue long after the conferences...
Why Use a Physical Bible
.TARA GIBBS | CONTRIBUTOR Last fall, I received a text with nothing but a photo of the original, hardback, black and white English Standard Version Bible from my 23-year-old son. I replied with a single question mark. His response made me smile, “Mom, we are at Goodwill, and I saw your Bible.” Why would this text have such an effect on me? I have made more parenting mistakes than I can number, but that day, I stopped to give thanks to God that when my son sees a generic, hardback ESV Bible at Goodwill, he associates it with the impact and reality of God’s living Word in his formative years. What a picture of God’s grace. And what a reminder of the importance of God’s Word in physical form. The God who made us as physical beings allows us to touch, feel, and see His covenant love through physical words on paper. In this day where Bible access is incredibly convenient on our ever-present phones, it is easy to neglect the use of our physical Bibles. I confess my own struggle as a daily Bible-reading plan conveniently populates my inbox with clickable emails. I open the email, and a link leads me straight to a read-aloud plan with a devotional by Don Carson. What could be more convenient? I am a fan of using the audio feature to help me get through my longer Bible-readings. But there is something very personal and irreplaceable about picking up my own personal physical Bible, touching the pages, and hearing God’s faithfulness through these words for the last five decades. “I read this promise, during this struggle, on this page in the upper, right-hand corner.” I open my Bible to a passage I memorized with my children, and pictures of God’s goodness flood my mind. There is no replacement for regular use of a physical Bible. Here are a few places and ways we can do so: Encouragement to Use a Physical Bible Use a physical Bible in your personal devotional reading whenever possible. Reading comprehension, retention, and multi-sensory connection to the reality of God’s love and presence happen in a deeper way with our physical Bibles...