Encouraging Scriptures, Thoughts, & More
In the distance, Jane heard sirens and gunfire. While her body trembled sometimes at the noise, she wasn’t terrified. Her daddy was taking care of her. One day at the playground someone said something very mean to Jane. The words stung. But then she smiled. Her daddy loved her. Another time Jane messed up badly…
I was blessed to be brought up hearing about Jesus and to find forgiveness in Him at an early age. I was active in serving within the church. Yet at the same time, I could count on one hand the people I’d shared the gospel with—and then, it had been quite poorly. It’s not that…
Emma was busy–very busy. Her little mind raced with all the things she needed to get done on her sandcastle city. To her, getting her castle just right seemed to be the most important thing in the world. Little did Emma dream that soon the ocean would sweep away all her work. She was stressing…
Jared stared up and down the street with wide eyes. Where was he? What was he doing? More importantly, who was he? He couldn’t remember the answer to any of those questions. He looked around him and saw a crowded street with people hustling around. I must need to hustle somewhere, he thought to himself.…
Jake had never seen such a mixed-up army before. They were in the middle of a battle, with bullets flying all around. Yet the soldiers all seemed more concerned with what their fellow soldiers thought of them than they did of the war! “I pressed my uniform this morning,” one was explaining proudly to his…
I had failed once again, despite trying so hard to get it right. Discouragement and condemnation banged on the doors and windows of my heart. You’re a failure, they whispered. You’re hopeless. True…but that doesn’t need to end in discouragement or condemnation. Unlike in other religions, in which man has to make himself worthy of…
Big bows, little bows–everywhere I look, I see another hidden bow. My mom had some extra bows left over from an event, so she has used them to decorate our home. The bows have gotten us both to thinking about hidden gifts–specifically, how the Lord often has hidden gifts for us in the different situations…
Life gets busy–especially in today’s society, and especially this time of year. A few weeks back, I took on a temporary part-time position and discovered that my days suddenly got very, very full. I was being stretched. I was out in the world a lot, being inundated with secular music and messages on every hand.…
The different moods music can convey never cease to amaze me. Music can be happy, woeful, eager, mournful, exhilarating–the list could go on. Each piece, when played with feeling and a full heart, conveys emotion and meaning. Yet I have found that those same pieces can also sound like empty noise. There have been days…
