I love to read, and I love to share what I’ve read with others. So it makes sense to periodically post an update of the best things I’ve read lately. Below you'll find four Christian living-type books and one novel. I’m not on the cutting edge of brand-new releases, and I know that. You likely … Continue reading Favorite Books of 2022 at the Halfway Point
Author: Cindy Matson
Teach Us to Number Our Days
The question was simple: “How old are you?” With gusto, my then two-year-old responded, “Five!” That same person asked my son’s buddy (who’s just a month older) the same question. The answer again came loud and proud: “Sixteen!” While these two little guys have a ways to go in their grasp of numbers and age, … Continue reading Teach Us to Number Our Days
Prayers to Kill the Green-Eyed Monster
We can thank one man for a number of common words. Hostile, auspicious, dwindle, and watchdog were all first written down by the Bard of Stratford, William Shakespeare. He coined a number of phrases still in use five centuries later as well. If you’ve told your teenager that he’s going to “eat you out of … Continue reading Prayers to Kill the Green-Eyed Monster
Are You a Control Freak?
King Asa wasn’t an idolater like his father. In fact, he did much to rid the southern kingdom of Judah of its pagan idols. Still, he was an idolater all the same. And he had the diseased feet to prove it. You can read the account for yourself in 1 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles … Continue reading Are You a Control Freak?
Do You Crave Comfort?
Do you ever whine about “first-world problems”? My guess is that, like me, you probably do. Anger with a cell phone battery that dies too quickly or a weak WiFi signal, a pizza delivery that arrived ten minutes late or the library not having the new release that I can’t wait to read (but don’t … Continue reading Do You Crave Comfort?
For My Fellow Approval Junkies
Whether or not you have a golden calf hanging out in your backyard, you are an idolater. So am I. Pastor Brad Bigney defines an idol this way: “An idol is anything or anyone that begins to capture our hearts and minds and affections more than God.” This means that a pagan deity, a number … Continue reading For My Fellow Approval Junkies
Are You Satisfied?
Which Disney princess are you? Which Hogwarts house would you be sorted into? What’s your Enneagram number? What’s your love language? Questions like these suck us in because we love personality tests. Or, more accurately, we love finding out about ourselves. We find it endlessly fascinating to delve into our own psyches and try to … Continue reading Are You Satisfied?
A One-Flavor Fountain
What do you do if you’re held hostage in the stomping grounds of a big-time war hero whom you defeated against the longest of odds? No SWAT team is on its way; and, in fact, the leader of your home country would like nothing more than to see these enemies do you in. How will … Continue reading A One-Flavor Fountain
The True and Faithful Witness
Nothing makes a jury’s job easier than eyewitness testimony that corroborates circumstantial evidence. An overwhelming majority of the time, an eye witness will sway the jury to their side of a given case. However, while many eyewitness testimonies rightfully identify the guilty party, other times the “star witness” turns out to be mistaken. The human … Continue reading The True and Faithful Witness
Clothed in the Armor of Christ
If you grew up in the church, you probably remember Sunday school or children’s church lessons about the armor of God. Perhaps you built a shield of faith out of a cardboard box or a sword of the Spirit from an old wrapping paper tube. Regardless of the base, foil was surely involved. Ephesians 6:10-17 … Continue reading Clothed in the Armor of Christ