As I write this, I am sitting with my mother-in-law in her private room inside an inpatient hospice facility. She is sleeping. We are waiting. Waiting to see when the Lord will take her home. I am also waiting for my mom to get a pathology report regarding her recent surgery for breast cancer. She is recovering. We are waiting. Waiting is hard. There’s no other way to say it. But I’ve come to understand that waiting is what we do as children of God. Waiting, in some ways, defines us as Christians. God’s people wait. We see waiting throughout the Bible, and we see it in our lives today.…

When I think of individuals in my life, I know Christians who struggle with depression and maintain general happiness. I know non-Christians who seem to be happy-go-lucky regardless of their life circumstances. Our feelings of happiness are often tied to our personalities and our experiences. Yet, I see an inner joy in those who follow Jesus Christ versus those who don’t. You could ask a hundred Christians to define that inner joy or to describe what aspect of their faith fuels that joy, and you might get a hundred different answers. I offer you four reasons for my inner joy, which I attribute to the gift of faith I have received. Perhaps these four…

We’re told in John 16:33 that we will have trials in this life. And while trials come in different forms, we can’t ignore that some come in the form of moral dilemmas and risk relational upset. For some, being invited to a baby shower for an unwed mother can be just that – a moral dilemma that risks relational tension or even the end of a relationship. If you’re facing such a dilemma, know that I can’t make this decision for you. I can, however, offer you some things to think about that might make the decision-making process easier. As with any tough decision, I encourage you to pray for wisdom and…

Marriage is a gift given to us by our gracious God with the intent of reflecting the covenantal relationship between Christ and the church (Eph. 5:31-33). If we’re being honest, though, marriage doesn’t always feel like a gift. Sometimes, marriages reflect the pain and suffering of the world rather than God’s goodness. If you feel your marriage is falling apart, I hope to offer you some ideas for getting back on track. The following ideas are too simplistic for marriages involving abuse. They are intended for those who are growing apart and need help to find their way back to one another. Click here to read the entire article at…

Grief has many faces. It can come in the form of heartache, from losing a loved one to losing a job or getting an unwanted diagnosis. Grief is not a one-size-fits-all emotion and can present itself in many ways. For instance, you might notice a lack of appetite, mood swings, personality changes, and fatigue. Because grief is complicated and sometimes life-altering, it can be a challenge, not just for the one grieving but also for their spouse. You may feel at times that you are living with a stranger and don’t know how to best care for them. My advice, above all else, is to pray. Because a husband and…

Many of us have lost loved ones who died apart from Christ. Perhaps they lived in opposition to God, denied Him, and expressed a rebellion towards all things spiritual in word and deed. Maybe they followed a false religion or were simply apathetic. Whatever the situation, saying we’re heartbroken only scratches the surface of our anguish. I don’t hesitate to say I shudder at the thought of my loved ones spending eternity separated from God. The thought of eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth is almost more than I can bear. So how does the Christ-follower grieve the death of someone who did not share in the hope of salvation?…