Lily’s Story Lily stands in front of the mirror and squints as she looks herself over. She checks her outfit disdainfully and pulls her shirt down to cover her tummy. It’s too tight . . . again. It fit just a couple of weeks ago. Sigh. Her pants are too tight again too. She scowls at her stomach; it looks like it is sticking out. She feels like a hippo. Why does she feel so chunky and awkward...
A lifestyle of repentance is not something we normally practice or think about. Rather than a lifestyle of repentance, most of us live a lifestyle of remorse and resolution. Our usual approach to our sin may be summarized as follows: Remorse: “I can’t believe I did that!” “I just can’t forgive myself.” Resolution: “I promise to do better next time!” “I won’t do that again.” Behind this way of...
How long? Why is this happening? Where are you, God? For centuries, God’s people have learned to go to God with their real questions, struggles, and everyday needs by reading and studying the Psalms. In Psalms: Real Prayers for Real Life, authors Barbara Miller Juliani and Patric Knaak guide participants through a study of how the Psalms offer words to pray about the real struggles in life. In...
We eat lest we die. Hunger is a powerful and persistent reminder that we are not God. We are not all-sufficient. We need food in order to live and stay alive. Food is not a reward in Scripture. Food is grace. In this world, food is often a reward for doing something good. We reward children with lollipops if they behave at the doctor’s office. We reward ourselves with desserts at the end of a...
Throughout their journey to the Promised Land, God tested the people of Israel. In Exodus 17:8–16, they faced the first military test of their sojourn. A group of Bedouin raiders, the Amalekites, came and attacked the Hebrews. When that attack came, rather than complaining and grumbling like they typically did, Moses and all of Israel responded in faith. At the end of the battle, Moses set up an...
