Despite the defeat and shame that came after her parents’ divorce, a troubled upbringing, and delays, Contemporary Christian Music Artist Jamie MacDonald shares how God’s grace turned her story around from desperate need to “Desperate” success...
I hear the concern everywhere— complaints about social media and fears about what our time online is doing to us society. Combine that with the frustration of not knowing what’s real and what’s not and we have a recipe for throwing up our hands and throwing out all digital connections. Online danger is real. Discouragement is real. Fatigue is real. But if we focus only on the negatives of interacting online, we risk missing one of the most miraculous tools of our time...
When a miracle touches one spouse, it touches the other. Though I was the one who nearly died, God performed miracles for both Bill and me...
Why is it that heartbreak so often happens during the holiday season? As the world sings, “O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,” tragedy can suddenly zap away our joy. Loved ones can pass away, and lives can be turned upside down...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—or so we’re told... For some, the holidays bring not joy but despair, loneliness, and depression. If you’ve ever felt a pang of sadness during the holidays, you’re not alone. For many, this season magnifies feelings of loss, isolation, or unmet expectations. I’m often asked: How can I walk alongside someone who is depressed—especially during the holidays?
Receipts. Good for noting what we’ve received. Plus maybe a 35-cent coupon. In the physical. But on the spiritual side—the eternal—there’s no way to fully note all we’ve received in Christ.
Q: How can you endure Christmas if you have just lost a loved one? So many of us understand the ache of loosing a loved one, especially during the holidays. My father died the Sunday before Thanksgiving, which plunged me into grief. That December, I had gum surgery and then succumbed to the flu. I battled depression throughout that holiday. The joy around me accentuated my sorrow and the empty place in my heart.
That weekend, we discovered a truth more beautiful than any home tour. Yet God restored that joy too— A simple wooden rocking horse became a symbol of the quiet miraculous ways God brings lost things home...
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about—there is a present of discovery as we sink into God’s presence every day. You hear that? Present. Presence. We get to unwrap His presents—these gifts He’s giving us—in His presence. Every single day. But do we? Do we wait for them? Do we see them? Do we have that anticipation, that excitement we had as kids circling things in the Sears catalog? Or have we just ... lost the wonder?
A handful of songs on my stand-up bass for the Christmas Eve service. And our family of twenty for a week of food and fun. But as the calendar turned, my stress levels escalated as I tried to make each event perfect and memorable. In the years since then I have found that the greatest gift I can give others— prayer—is also one that keeps on giving . . . not only to them but also to me. As we surround the days ahead in prayer, we will find this spiritual gift has a lasting impact.