Character Impact I was reading in the Book of Ruth the other day and got to chapter 2:10-12, which says, “Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. ‘What have I done to deserve such kindness?’ she asked. ‘I am only a foreigner.’ ‘Yes, I know,’ Boaz replied. ‘But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. May the

Trust God into the depths of life Trust and obey, for there’s no other way—do you remember that hymn? It’s so good. It tells us that there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. I’ve been thinking about obedience recently... again. It comes up often because I’m a parent, and it makes me think about my own obedience to the Lord. We find it easier to follow and obey someone when we trust them. I know for myself, I will even listen to someone better if I trus

“You’re grounded.” I was thinking about this phrase the other day and how it has such a negative connotation behind it. Sure, we as parents use it as a form of discipline with our kids, but I wanted to know where the phrase actually came from. According to what I found, the punishment of “grounding” comes from aviation. By the 1930s and 1940s, military and civilian authorities used the term “grounded” when an aircraft or pilot was forbidden from flying because of behavior, ru

Living Like We Have a Heavenly Father I’m reading Elisabeth Elliot’s book Joyful Surrender again, and she opens the book by talking about being at a cottage in Texas and taking in the wildlife as they live life around her. She talks about the freedom they have. She quotes something her dad always said, “Said the Robin to the Sparrow, ‘I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so.’ Said the Sparrow to the Robin, ‘Friend, I think that it m

God Sees Our Struggle I don’t know about you, but when I’m facing something, I can feel so isolated, even knowing that my husband is right there in the boat with me. We can often be surrounded by a community that has said, “Let me help you,” yet still sit in our struggle all alone. I’m very guilty of this. This reminds me of the scripture in Mark chapter 6. The disciples were in a boat, and there was a storm. They were struggling to paddle and get to shore. They were all in i

This month, I have the privilege of introducing you to a ministry that reminds us of a simple but powerful truth: lasting change rarely happens through one big event. More often, it begins with people who simply keep showing up. That is exactly what I experienced while serving alongside Galveston Urban Ministries. Summer always seems like it should be a slower season. Without the structure of the school year, we imagine there will be more margin. Instead, those months quickly