Aim a rocketship at the moon, and if it’s off course just an inch or so on the entire 238,000 mile trip, it will miss the moon completely. Ideas have trajectories too. Being ... read more
One of America’s most beloved game shows is Let’s Make A Deal, the classic TV game show where the host gives contestants the agonizing choice of keeping the cash or cho... read more
At 11:50pm on April 30th, 2012, technology writer Paul Miller started his yearlong commitment to live without any contact with the internet. So he unplugged his computer, shut off ... read more
As our verse today reminds us, our hearts are deceitful above all things. And the most deceptive lie they tell us is that we aren’t that bad of sinners.
We think we commit s... read more
In my Grandmother’s house, there is a large family tree hanging on the dining room wall. It's a wooden cut-out that has six branches going out from its trunk to represen... read more
I don’t know if you tackled the challenge from Wednesday, but I did and here is the list I came up with. These are some things that came to mind when I thought about Jesus&rs... read more
When I put my youngest son to bed, his favorite thing to do after we pray is watch a few YouTube highlight videos on my phone. We mostly watch sports, crazy or funny plays. It is a... read more
In 2018, Harvard Business School researchers surveyed 4,000 millionaires. When asked how much they would need to be truly happy (10 on a scale of 1–10) over 80% answered betw... read more
Sunday at church we talked about choosing Jesus. This choice is sobering because it’s all or nothing. We don’t get to choose Jesus along with a few other things that gi... read more
As a “consumer” I am the analytical, methodical, slow, and tempered kind. For example, when buying a car I prefer a CarMax-type experience to Willy’s Wheel-N-Deal... read more
Along with gold and frankincense, the final gift presented to Jesus could have seemed odd, if not offensive. In the time of Jesus, Myrrh was used as an embalming element. Imagine g... read more
Yesterday’s devotion focused on how the wise men’s gift of gold underscored Jesus’ identity as King. In addition to gold, Jesus was offered a gift of frankincense... read more
Scripture is filled with imagery to help our small minds grasp life-altering truths. The Christmas story itself shows us the extent to which God would go, or lower Himself, as it w... read more
While Christmas cards might depict three “wise men” visiting Jesus, there could have been more. We assume three because the Bible tells us three gifts were presented to... read more
For as accomplished and resourceful as humans may seem, our minds have a limited capacity when it comes to understanding some of what’s seen and unseen. Jesus used story in t... read more
IT’S CHRISTMAS! Merry Christmas, Southland family. I hope you are as excited as I am for a special day celebrating Jesus. If you know me, you know I’m living my best li... read more
It’s not Christmas Eve for me without a healthy marathon of Christmas movies. My friends in my office suite regularly tease me about my love for the movie Christmas with the ... read more
Christmas is absolute chaos, am I right? For some of you reading, you wholeheartedly agree that Christmas is CRAZY! For others, you warmingly invite the excitement of untangling Ch... read more
“If it should ever be that men should fail to preach the gospel, God can conduct souls to his Son by a star. Ah! Say not only by a star, but by a stone, a bird, a blade... read more
Does Christmas make you emotional?
It definitely gets me “in my feels,” as the kids like to say. The nostalgia of it all is just overwhelming. I can’t help... read more
Everyone enters into the world the same way. We all come into existence as a baby, completely vulnerable to the world around us. And isn’t it wild that our Savior decided to ... read more
I watched a video the other day of a mom giving birth in a hospital parking lot. She was so close, yet so far from the hospital. She has a crazy birth story to share. Other unique ... read more
Sometime in high school, I read Nathanial Hawthore’s book, The Scarlet Letter. Maybe you did, too, so let me refresh your memory. It’s set in seventeenth-century Boston... read more
In the popular rom-com Father of the Bride, Steve Martin shows us all the feelings that emerge when a father’s little girl gets married. His daughter comes home from studying... read more
Have you ever had someone say to you, “Okay, I’ve got good news and bad news… which do you want to hear first?” I usually pick to hear the bad news first. ... read more
There are some pretty neatly defined boundary-lines related to age in our culture. Which have you eclipsed? At 13, you can finally call yourself a teen. Wherever you live in the US... read more
Our attitude toward change can be seen fairly clearly through our approach to food. What do you like to eat? What food do you eat most often? Do you get the same thing every time y... read more
What we believe about something shapes the way we respond to it… for good and for ill.
Consider two beverages: alcohol and coffee. With the first, if you go beyond dr... read more
It’s been said that a pessimist will never be disappointed. In other words, when we look for the worst we find it. But when we seek the good? We’re more likely to find ... read more
Do you know someone who’s growing old? Or maybe it’s you? Say it however you’d like: aging, maturing, advancing in years. I love and respect the folks in my life ... read more
One of my favorite Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes is, “The time is always right to do the right thing. ” As people who follow Jesus step out to do the right thing, n... read more
I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. Yesterday, we thought about those incredible people who have invested in us. Many of us w... read more
I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. Have you ever had a mentor? Someone who invested in you and wanted to see you grow in your fai... read more
Then, on the day of Christ’s return. . . Yesterday, we talked about the importance of standing on God’s Word in the face of challenges. In order to defeat compromise, we ... read more
“Hold firmly to the word of life…” One of my favorite people to read about in church history is Martin Luther. In the 15th century, Luther was coming to ter... read more
By the time you read this, I hope you’ve eaten yourself into a new clothing size! I hope the feast you had produced a tryptophan-induced coma (a. k. a. turkey nap). I hope you ... read more
I come from a kind family… for the most part. Maybe you come from a kind family, too. Not a perfect family, but a kind one. One year, we discovered just how kind our family ... read more
Roughly seven years ago, the entire world mourned the death of South Africa President Nelson Mandela. 2020 marks 30 years since Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize. His presiden... read more
I’m off the grid. Well, sort of. I quit social media. I’m no paragon of virtue in this. I found myself in a constant state of tension, ready to get angry whenever one o... read more
Wikipedia says the only thing visible on Earth from space is the Great Wall of China. My husband says it’s our house at Christmas.
It’s so lit up, he swears he c... read more
The “calculus” of gratitude is a quite difficult math to master. I wonder why that’s so true? Could it be that we feel such entitlement instead of humility when w... read more
We continue our thoughts today about gratitude, using Moses as a springboard. He’s at the lowest point in his life, having escaped Egypt with a bounty on his head. Now he&rsq... read more
Thankfulness is a big deal in the Bible. In fact, it’s one of the specific things that God says is His will for us (1Thessalonians 5:18). I’ve learned in my own life th... read more
Our theme this week is gratitude, and right now I’m thinking of things I’m grateful for, like a newborn with his hand wrapped tightly around my pinkie… birthday ... read more
Hopefully we truly recognize God’s sovereign power over the world. It’s because of this power that we bring ourselves before Him with prayer and petition, knowing there... read more
I think we struggle around the idea of authority in our culture today in part because of our emphasis on personal autonomy. Whereas sovereignty is ultimate power over self and othe... read more
Hopefully, times of doubt and struggle draw us closer to the Lord, but what happens when our struggles cause us to try to supplant God’s authority instead?
In the book of Ex... read more
Lately, the world has felt quite heavy. For me, prior to COVID, everything was going pretty smoothly. In the months that have followed, however, life has felt heavier, harder, and ... read more
We have spent the last several weeks challenging ourselves to really explore and appreciate some incredible attributes of God—that He is glorious, holy, righteous, and worthy... read more
