If you’ve watched a sword fight, you know a sword is a weapon of attack. But consider how many blows are deflected by the sword. It is also a defense! The Word of God is called the sword of the Spirit and is included in the armor of God that scripture commands us to put on. Ephesians 6 says Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about wit

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Propitiation means atoning sacrifice. Jesus died on the cross as an innocent man and as God come in the flesh, giving His life to atone, or make up for, our sin so we didn’t have to be eternally punished for it. Jesus took our place and our punishment. And He did so willingly. Willingly . That word. It doesn’t mean Jesus wanted to die and was no

This piece began at my kitchen sink last year near Thanksgiving. I finished it this year on Thanksgiving Day. Please enjoy "Family Dishes." Scraping leftovers out of my good, burgundy stoneware 9x13, I thought back over Thanksgiving dinner with my siblings. Because this dish was employed with leftovers from Thursday’s baking, to take casserole to our Saturday gathering I had used two separate, smaller baking dishes, one of which was an old-fashioned 6x8 ceramic dish, a Pyrex

My grandparents lived on a small, bountiful farm in southern West Virginia. They grew various crops. There was the potato patch, the...

I have been a holder-on, a lingerer, not always eager to turn the page to meet the unfamiliar. Some pages turn however warm or unwelcome...

I want to thank God for the inheritance of overcoming He gave me. If you are a blood-bought, born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you,...

God is with us. The word says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the...

I had been in a season of soul-searching, repentance, and healing, seeking God’s direction for the way forward. Uncertainty and upheaval...

Whether your finances take a hit when the mail runs or a puppy puddle soaks your sock during your morning dash, challenges will find you....

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”...

Swinging and singing with my sisters on our backyard swing set was one of my favorite pastimes growing up. We loved to swing! We swung on...

I recall writing papers for school. There were steps to it: brainstorming, outlining, writing the rough draft, editing, then writing the...

Gracing the living room wall of my childhood home hung a picture of Jesus standing outside a rustic, arched, wooden door, his hand poised...

Before my Shorkie dog, Daisy, got used to baths, getting her near running water sometimes activated her survival instincts. She’d start...

The Peanuts comic gave us several icons, one of them being Charlie Brown’s teacher’s droning voice. Hers might be the greatest depiction...

In Psalm 3 David wrote of his battle against intense opposition. His son and thousands of his countrymen had turned against him. As I...

During a Sunday morning worship service, I witnessed a daughter sing to honor her mother who had passed away just a few days beforehand....

The other evening late while working on a Tea Time with Truth post I took a notion for beef stew with buttered bread, a simple savory...