My aunt grew roses for years. She’s the one I lived with for almost a year when I was in middle school and my family was falling apart. I remember her telling me...

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Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Within the same priority of love there’s a second application. We’re to love our neighbors—and we have 7.7 billion of them! We can’t know or personally care for each of them...

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When contemplating the armor of God listed in Ephesians 6 on one occasion, it suddenly occurred to me that all of the protection it provided faced forward. It seemed that armor provided no protection for its wearer’s back. This seemed strange to me since a sword in the back will kill you as quickly as a sword in the front. As I usually do whenever I don't understand something in Scripture...

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As long as your heart is set on pilgrimage, don’t be afraid to tell your feet to just keep walking. It is easier for God to turn you when you are moving than when you freeze. Dare to take a step. Or in the words of Henrietta Mears...

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Much of life comes down to one question: Do you trust God? It’s easy to say “yes,” but you will be tested. There will be things you don’t understand, situations that don’t make sense...

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We all have made agreements with lies. Those agreements in turn produce behaviors we are all trying to fix. And when we discover those agreements and break them, we find freedom. It’s a simple concept. Yet there is also a complicated thing that keeps...

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Crete was a mess in all sorts of ways. Clearly, they needed help. More precisely, they needed leadership. Think about this: it is likely that some Cretans had become believers many years prior...

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At last! I finally accomplished one of my life’s goals last weekend. It was so thrilling, I emailed my fellow Stream editors so they could enjoy the moment with me. One of my articles got mentioned at Right Wing Watch, a project run by the stridently activist left-wing group...

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You’re out in public and you catch a glimpse of yourself. Maybe when you see your reflection gliding by a shop window or in the rearview mirror, or when you check your teeth for spinach after lunch. Today, squint a little harder. Is the you you’re showing...

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We often picture this beautiful passage on a greeting card or inspirational wall art. But Jeremiah prophesied this word to a people in captivity. He told them to plant gardens, have babies, and build homes. They were captives...

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