Bethany Pyle

How can you not just love summer? The days are longer, the produce is fresh, the world is inviting you to come outside and explore. But perhaps one of the best things about summer is the expectation to rest. Children are out of school for a few months, college kids return home after exams, and most workers block off a week or two for vacation.

Even if you have a busy summer coming up, there’s just something about the heat and long days that forces us to slow down and rest a bit more. So whether you are planning an exotic trip overseas this summer, or a stay-cation exploring your own backyard, remember to take a minute to thank God for the good gift of rest. Grab a hammock, a good beach read, and a tall glass of lemonade, and take a break.

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“I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips” (Psalm 34:1).

When we read the Psalms, or even look at the writings of Paul or many other Bible heroes, it seems like these followers of God did nothing but worship, night and day. It is encouraging for us to read about the ways their faith helped them through trials, but their devotion can also feel intimidating. You may find yourself asking “could I ever be that faithful, that joyful to worship the Lord?”

To “pray without ceasing” as 1 Thessalonians tells us, can quickly start to feel like a chore. Our lives are busy, and to add “be more faithful” to the list encourages stress, not peace. However, when our thoughts start to drift in this direction, I would argue that we have entirely the wrong mindset. God doesn’t give us these verses to shame us, and having our whole lives focused on praise is honestly not an unrealistic expectation for believers. This goal is something we all can achieve, even with busy careers, young children, travel plans and endless piles of dishes.

To understand this a bit better, let’s look at an earthly example. Hopefully this helps reframe your mindset when it comes to focusing your life on Christ.

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We are blessed by so many little joys in our day-to-day life, by needs met in unexpected ways, but people who come into our lives to help us, or just to make us smile. God can bless us by laying a particular verse on our hearts, to encourage us in a difficult time. Or we can be blessed just by a sunny day and a good song on the radio when we need a pick-me-up.

Pop culture is rich with Holy Grail references. Despite its strong ties to Christianity, the grail has remained an object of legend. But whether you associate it more with “Monty Python” or “Indiana Jones,” almost everyone has heard of the sacred cup.

As the legend goes, the Holy Grail was used in two significant instances of Jesus’ life: He drank out of it at the Last Supper, and later Joseph of Arimathea used it to collect the Savior’s blood on the cross. Mythology ascribes all sorts of miraculous events to those who find – and use – the grail. But is any of this true? Let’s take a look at where we see a potential “holy grail” in Scripture, and see if we can separate fact from fiction.

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This image of interlocking wheels that are covered in eyes is strange to say the least. But is it correct to say that this is a “biblically accurate angel”? To answer that question, we have to answer two others: first, what is this creature that Ezekiel witnesses, and second, what does the Bible say angels are like?

When we begin to grow impatient – with a situation, with waiting, or even with ourselves – our first instinct is often to take control and get it done. The old saying goes “if you want something done right, do it yourself.” But these verses remind us that in all things, we must come to God in prayer first.

No matter what sort of season we are in, it’s still important to keep up a healthy prayer life. God wants to celebrate our joys with us just as much as He wants to sit in the sad times with us. And let’s face it – when things are going well and we take time to rejoice with God over that, it only serves to increase our joy.

As a parent or caregiver, you know your child’s maturity level, understanding, and squeamishness better than anyone. But even for the most sensitive little one, the Easter story is one of miraculous hope and joy. Together, we’ll dig into some do’s and don’ts of talking about this with young kids.

For those of us who have been in times of deep fear or terror – whether it’s a health issue, a natural disaster, a crime, or something else – a shallow reading of the story of Jesus calming the storm can sting a bit. Would Jesus reprimand me for being afraid, as He did His followers? Is it unfaithful for me to feel afraid, even when I’m in physical danger?

Let’s take a look.

Today I want to take a look at what the Bible says about who God is, and why that’s important to understand. After all, as Christians we should be seeking to mimic God, to act like Him. And we pray that as we start to reflect God more, we can show a hurting world what He is really like.

We had a mouse problem in my little home last month – big time. What started with a call to the exterminator and a few glue boards here and there quickly escalated. I had four different types of traps in every corner of my bedroom, all slathered with peanut butter and goldfish crackers.

For a long time after I first put them down, the traps weren’t attracting any mice. But they were attracting my poor dog.

Before you get too worried, my dog was safe through the whole ordeal! (If you’re worried about the mice… sorry.)

But the bait I used to lure the pests also happens to be my dog’s favorite treat – peanut butter. And more than once I caught him slinking off to a corner with his nose down, sniffing out what he thought was a delicious free snack. I snatched him up, yelled at him, but then snuggled him because I know he doesn’t understand.

My dog can’t know that if he were to stick his tongue in that seemingly harmless peanut butter, it would end with a sore nose at best, or a panicked trip to the emergency vet at worst. He must think I’m holding out on him. He can’t understand the danger, and since I’m a loving dog mom, I don’t want him to find out.

Throughout this, I can’t help thinking that maybe sometimes we are like this with God. We smell something great around the corner, and think wow I want that now! But just as we start to check it out, God makes it clear to us that that thing is a no-go. Maybe He speaks to us through Scripture or a sermon, and reminds us what is good and not good for us. Maybe, like me with my dog, He seems to physically snatch you away from that thing.

Or maybe there aren’t many “mouse traps” in your life. Maybe you are waiting for a good, promised thing from God. And waiting. And waiting… and waiting….

It’s hard not to feel disappointed that God is keeping this awesome thing from you. But is that really what He’s doing?

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The clock has struck midnight, and the new year has begun! This is the one, you think. This is the year I’m going to [inset grand plans here]. Maybe you want to get in better physical shape, or eat healthier. Maybe you want to finally finish that project you started a year (or three) ago. Maybe you hope to finally read the Bible from cover to cover.

All are praiseworthy goals! And as believers, we should never be content with stagnating in life. We should always be striving to grow and improve ourselves. But change is often hard. We commit to start running more frequently, but then comes a cold, rainy day, or that old hip pain, and we think hmm not today. We genuinely want to spend more time in Scripture, but then we hit Leviticus, or the genealogies, and we think maybe I’ll read this passage tomorrow.

Right now, with the New Year still fresh, you are probably feeling pretty gung-ho about your resolution. And that’s great! But life will keep marching on, and if you have any hope of completing this goal, you’re going to need some encouragement. Here’s a few quick tried-and-true tips to keep up with your commitments, whatever they be:

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In addition to church Advent celebrations and Scripture reading, the little excitement each day of opening a door and pulling out a treat helps to build my joy and anticipation of Christmas. But does that have anything to do with what Advent is really about? (Cue Charlie Brown, on the stage and exasperatedly yelling “does anyone here know what Advent is really all about??”)