About the author
Jessica Udall holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible and a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Studies. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Intercultural Studies and writes on the Christian life and intercultural communication at lovingthestrangerblog.com.
Latest writing
January 26, 2022
Just like the lambs had to be spotless to be worthy to sacrifice for temporary atonement for God’s people, Jesus was also sinless and pure, “tempted just as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
January 24, 2022
All the great love stories of the world echo this greatest of love stories. And just like a good husband acts, God’s actions towards the Church are always full of love.
August 2, 2021
There’s something powerful in writing down our communication and intentionally sending it across the miles to another person. And such is the case with the personal letter written by Paul to Philemon which has become the book of Philemon in the New Testament.
April 30, 2021
During his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34).
Too many of us are familiar with it. A tight feeling in the chest. Butterflies in the stomach. A sense of impending doom. Even for those not previously plagued by anxiety, it is hard to remain unaffected by the fog of worry that settled over the globe in 2020. Worrying seems like a natural response to the challenging nature of life on the earth, but Scripture provides insight on the supernatural means of thriving even amidst uncertain times. So, how do we live in a way that we do not worry about tomorrow?
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes
April 1, 2021
God’s grace is not bestowed on us because of our good works, but it is bestowed on us to enable us to do the good works that God had in mind for us to do before the creation of the world!
January 25, 2021
The best time to start reading the Bible with your child is when they are in the womb. The second best time is today! We have been known by God even before we were born and were created to know Him.
January 23, 2021
Do you think of your glass as half empty? Do you feel like there’s never enough? If you do, don’t feel too bad – this is human nature. But there is good news!
In the book of Ephesians, Paul turns our natural mindset on its head and instead magnifies the God who graciously fills our cups to overflowing and supplies us with more than we could possibly imagine in Christ. The book is like a treasure trove full of mysterious riches which have been given to us freely and with the greatest love the world has ever known.
Photo credit: ©SparrowStock
January 4, 2021
The book of Ecclesiastes provides relevant wisdom for Christians today who struggle with the seeming meaninglessness of life. Why are we here? What is it all for? Does what we do even matter? What is truly important in life?
November 15, 2020
The Bible says in the book of James that “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). But surely this doesn’t mean that the birthday gift from a friend or the drawing from our preschooler is actually from God, does it?
October 28, 2020
Envy puts our focus on the wrong things—looking at others and resenting their blessings and success rather than looking to God and seeking his true and wise perspective on the world. The distraction of envy leads us down a path that is ultimately destructive to others and to ourselves. The antidote to envy is gratitude to God for what he has blessed us with.
October 24, 2020
Idols, whether physical (statues) or intangible (power, fame, wealth, etc.), will passively receive love and worship, but they will never give back nor do they have any power to save their worshippers. They are an addiction, not a relationship.