Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

In the Pit

By Brian Jennings A friend of ours is experiencing a family meltdown. It’s sad to watch. We feel frozen, unsure of what to do. We’ve encouraged her to seek professional help (her family is unwilling), but things have only eroded. Any other advice? Thanks for caring about your friend in a crisis. I’m sorry to […]

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In The World—November 5, 2017

By Melissa Wuske Letters Help Imprisoned Christians While he was in prison in Kazakhstan for two years, Yuri Pak received more than 1,200 letters from supporters through Voice of the Martyrs. Pak was falsely convicted of calling in a bomb threat, most likely because he had converted to Christianity. Because of prison restrictions, Pak didn’t […]

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Prescription for Shame

By Karen Wingate One look. One word. That’s all it takes to know someone else knows. One nanosecond for shame to envelop your soul like a smothering blanket. I felt that way. I was in a rush and not paying attention. Hoping to catch the next city bus in less than 10 minutes, I steered […]

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No More Shame

By Russ Howard Sitting on the front row while the worship team led a reflective song, I readied myself to preach. As a ritual, I would imagine a scene from Isaiah’s vision of Heaven. Isaiah saw wonders like the Lord himself sitting on his throne, the train of his robe somehow filling the entirety of […]

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The Grateful Dead

By Daniel Darling “Good Friday is always so somber. So we are going to have a celebration service tonight,” the minister said as he introduced a service with mostly upbeat worship choruses. I cringed my way through it, not because I didn’t love the music that rightly celebrates Jesus’ victory over sin and death, but […]