The Secret Sauce for Happiness
You are on a quest for happiness. From the moment you entered this world, you’ve had this impulse. Deep within your soul, you have a powerful urge — an unquenchable thirst — for joy. Whatever the good life is, we…
Balancing Grace and Truth
As an evangelical Christian in 21st century America, the constant challenge I find myself in is learning to balance grace and truth. As followers of Christ, we know that both of these are equally essential and mutually reinforcing. The Gospel…
The Self-Giving Love of God
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, KJV) It is impossible to fathom the depths of the humble, self-giving love required for the God of the galaxies to…
Through the Lens of Eternity
By Jason Smith Perseverance is a powerful thing. It can make or break an individual. And it can make or break your trust in God. As someone has quipped, “By perseverance the snail made it to the ark.” And perseverance…
Set Free from Fear
By Jason Smith “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV) You know that moment when you first sense fear rising in your…
Hope for Racial Reconciliation Today
By Derek L. Jackson and Jason Smith Our hope in this article is to set the stage for how to think about racism in our nation through a biblical and gospel lens. Racism is so deeply enmeshed in our nation…
Building Bridges by Listening
By Jason Smith “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19) Right now our world is fraught with emotion, anger, and distress. It feels very surreal sometimes to see the violence and…
Dads, Build Them Up
By Jason Smith While growing up, you likely heard someone say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But, of course, that’s not true. In many ways, words can bring harm at a level…
New Mercies Every Morning
By Jason Smith Sometimes people assume that the stories found in the Bible are always otherworldly, with every page being filled with outlandish miracles, ethereal heavenly visions, and glorious angelic appearances. They imagine that the Bible might cater well to…
For Grandma Bettie
By Jason Smith Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30) Last week, on April 27th, my grandmother, Bettie Bramer, went to Heaven. She will be dearly missed.…