Blog Archives

God wants us to choose Him.

The Scriptures are deep breaths that satisfy our lungs and clear our minds.

When we rest in God’s presence, He makes Himself known to us.

We were set apart from every other living thing – not only were we given a voice to speak, but we were given a conscience and a soul. From the beginning, we were created with the ability to choose.

In the movie Princess Bride, the heroic Wesley finds himself trapped and tortured in the “Pit of Despair.” He is eventually […]

It is with a good dose of humility I wish to write a post on abortion. I desire for this […]

Over the course of a lifetime, there are a few phone calls that really stand out in your mind. One […]

We’ve probably all read the most popular verses on anxiety: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by […]

When you have done the following . . .  1.) recognized God’s goodness  2.) released your heart 3.) repented of […]

You’re not alone if you feel disillusioned.  You’re not the only one who feels this way.   You were probably an excited new believer […]

Everyone has a junk drawer, right? We have several, actually, but our primary junk drawer currently includes, markers, pens, pencils, […]

If you’re a child of God, the only prerequisite to being forgiven of sin is your honest confession. The Bible […]

God created the light first because He is the giver of light. He is the only one worthy of our worship and adoration.

Neuroscientists and psychologists have known for decades about the connection between suppressed emotions like anger or anxiety, and our physical […]

It was that worst-case scenario: “What if our new-born son is allergic to our beloved dog?” On paper, it’s easy. […]

“God is Great God is Good Let us thank him for our food. Amen” When my brother and I were […]

Starting a new decade makes me think of all kinds of things. This year will mark twenty years since I […]

It seems to me that the dishwasher has got to be the most misunderstood appliance in our homes today. I […]

There she sat alone by the water. Given to a man, by no choice of her own, only to be […]

I recently wrote the following tweet, and it received a lot of reaction. Good people get depressed. Godly people get depressed.  […]

What’s the answer for the many who suffer quietly in the supposed safe place for the hurting–the church–yet go without […]

Sin brings pleasure, but not satisfaction. It brings ruin, never flourishing. Disobeying God sounds good somewhere in the bowels of […]

Sometimes, everything around you seems to be falling apart. Your kids are making bad choices… You can’t seem to communicate […]

There is no escaping the fact that we live in a very divided country. It seems that the political division […]

Late one evening, Jesus and the disciples boarded a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee to the other side […]

by Lifeword Executive Director Donny Parrish Christmas can be the worst.  That doesn’t sound very religious coming from a guy […]

I love to please people. I work hard to achieve things- stupid, meaningless things or accomplishments that I think people […]

I know it sounds wrong to say but Christmas really is a strange time of year in some ways. For […]

During the holiday season, we always hear about going home or other family members coming home. It got me thinking […]

Christmas is hard. Once you’ve lost someone you love, it’s bittersweet at best and terribly painful at worst. It’s a […]

In 1757 Robert Robinson, a self-proclaimed “wanderer,” wrote the penitent words of a poem we know today as the hymn […]

One of my good friends, Alejandro, will sometimes text me out of the blue to just see how life is. […]

Philip Yancey in his book, Disappointment with God, tells of a letter he received from a woman who was struggling with […]

As I stare at my bag of double chocolate donuts, I ponder the question, where does happiness come from? I […]

I have always struggled with my tongue. From arguing to sarcasm to sharp, cutting words. I have memorized and meditated […]

Friendships are often fickle. What’s the secret to keeping friends? I got a story for ya: On an epic day […]

Peanuts characters Linus and Charlie Brown were discussing how to deal with the difficulties of life. Linus tells Charlie Brown […]

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, gave us a pathway to happiness called the beatitudes. God blesses those who are […]

“Happiness is in the eye of the beholder.” Have you heard that phrase? Usually with “Beauty” instead of “Happiness”? Sure, […]

Are you prepared for a bear attack? Our family recently took a vacation to the picturesque Grand Teton Mountains. The […]

People are not the real enemies. Paul made that clear when he said, “For our struggle is not against flesh […]

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with […]

There are only a handful of times in my life I have thought, “I could die in the next few […]

Sometimes life can be completely and utterly exhausting. I’m talking stress from work, family, or money issues to being mentally […]

Mike: Sin and Brokenness “…Looking back,  I see there was no actual desire to pursue the things of God…  Nonetheless, […]

OUR PRIVATE CHOICES AFFECT EVERYONE WE KNOW Every moral decision that we make is like a brick in a wall […]

The solution to keeping your heart ablaze with hope is redirecting your eyes to Christ.  When your eyes remain fixed […]

We’ve all done it. Stayed up late folding laundry or baking cookies or otherwise serving our kids.   We’ve also not done it. We’ve been […]

It’s a subject no one really wants to talk about. We whisper about it. We know it exists, but no […]

In school you are taught that there are four seasons in every year. However, for the Swart household, there are […]