Category: Faith & Everyday Life
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Full Books, Heavy Hearts
When we collect our hurts like emotional trading stamps. If you grew up in this part of Texas before 1980, you probably remember S&H Green Stamps. Every time you checked out at the grocery store the cashier would count out a strip of little green stamps based on how much you spent. You’d take them…
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It’s Just a Tie Unless You Know the Story
I wore a tie to church recently, which is rare for me. I usually save a tie for the Sundays when we share the Lord’s Supper. This one was white, and to anyone looking at it from the pew, it was nothing special. But I knew the story behind it, and that changed everything. When…
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Because He is Faithful
There is a certain kind of house that everyone ought to get to grow up near. Maybe it was a grandmother’s place, or an aunt’s, or the home of a neighbor down the road. What made it that kind of house was something simple. The door was always open to you. You did not have…
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What the Winter Field Knows
Toward the end of winter, if you stand at the edge of a field and look across it, everything tells you the same thing. The ground is gray and brown. Nothing is moving. Nothing is growing. If you trusted your eyes alone, you would conclude that the field is finished, that whatever life it once…
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The Strongest Word in the Hymnal
By John Crowder | View from the Vine | Faith & Christian Life There is a word we have sung for generations in Baptist churches, a word that shows up in some of the most beloved hymns and in the testimonies of ministers who describe how they came to their calling. The word is surrender.…
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Friendship is Intentional
“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 Friendship is one of God’s sweetest gifts, but Scripture reminds us that it is not automatic. Proverbs 18:24 draws an important distinction. It is possible to have many companions and still feel alone,…
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Faith Chooses Joy
True faith is not a reaction to blessing.
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The Ultimate Pursuit
Deep in the human soul there is a longing that cannot be satisfied by wealth, success, or even the love of others. It is the longing for God Himself. Scripture affirms this truth: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV). To seek God is not merely…
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Refined by Fire
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” — Job 23:10 When life feels unfair, uncertain, or unbearable, it’s easy to wonder where God is. Job knew suffering intimately. He lost his children, his health, and his wealth. His friends accused him. His world crumbled.…
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Anchor of Hope – Steadfast and Secure
📖“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”— Hebrews 6:19a (NIV) In times of uncertainty, when life’s storms surge and the winds of change howl through our circumstances, we all instinctively search for something — anything — to hold on to. The author of Hebrews offers a compelling image to…