Vulnerability is powerful, but it also comes with many pitfalls, one of which is how we approach online vulnerability versus local vulnerability. How does vulnerability look different online than when we’re in our local communities?

Many thoughts assail us in the midst of suffering, to the point of questioning all that we believe. How do we guard our minds and fight against such thoughts when our hearts are so weary?

Do you have a well-stocked spiritual pantry? If not, how do we stock our hearts to prepare for the upcoming storms? Here’s the advice of a woman much wiser than me and the story through which she taught me.

Discernment is often a battlefield—we throw grenades of insults, snide remarks, and sarcastic comments. When dealing with true false teachers, we should separate ourselves. But what about a fellow believer who perhaps misspoke or is still learning how to teach and share about their faith?

When we’ve endured much suffering, bitterness comes naturally, as if it always existed in us. What’s harder is learning how to cultivate gentleness or a gentle spirit. What if suffering could produce such gentleness in us?

Our phones keep away boredom and the awkwardness of silence by filling our every moment with content. But what if that’s a bad thing? What if we’re meant to be bored and have quiet once in a while? What if that’s the way God created us? Not having this kind of reprieve from the noise can actually lead to burn-out.

A trendy, perfectly furnished home is not required to be useful for the kingdom.

Is contentment found in gratitude lists and ignoring our desires? Or is there a deeper level we must look for? True contentment takes our sights off ourselves and our possessions and focuses on Christ.

What does it mean to be productive? Does it mean flying through our work at warp speed, multi-tasking our way through every task? Is multi-tasking even helpful? Let’s consider psychology and the biblical calling together for a biblical view of productivity.

Does habit formation cause us to trust in ourselves for sanctification rather than God? Or is it another way of relying on and turning towards the work the Spirit is already doing?

Branding is what helps us recognize our favorite brands—it helps us buy the smooth and creamy almond milk instead of the stuff that tastes like water and chalk. It sounds harmless, right? Perhaps even helpful. As a believer, you may even strive to choose your church based on its branding—or lack of branding for that matter. But what if branding shouldn’t be a part of the church at all?

It’s easy to become flustered about homeschooling decisions, especially in the early years. What curriculum? What courses? What method? We could simplify the whole decision and remove the stress by reminding ourselves of the purpose of education: Making our children more human.

We have many prayer requests each day, and a lot of them can seem like they go unanswered. We barter and plead, but we receive no answer. Is this proof that God isn’t good, or is this a sign of his Fatherly kindness and wisdom? How should we view unanswered prayers?

Walking through suffering can feel as if we’re stumbling through a foggy, endless night, unable to ever find the light again. Here are three lampposts to guide us through.

Who are you trusting in for your sanctification—your growth in holiness? As believers, we can fall into the trap of trusting in tools to make us holy, rather than God.

Living in a small community, it can be hard to find a church that matches our theological preferences. How do we learn to be content with the church God has given us when we feel like a theological nomad?

Is anger ever righteous, or can only Jesus have godly anger? Is all our anger only sinful? I learned that my ability to stuff my emotions has been more of a liability than an asset, and that stuffed anger isn’t any better than vented anger when it comes to holiness.

Should we disregard an entire denomination or stream of theology because abusive, unkind, or angry people are within it?

Do you or your children struggle with nightmares? We do in this household, and here’s how we’ve learned to re-tell them in light of redemption (with a bit of silliness too).

How do we grow to become writers who both write the truth and write it beautifully? Some of the steps are quite simple to implement, but they also come with aged wisdom and years of practice.