Category: Faith
-
Repurposed
Isaiah 55:11 promises God’s Word does not go out without a purposeful return in all He means to accomplish. I have witnessed this spiritual principle many times. All around, we have opportunities in how we carry His Word and how we listen to it ourselves. words + photographs MELISSA SWEARENGIN I once heard a funny […]
-
Trust And Fear Not, For God Is
I have experienced many blessings in this life, but I have also faced formidable storms. Perhaps you understand. I have often heard it said if you are not coming out of a storm, or currently in a storm, expect a storm will be coming. words + photograph NANCY EASTER I was blessed to have been […]
-
Unfailing Love
I went through one of the darkest times of my life. I was being tormented by the darkness, and I felt far from God’s love. I wasn’t sure how I suddenly got dumped in such a moment, but all I knew was I felt abandoned and alone, and I thought I had no hope for […]
-
Our Beautiful God: gives me His undivided attention, knows my name, loves me deeply
Have you ever thought to yourself that God had forgotten about you? How did you process this? How did you protect yourself from being overwhelmed by your thoughts? If you are anything like me, not only have you felt forgotten by God, but you’ve had to wrestle through your thoughts on how to address the […]
-
A Love Like His
I love chocolate ice cream. I love the Kansas City Chiefs. I love my wife. All of those statements are true, but the meaning varies wildly. While I do enjoy chocolate ice cream very much, it does not hold the same place in my heart as my affection for my wife. words + photographs JOSHUA […]
-
Long Live Love
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I […]
-
Joshua Manning Loves His Neighbors
I grew up in Southwest City, Missouri. Most people wave at you when they see you driving down the road. People are friendly to a fault. When I met someone who did not know me in town, I would usually list off my older relatives. When they determined I was Walter’s grandson and Galen’s son, […]
-
Love Allows Purpose In Pain
Now I want you to know,brothers and sisters,that what has happened to mehas actually served to advance the gospel.Philippians 1:12 I asked Chris Rees to my senior prom in 1991. It was our first date. I was 17; he was 19. Our families had known each other for years, and we attended the same church. […]
-
Foster/Adopt: Teresa Flora
If we had an hour and two cups of tea, I would tell you a remarkable miracle story. words + photographs TERESA FLORA The story’s main characters met at the age of 13. Married at 18. Did the normal married people stuff. He was a preacher; she was a nurse. They had three perfect sons, […]
-
Once New, Always New
A few weeks ago, we received a wonderful phone call. Our daughter called and told us our oldest granddaughter, Harlee, came to the living room that morning and was emotional and feeling sad. After some snuggle time on the couch, our granddaughter looked at her mom with eyes bright with tears and said, “I need […]
-
As we wait
While working toward my master’s degree at Missouri State University, I had the great privilege of being a graduate assistant/writer in the Publications office. It was a dream job with dream co-workers who were extremely talented and willing to share their expertise with me. Even mundane tasks, such as organizing a samples closet, were exciting. […]
-
Waiting for the Unrealistic
“Your idea is unrealistic and will never work,” commented a classmate after I shared my paper with my grad school class in 2005. I wanted to build a holistic center that would address all aspects of health in a war-torn country or among those who have experienced trauma. Perhaps I should have been discouraged by […]
-
Advent
Week 1: Hope Do you ever overwhelm yourself with Christmas activities? To the point you forget about Jesus’ birth until you’re sitting in a Christmas Eve service? I’ve been there more than I’d like to admit, but for the past few years I’ve been intentional about celebrating Advent in my home. I purchased a set […]
-
Waiting to Hear God’s Voice
The Israelites waited in the desert 40 years to see the fulfillment of God’s promise to them. The prophetess, Anna, waited 84 years, practically a lifetime, to see her long-awaited Messiah come, not as a mighty warrior king but as a toddling peasant child. The apostles of the early church waited five, 10, 50 years […]
-
Waiting for Double Marshmallows
I am like all the kids who eat the first marshmallow — you know — from those experiments. Experimenters (or parents) set one sweet treat in front of a child with the promise that, if the child waits until the adult returns, the child can have two treats. words + photographs TAYLOR CORCORAN Like kids […]
-
Three Bracelets
Three bracelets. One copper. One silver. One gold-plated. words + photographs GRACE LEE The copper bracelet was the first one I started wearing, and it says, “Faithful.” I felt like I was doing what He wanted me to, and yet I didn’t matter. That He really didn’t care about me. It seemed as though everywhere […]
Homegrown Journal 