In looking at the story of the woman at the well with Jesus, I noticed something I had not seen before. Remember, Jesus’ disciples had left Him at the well to go into the city to get food. They were surprised when they returned and found Him talking with a woman (John 4:47). The Bible says the woman left and went to ...

Have you ever started to have faith, and then wavered? In a true story of provision, this happened to one of Jesus’ disciples at the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-14). A great multitude of people had followed Jesus because of the miracles they saw Him perform among the sick. But as Jesus observed the people, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these ...

Have you ever wanted to give up on someone (or something)? I have. But I’m thankful God’s Word instructs us differently. For starters, God didn’t give up on me. In Luke 13:6-9, Jesus said it this way: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said ...

I recently heard a phrase that made me chuckle and sigh at the same time. It was: “I am an army of one.” I laughed because that’s me in a nutshell. For the entirety of Mirror Ministries, it’s just been me. And this is probably true of most writers, but I’m also the business office, the book designer, product packer, ...

Years ago, I used to help oversee a local community project called Kidsteem. The name was derived from the purpose: to help boost the self-esteem of children on the first day of school. The program raised money from local donations and distributed it to lower income families for school clothes, shoes, or supplies. I remember one little boy, who also ...

Who doesn’t like to get gifts? I have occasionally been the person who has had a hard time receiving gifts, but that’s not to say I don’t like getting them. What I mean is, we often feel undeserving. But it’s fun to open presents, no matter who (or what age) we are. And this is what makes Ephesians 4:7-8 so exciting! “But ...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 When I look at certain faces in a crowd, I want to ask them, “Who told you you were naked?” This is the same question God asked Adam and Eve when they hid from Him in the garden after committing the first sin (Genesis 3:11). Shame made them withdraw from God–but shame is ...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 It’s hard to explain to someone that has believed the lie that their sins are too great, or the person who has consistently fallen in and out of natural love, that there is a love FOR THEM that goes beyond anything they’ve ever known. I was the first person. I came from ...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 I think it’s good to put ourselves in remembrance of why we do what we do. And at the end of the day, I don’t want my reasons to be a paycheck or applause. There has to be a greater cause to our mission that fuels us to keep on keepin’ on (if you know ...

Until recently I had never given much thought to the word echo. I knew what it meant –basically an echo is a sound heard again (a repetition if you would) of an original sound. In a large room or a canyon, you can shout and hear the echo of your voice bounce back to you. This was always fun to ...

I recently listened to a podcast by Steven Furtick and he said something I wholeheartedly agree with: Everybody’s running from something or somebody. Even if that somebody is themselves. Isn’t that the truth? It’s hard enough to face the bully problem in this generation–the put-downs, beat-downs, ridicule, threats, and so on–but what if the bully is YOU (against you)? It honestly ...

I hate it when I feel like I need to defend myself, don’t you? No matter who it is, if there’s been a misunderstanding or judgment error, it’s natural to want to defend yourself, but I still greatly dislike how it feels. Like an ugly boomerang that won’t stop making circles, defense mechanisms can be destructive. I was thinking about ...