A Fresh Take on Jesus’ Close Friends: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

On May, 2, 2023, Amy Boucher Pye published a study where she provides a fresh take on the story of Jesus’ close friendships with Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus in "Transforming Love: How Friendship with Jesus Changes Us." She shows how God uses our relationships with others and with Jesus to shape us as…

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Sixth Station: The Burial

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: A Different Mary and Joseph I recently reviewed a book here about siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus of Bethany. Amy Boucher Pye writes that Martha wrote Jesus about Lazarus' grave illness; however, she didn’t demand anything of Him. Jesus had just escaped the region where His enemies wanted to stone…

Fifth Station: The Crucifixion

Pontius Pilate knew the religious leaders were envious of Jesus. (Mark 15:10) His wife had a terrifying nightmare about Him, and she wanted Pilate to have nothing to do with the trial. (Matthew 27:19) He had hoped the crowd would want to release Jesus, but they wanted to release a notorious criminal Barabbas, known for…

Fourth Station: The Arrest & Trials

Several times in scripture we see that the chief priests and Pharisees in their rage wanted to kill Jesus, but something always stopped them. They feared the people’s reaction. Many had come to hear Jesus teach in the temple. Hatred blinded the chief priests to their law and traditions. One of Jesus’ disciples would betray…

First Station: Hand Washing

If someone were to ask you what the Bible is all about, how would you answer? Would you say, “It’s a story about redeeming love." "It's a story about God and His people." "It's an adventure story." "It's a story about Jesus’ rescue mission." It's all those things and more. The Bible opens in Genesis…

Talking with God

As a young mother, Suzanne “Suzie” Eller struggled to find the words to pray, despite prayer lists or formulas. She wanted to hear from Jesus. She wanted to have intimate talks with Him like she would a dear friend. When she didn’t know how to pray in difficult seasons of her life, Suzie found the…

When Your Hiding Place Is God

Corrie ten Boom wrote of her family's part in the Dutch resistance movement during World War II in her book, "The Hiding Place" that was later made into a movie. Her family and others with the resistance helped hide their Jewish neighbors in her father's watch shop from the Nazi forces. Despite their arrest, the…

A review of “Keep It Shut”

I'm tired of the many times I’ve left conversations thinking: “Why did I say that?” I went on a search for an inspirational work about how to have better conversations with people. The book “Keep It Shut” by Karen Ehman caught my eye for the clever cover. Ehman is part of the Proverbs 31 Ministries…

Review: “Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet: Tasting the Goodness of God in All Things”

In her memoir “Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet" Sara Hagerty wrestles with the question, “Is God good to me?” As her story opens, Sara attends a baby shower and leaves in tears. Not long after she wed, she wanted to become a mother and would watch as other women in her life became pregnant, and…

Refuge in times of trouble

     "God is our refuge and strength,  a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah." -- Psalm 46: 1-3   My grandparents…