Life is hard, even for Christians. ESPECIALLY for Christians. The world is watching, and that pressure can wear on us as we sense a magnifying glass aimed in our direction, inspecting everything we say and do, analyzing our every move. Our slip-ups bring cheers and finger-pointing with shouts of, "Aha! Hypocrite!" Our failures sting even …
Tag: God
“One of His Own” – a short story
When the night-shift janitor questions God, asking what purpose he could have working in a dark and lonely place, the man receives an answer through a powerful vision that brings him to his knees. Silas dunked the mop into the sudsy water and stood for a moment, taking in the hallway and the long stretch …
Together
The enemy is going to try and take you down and wear you out. Depression. Loneliness. Discouragement. Satan will use whatever tool he can to keep you isolated so you can't encourage others. The enemy wants you to be alone and to leave others alone as well. When Satan keeps God's children separated, fighting, or …
Freed from Darkness
Paul and Silas were brutally beaten and imprisoned in a Philippian jail. But they didn't do anything wrong. In fact, they'd just freed a woman from a demonic, fortune-telling spirit while going about their business - their FATHER'S business of sharing the gospel. And yet, they were violently beaten and thrown into the darkest dungeon, …
A Prison Called Loneliness
I've been trying to piece my thoughts together with no loose ends - a circle beginning with my own struggle and ending with hope. But sometimes things don't work out that way. Sometimes we don't have an answer to "why" we hurt, only the solid, concrete slab we're standing on with the word "trust" etched …
“The Little Girl with a Big Heart” – a short story
Can God use a little girl and a simple craft to change a hardened heart? The Little Girl with a Big Heart “You can’t be serious. I’m not making a Valentine’s Day box!” Harold shouted as the teacher set a shoebox in front of him. “I’m an old man, and I don’t fiddle with pipe …
Continue reading “The Little Girl with a Big Heart” – a short story
“Flowers in February” – a short story
If you're struggling to move on after a devastating loss and feel as if you've lost hope, I pray this story brings you comfort as God restores your soul. Flowers in February I met Walter after his wife died in February. It was a week after the funeral, and I arrived right on time with …
When God Sends Someone
You can outrun pain for only so long before it eventually catches up to you. When you least expect it, a strange and unpredictable crumbling starts to happen. On the inside. Everything you counted on seems to be like sand running through your fingers, piling up in a bland heap. Everything you hoped for is …
“The Journal” – a short story
A dreary January day turns into an extraordinary moment for a woman struggling to begin again after the past year leaves her discouraged. The Journal Charlotte sat by the window at the front of the diner. She’d planned to be on the road by now and heading back to the pieces of her fragmented life …
A New Year Ahead
It's a new year! Where will you go? What will you take with you? And what will you leave behind as you journey ahead? You can tuck the sweet memories you want to hold onto inside your suitcase, keeping them close. You can let go of the painful moments that threaten to imprison you for …
Joey Rudder 