Menu Close

Praise & Shine 56: Time Traveling Letters

More than a million young people take part in the International Letter-Writing Competition each year. In 2018, the theme of the competition was this: “Imagine you are a letter traveling through time. What message do you want to convey to your readers?”

If God wrote a letter to you today, what would it say? If you wrote a letter to a friend telling about how you’ve encountered the living God, what would it say?

Praise & Shine 55: On The Bubble

We can feel at times that we’re “on the bubble,” uncertain if we have what it takes to compete in or finish the race of life. When we’re feeling that way, it’s important to remember that in Jesus we’re never “on the bubble.” As children of God, our place in His kingdom is secure (John 14:3). Our confidence flows from God who chose Jesus to be the “cornerstone” on which our lives are built, and He chose us to be “living stones” filled with the Spirit of God, capable of being the people God created us to be (1 Peter 2:5-6).

Praise & Shine 54: God’s Mercy At Work

When it seems others are getting away with wrongdoing, we struggle with the injustice. But with god’s mercy at work in our hearts and the hearts of others, we can forgive as he has forgiven us through Jesus Christ, and receive the blessings he has prepared for us.

Praise & Shine 53: The Great I Am


Often in history people’s names were used to describe their character or even their profession. Even today we sometimes receive nicknames or superlatives; however, these names do not define us.

When people think of God, and who his is they often try to put God in a box that define him.

Some place God in a box defining Him as the Creator who has created the world and now sits back on His thrown watching. There are others who define Him as a God who “grants wishes”. And still others define God and angry and vengeful, who is waiting for an opportunity for punishment.

The problem with this thinking is that it limits God. These boxes are definitions that we have come up with to define God. They don’t come close to describing Gods true character.

So, who is God really?

God described himself as self-sufficient, self-sustaining and powerful over all things. God who was, who is, and who will be. He. Is. infinite!

In Exodus 3:13-14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

HE is the GREAT I AM…

He is THE GOD

God is in control of everything and is sovereign over everything. He Is Who He Is.

Praise & Shine 52: Sweeping Away Your Offenses

Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled device, has an interesting feature: it can erase everything you say. Whatever you’ve asked Alexa to do, whatever information you’ve asked Alexa to retrieve, one simple sentence, such as “Delete everything I said today”, sweeps it all clean, as if it never happened. It’s too bad that the rest of our life doesn’t have this capability. Every misspoken word, every disgraceful act, every moment we wish we could erase—we would just speak the command, and the entire mess would disappear.

There is good news, though. God does offer each of us a clean start. Only, He goes far deeper than merely deleting our mistakes or bad behavior. God provides redemption, a deep healing, that transforms us and makes us new.