A man stopped by my church a few months ago ago. We didn’t know him and he didn’t know us. He came in and simply said, “I’m a Christian and I don’t need anything from you except this: would you pray for me?” I offered to pray with him right then and there, but he said he … More Why Not Ask? * 10 Minute Devotional
There are few things more lonely and scary than God’s silence. I once witnessed a woman throw a rosary into a trash can after being informed her son had died. “I prayed for him to be healed,” she said, her voice firm, her eyes hollow. “Now I know there is no God.” If you walk with … More When God Seems Silent * 10 Minute Devotional
My childhood pastor once told our congregation the story of a man walking down a beach tossing starfish back into the water. If they stayed washed up on the beach they would dry out and die, so he tossed them back as he strolled along the ocean’s edge. The problem was that there were thousands of … More It Matters to This One * 10 Minute Devotional
The first church I pastored was in rural Wisconsin. Farm country. We lived on the town’s main thoroughfare, and our toddler son often stood glued to the front window watching tractors roll down the street. A man in our congregation heard that Daryl had never driven a tractor (why this surprised him I do not know, since Daryl grew … More Waking Up in Anxious Times * 10 Minute Devotional
What is one thing about your life you wish you could change? I grew up reading missionary stories. Hudson Taylor. Jim and Elisabeth Elliot. David Livingston. Missionaries spoke at my rural childhood church often, and I always found myself stuck between horror and awe. What would it be like to leave everything and go to … More Brown-Eyed Girl * 10 Minute Devotional
We went to the park last week and I totally forgot to bring snacks. Rule #1 of parenting is always have enough snacks. Always, always, alwaysalwaysalways. My firstborn asked for a snack and I suddenly realized I’d left the bag in our entryway at home. “I’m so sorry,” I told him. “The snacks are at … More Again Tomorrow * 10 Minute Devotional
Some of the hardest things to do are the little things. Let me explain. I would throw myself in front of a bus for my husband. I really would. But I might not let him pick the restaurant, because I don’t really feel like Mexican today. I would sacrifice a kidney if my son needed one. But I probably … More Start Small * 10 Minute Devotional
My sisters and I grew up attending Christmas Eve services at a rural evangelical church in the northern woods of Wisconsin. It was as picturesque as that sounds–snowy woods filled with evergreens and white-tailed deer and birch trees. After the services every kid was given a brown paper bag filled with candy and an orange, though … More An Unconventional Christmas Eve * Advent Devotional
You guys, I’ve never met Aubry Smith but we are friends. How can you NOT be friends with someone who has traveled halfway around the world to serve and educate pregnant and postpartum women AND written an awesome book about God’s role in childbirth? So pleased to be able to share her brilliant and beautiful … More Advent for the Outsider * Advent Devotional
When my sister had her third baby a few years ago, we got the text in the wee hours of the morning. “It’s a boy!” it read. “Everyone is healthy.” I rolled over in bed and tapped my husband’s shoulder. “Cait had her baby!” I whispered. “I’m going!” “Oh good,” he murmured groggily. “Wait, going … More Holy Family * Advent Devotional
Courtney Ellis 