The temptation to stay in bed with the covers over our heads is strong. For many of us, we’ve lived with government recommendations—even, in some cases, demands—that we actually do stay in our homes. Shielding ourselves by staying home, turning off the news, engaging in safe, warm, cozy activities and light books and entertainment in an attempt to block out or forget about all that is going on is an understandable desire.
How far are you willing to go to pursue your goals? Goals are good, especially when we’re called to pursue things. For example, I know that I was called to publishing and writing. Others may know they were called to the mission field, to teaching, to firefighting, to music or art. Goals help us pursue…
“Calling” is a buzzword, both inside and sometimes outside of Christian circles. People sometimes seem to be obsessed with “finding your calling,” whether life or career coaches promising to help you find it, those in ministry talking about following God’s call on their life, or the common phrase that someone “missed their calling.” But what…
I never wanted to be a writer. The written word was for people whose brains operated differently than mine. Much of college was dodging professors who assigned papers in favor of those who leaned on exams. Grad school was an exercise in getting papers finished as efficiently and quickly as possible. Being an analytical thinker…
It has been said often that refusing to forgive someone is like drinking poison and hoping that your enemy dies. In many ways, this is true. Unforgiveness is often far more damaging to the one holding on to it than to the one who has committed the offense. God knows that, and He doesn’t want…
Have you ever felt the way King David did here? In these very difficult and challenging times, with every person on the planet grappling with grief, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, have you cried out to God and received only silence in response? We all feel that way sometimes—maybe a lot of times. And David shows…
Every Christian says we should do this, but many of us struggle to follow through with the fourth commandment: remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. I remember how at my Christian college they would encourage students to rest and take time to pull away from the hustle and bustle … but they also had…
I’ve always admired Wonder Woman. The female superhero is kind, beautiful, and strong—everything we’re told we can be. Her daring weekly escapades filled my television screen as I grew up. I could be Wonder Woman. I could defeat evil (and those school bullies). I just needed a red, white, and blue bathing suit and a…
[Alyssa Roat] Hold Fast to Dreams
I started my debut novel, Wraithwood, at sixteen. I finished the first draft at seventeen and brought that unpolished manuscript with me to college. I was pursuing a degree in Professional Writing. I’d been promised I’d be published within my first semester. I knew other graduates had gotten their books published in college. This was…
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