Slowing down should frustrate our flesh, but in a different way; it brings quietness of heart amid the noise of life.

Today, April 22, is this year's official start to the traditional Jewish feast of Passover. Here is a sweet devotional reflection on the Passover from The Village Church's Mason King.

Our hearts tremble with love for that we have yet to see—as we long for the day when we see Him face to face.

People leave a church for many reasons. Some are good; some are less than good. Some members disappear without a trace, and others leave a tumultuous wake in their exit. As a pastor, these situations often leave me wishing I knew just what to say.

For all the celebrations to be remembered, the occasions of suffering are the dates that stick with me. It was then, when the day came that she would call –  or we’d get in the car with a warm meal in the back seat. A note would get dropped in the mail, a meal on the doorstep to say: you are loved, you are not forgotten, and neither are they.

There is a difference between sharing and learning. Don’t confuse the two, thinking you have learned what you have shared.

There’s something to place. Something to knowing and being known. There is beauty in surrendering to it, recounting the faithfulness of God down every road.

Maturity for Jonathan Edwards, and for us, is greater dependence upon the person and work of Christ. Grace takes a believer and gives them eyes to see themselves in light of who Christ is. And incremental holiness takes time.

The wrestle of wealth, of making enough and having enough, is a dark space in my soul—the struggle for contentment against a sliding scale in a world that rejects less as more and sees more as a means to happiness. It’s where I have to preach to myself the truth I know when the lie is in front of me.

Receiving is difficult. Being given something affects us differently than being the giver. Receiving something is harder than earning it, especially for driven people.