Posts with the category “21-days-of-prayer-and-fasting”

Ruth 1By Cassie Vanderwoude Growing up, I was a dancer. From the ages of 3-16, my Tuesday nights consisted of dance lessons in the basement of a Catholic church on the west side of Cincinnati. As I gr...  Read More

Galatians 1:11-24By Izzy Kesterson Admittedly, I never understood Paul in my younger years, but after a season of ignoring God and my faith, Paul’s conversion was inspiring. In this passage, Paul effe...  Read More

Luke 1:5-25, 57-80By Annie Francis Elizabeth and Zechariah were described as righteous and faithful, people who obeyed God wholeheartedly. And yet, they lived with a long-standing grief: they had no c...  Read More

Genesis 37, 50By Lia Fischer “Close every door to me, keep those I love from me, darken my daytime, and shut out my night. Just give me a number, instead of my name, forget all about me and let me dec...  Read More

Genesis 3:6-13By Reagan Wildoner “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food… a delight to the eyes, and desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” Have you ever judged somethin...  Read More

Jonah 1-2By Lexi Bruesewitz Does God truly know better than I do? Is God really good? Does He see and understand me? Our disobedience points to what we believe - about God, ourselves, and others. In J...  Read More

Exodus 15:22-16:36By Brad Bruesewitz Life is often a mixed bag of incredible moments mixed with difficult ones, to put it lightly. The “highs” often seem fleeting, and the “lows” seem to last forever....  Read More

Genesis 7:1-24By Abby Denoma Transitions are hard. I moved to Chicago the winter after college graduation. I lived alone and was starting my job as an ICU nurse, which was exhausting in every possible...  Read More

Luke 2:36-38By Katherine Marlin “She was very old” - what a way to be described; not just “old,” but “very old.” However, Anna being “very old” has a lot to do with the story of her waiting. It tells ...  Read More

1 Kings 19:1-18By Dave McMurray Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 19 is a picture of a soul in the wilderness. After a season of pressure, fear, and exhaustion, Elijah flees from Jezebel and eventually collap...  Read More

Exodus 3:1-4:17By Brandon McCauley Moses was living an entirely different life than what he once expected. He had grown up in the home of Pharaoh, and eventually the consequences of his sin drove him ...  Read More

Genesis 16:1-16By Michelle Santora Hagar, Abram, and Sarai. These three could rival the drama and chaos of most reality tv shows today. Control grabs, blame shifting, surrogate moms, horrible bosses…....  Read More

Matthew 3:1-11By Justin DiSabatino This entry has had many false starts. I knew what I wanted to say but each thought only went on for a little bit before losing its way. Everything I wrote felt too r...  Read More

1 Samuel 23:13-29By Kenny Frost Stories about David are so exciting, especially the period when he was running from his father-in-law, Saul. David had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king of...  Read More

Daniel 5:1-17By Michael Bade Anticipation can be exciting, exhilarating, euphoric. It can also stir anxiety, confusion, and staleness in faith. Doubts and questions perpetually arise within: “Can I tr...  Read More

2 Kings 4:1-7By Mandy Owliaie During a time of great sorrow, this widow is facing the threat of losing even more than she’s already lost. Life without a husband left her vulnerable, and she had no ide...  Read More

Genesis 15:4-6, 21:1-7By Joe Trammell In my house group last year, I described faith in God’s faithfulness as the variable that makes the math work in an equation that otherwise doesn’t make sense. We...  Read More

Genesis 29:13-30By Kristin Scott Jacob was a man with a plan. To him it seemed like a fool-proof one, until of course, it wasn’t.  Can you imagine the level of fury and disappointment Jacob would have...  Read More

1 Samuel 1:1-28By Kristen Fulcher “I am a woman deeply troubled.” I so deeply resonate with Hannah’s words. Feeling forgotten. Having so much to be grateful for, and yet there is this one thing I’ve a...  Read More

Welcome to 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting! This year’s theme is Wild Faith — a look at how wilderness seasons shape our faith, and can often prepare us for the miraculous.Over the next 21 days, we’ll r...  Read More

INTRODUCTION TO FASTINGFasting can seem intimidating and be really uncomfortable starting off. However, it is possible to get used to the fasting routine pretty quickly. The best thing to do is figure...  Read More

“Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:15 Paul, a 1st century apprentice of Jesus w...  Read More

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3...  Read More

“Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will...  Read More

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and...  Read More

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Be...  Read More

“As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but...  Read More

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” 1 Peter 2:16-17 I was ...  Read More

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 I tried my hand at gardening years ago, more so as an...  Read More

“I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In Him lie hidden a...  Read More

“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:21 Every year, I spend time with young adults walking through a current book on relationships and dating. We dig into th...  Read More

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” Matthew 5:6 When I was in high school, I was part of a small church in Central Florida with less than a hundr...  Read More

“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 When you hear the word “freedom” what reaction does it evoke from within you? Maybe the not...  Read More

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to ...  Read More

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, h...  Read More

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I...  Read More

“With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers an...  Read More

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 Up to this point, everyone knew that these guys were disciples of Jesus because it was obvious. They were ...  Read More

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Ephesians 6:10 One of the many (some awesome, some not-so-awesome) things I’m discovering as I get older is that I’m not enough. I ...  Read More

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 This verse is really interesting because it forces us to thin...  Read More