The following is a guest post by Desirae of thefullestlifeblog.com I’m a teacher and a grad student, but six short years ago, I was a freshman in college. Six years go extremely fast, and so did the four that I was in college. Some days I miss college. I “loved” college, but not for the reasons that many do. I loved college because the community that I experienced there was the most unique community that I will probably ever experience…. Read more »

The disciples chatted as they returned from their journey to buy food from the Samarian city. They reached the outskirts of the city where they had left Jesus. He had been sitting along when they departed, but as they approached they saw he was sitting with a woman. A woman. A Samaritan woman. They stared in wonder. Most of them didn’t like having to deal with the Samaritans as they were buying food. They never would have sought out a… Read more »

Valentines Day was a few weeks ago {in case you missed it ;) }, and it’s a holiday where we focus on the people we love. Fantastic! Hopefully you were able to tell the people you love that you love them and why you love them. May I ask you a related question? Why do you love Jesus? What about Him captured your heart? Have you told Him why you love Him? Today I’m exploring these questions over at Tarina’s… Read more »

Ashamed. She felt ashamed when she ventured to the well in the midday heat. She felt so incredibly ashamed she refused to draw water in the morning or the evening when the weather was cool, because that’s when the other women gathered. She didn’t want to face them. Or anyone, really. She walked down the dusty path, like she did a thousand times. To her surprise, she saw a Jewish man sitting at the well. Jews didn’t normally venture into Samaria…. Read more »

“I surrender all. I surrender all. All to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” I’ve grown up hearing that hymn. I’ve also heard numerous sermons over the years which ask the question, “Do you really surrender all? Or do you only surrender most?” And the preachers challenge us to only sing those words if we really mean them. Being the literalist that I am, after hearing those sermons I would typically just hum. “Hmm hmm hmm hm hmmm. Hmm… Read more »

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now abide in my love.” John 15:9 So Jesus commands us to abide in His love. And as I reflect on that concept of abiding in His love, I wonder how one can abide in love. As we’ve learned before, abiding means three things: “1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me. 2.to have one’s abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village. 3.to continue in a particular condition, attitude,… Read more »

Remember way back in SAT prep? When they told us that sometimes all of the multiple choice options would be correct? {Oh those questions are a joy, aren’t they? ;) } In order to get the question correct, we needed to sort through the good options and pick the best answer. The very best option in a sea of mediocre. Those questions always stressed me out. What if I picked the wrong one? What if the one I think best isn’t what the scantron reader thinks… Read more »

 The following is a guest post by Rachel of Chasing Chels It seems as though Valentine’s Day has always resonated as an anticipated holiday for couples and a depressing one for singles. I’ll be the first to admit that nope, it’s not much fun to spend Valentine’s Day alone. “But hey,” everyone consoles you, “God’s just saving you for the right person.” They give you the sympathetic smile, the familiar head tilt, the comforting eyes. The statement is most certainly… Read more »

It’s time for another installment of The Golden Vlog! This month’s episode is all about relationships (and a little bit of Valentine’s Day). Let’s get started: For discussion: Tell me about your pets! Do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day? This post is linked up with The Golden Vlog You might also like: 2015 Valentine’s Day Adventures The Golden Vlog // All About Jobs! The Golden Vlog // All About Christmas :) My Trip to a CASL The Best… Read more »

Ruth’s husband was dead. Not only that, but her brother-in-law had also recently died. Her father in law died before she could meet him, ten years prior to her husband’s death. Full of grief, her new family was now a heartbroken family. The three widows clung to each other, tears streaming down their faces. When she had married her husband, Ruth had left her family. It would be easy for her to return to them now that he was dead,… Read more »