1. Why am I so spiritually dry? Glenna Marshall reflects, “I couldn’t think of any particular trigger. No big reason stood out to me that would explain why everything felt stale and stagnant inside.”

2. When offenses come: Scott Hubbard encourages us to reframe when we’ve been sinned against, “Offenses are gifts wrapped with dark ribbons. So don’t let the packaging deceive you. Every snub and jab and wound invites you into deeper fellowship and joy with your forgiving Lord.”

3. When you long for justice: Lara D’Entremont on suffering the layered affects of a sexual assault, “I feared for my faith if my oppressor be found not guilty. God says he delivers and saves the victim, the needy, and the oppressed—but I also knew that wasn’t always true.”

4. A new word: Andrea Sanborn teaches us a new born and what spiritual significance it has, “The word she shared was “marcescence”, and it describes a tree’s leaves that cling to the branches, dead, long after all others have let go and floated to the ground. For reasons not thoroughly understood, these shriveled, ugly leaves remain, clinging in defiance of the changing season, clutching futilely to the remnants of the life they had before.”

5. The best trail camera photos of 2024: An animal believed to be extinct and an uncontacted tribe living deep in the Amazon rainforest top this list. 

Photo by Brad Helmink on Unsplash