Often when I read the Bible, I come across a familiar passage. It might be that I’ve heard a sermon on it, or that it’s recorded in another place in the Bible where I’ve read it previously. I was reading through the Gospel of John during Lent. When I came to John’s final chapter, I read some verses that startled me, because they took me back to my childhood…

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Ninety-three million miles from Earth, our nearest star shines brightly enough to warm our planet and sustain life. We don’t question if the sun will still be shining tomorrow.

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Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9a, NIV). The apostle Paul warns of Satan’s attack (Ephesian 6:13-18) and he lists the defensive armor of God that we should be using…

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A few days after the new year began, I noticed that several businesses had removed their Christmas decorations and replaced them with Valentine’s Day hearts, ribbons, and red flowers. ”What happened to January?” I wondered. Is there nothing to celebrate after New Year’s Day?

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Late last week, a friend had quadruple bypass surgery. Last night I learned that an online writer friend died suddenly in her home. My husband and I are aging and facing some health issues. When I turn on the TV evening news, I hear of mass shootings, suicides, crime, and drug overdoses. How does one maintain a cheerful attitude when everything around us seems to be bad news?

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Many of us walk or exercise in some way to build or maintain our physical strength. I was also wondering about spiritual strength. There’s much evil around us, and we need strength to stand up to it, fight it off, and not get sucked up in it. So, what can we do for spiritual strength?

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