My dear sisters (and brothers) of The Valley, Ecclesiastes 3 begins with the well-known verse, To everything there is a season,A time for every purpose under heaven. The next seven verses continue with a list of times, a time for this and a time for that. It’s not on the list, but I think we can include the […]
Two weeks ago we looked at the life of Moses and the way he responded (and the way many of us respond) when God didn’t seem to deliver on His promise. But God was just getting started, beginning the layered process it would take to deliver the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity. Through this initial […]
I’m a type-A perfectionist. As such, one of my biggest strengths is what some might call optimism and what others might call idealism. It’s also my true Achilles heel when this optimism is disappointed and these ideals aren’t met. I aim my expectations at star-level and struggle to pick up the pieces when, after a […]
The life of Joseph is one of the most familiar and beloved Bible stories, with timeless themes of God’s sovereignty, beauty out of ashes, forgiveness, and restoration. (See Pastor Israel’s sermon on the life of Joseph: Part 1 and Part 2.) It’s no wonder Christians in a valley of hardship—chronic illness or otherwise—find solace and […]
Enjoy Melissa’s review of The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt & What We Can Do About It by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. For more resources, check out our Resources page. Originally published in 1993 and republished in 1997, The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It […]
We know God knows about our hardships. The Bible clearly and often states that God is omniscient: all-knowing. Yet think about the difference between “see” and “know.” For example, if my friend on the East Coast is dealing with an injury, I can know about it if she tells me about it on the phone. […]
I started writing this piece last year, only for it to sit, and keep sitting, in my drafts. Now, a year later, it’s finally time to be published. Since most of this post was written in 2023, I’ve kept the original present tense for these sections rather than edit to the past tense. It was […]
Easter is one of my favorite times of year. While celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas brings excitement, awe, and wonder at God becoming man, commemorating the death and resurrection of this same Jesus at Easter brings a thrill, a joy, and a sense of life that no other day offers. Good Friday carries […]
Two weeks ago we looked at the Parable of the Unjust (or Shrewd) Steward in Luke 16, with some resources that helped us understand the parable’s meaning and application for us believers today–including us believers with chronic illness. Today we continue the discussion, looking at Kingdom stewardship in a broader way and with more application […]
I recently read Luke 16 in my morning Bible reading. This chapter presents what we call the Parable of the Unjust (or Shrewd) Steward. In the parable, a steward, or manager, is discovered squandering his master’s wealth. The master decides to fire him, and the steward finagles some accounts with his master’s debtors, reducing the […]
The Valley