Scripture and ...

A butterfly bush growing out of a crack of our neighbor’s curb reminds me that our circumstances don’t determine how well we flourish. We need nourishment from God (both physically and spiritually) and that can happen anywhere. Anywhere we are, we can be resilient. No matter the situation, we can thrive. Life isn’t about your location, your circumstances, or the events around you. It’s about your response to them. So you can let these things get you down or you can choose to be resilient, adaptable, durable, and strong. You can flourish in spite of the difficulties around you. And when you do it will encourage others around you to do the same. But how can you flourish when you feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and frustrated all the time? When everything seems to be spinning out of control? The same way that little butterfly bush flourished: it didn’t worry about what was around it. It just soaked up the water, the sun, and the nutrients from the soil. God provided everything it needed so...

Smartphones seem to have taken over our culture.  We are often warned about the dangers of cell phones: distractions when driving (or even walking), the decline of social interactions, and the lack of mental focus to name a few.  However, smartphones can be a tool when used properly  Here are some apps that will help you learn more about God from His Word. Devotionals: Our Daily Bread Many are familiar with the Our Daily Bread daily devotional that you can get in the mail or pick up at many churches.  However, you can now listen to it on your phone through their app available from Apple, Android, and Kindle Fire .  I love that you can listen to this instead of just read it.  And the corresponding Bible passage can be opened up through a link to BibleGateway.com in the app.  Some of the great features include setting up daily reminders, opening it directly to today's devotional, and changing to one of many languages.  You can also...

My son has a really awesome Sunday School teacher.  They do a lot of hands on activities.  They even made a topographic map of Paul's missionary journeys out of salt dough!!  Yes, I realize how blessed our family is.  A few years ago she gave my son a mail subscription to Keys for Kids daily devotional because she wanted to make sure he was getting into the Bible every day.  My son loved it and would read all of the stories.  I even had to make sure that he only did that day so that he would have something new to read tomorrow. Then, he noticed in one mailing that they had an app.  Like most kids, my son loves anything electronic (though we have limits on his electronic time) and was thrilled to try out the app.  He loved reading or listening to the daily devotional on his iPod instead of reading it in the booklet, but the app was a little glitchy, often closing out before he got the chance to finish reading it.  When I contacte...