• flames that represent hell
    hell,  hope

    Why I Believe in Hell

    Hell is a topic I have avoided till now, mainly because of its obvious nature, or so I thought. I recently noticed that several prominent Christians disavowed their faith because of their decision that hell doesn’t exist. I find this curious since the existence of hell appears clear to me. Don’t get me wrong. I find hellfire and damnation preachers tedious. Scaring people into heaven has proven generally ineffective.   Jesus mentions hell many times, which is enough for me. But the evidence of hell overwhelms me. I see it so clearly in myself, in others, and in this wonderful and terrible world we live in. I think we are…

  • person walking on an isolated path
    Displacement

    The Mystery of Following Jesus

    Sometimes, cliches exist for a reason. My least favorite is never say never, probably because I do say never. I have said to myself that I never want to move to the Bay Area. I still don’t want to live there, but it became abundantly clear that it is God’s will that I live there for a year—maybe more. At first, I mourned, which looked like listening to melancholy break-up songs on repeat. The words of one song in particular always left me teary: If you’re strong enough to let it in, you’re strong enough to let it go. Leaving Alaska brings up a lot of feels. I treasured the…

  • Featured

    Inviting Jesus into our Horror

    The Horror of Abuse I recently discovered an extremely healing prayer method, touching areas I didn’t know existed and areas I thought could not be made well. It is enormously simple, consisting of just one question. I only have to ask, “Jesus, what door of my heart are you knocking on?” And, of course, he is knocking at the door of my heart. Revelation 3:20 says: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me. WEB Now that I know to ask that question, I ask…