• rainbow faith ark
    Faith

    Ark Building: A New Kind of Faith

    Guest Post by Lori Slaughter, Pastor of Living Well, Wausau, Wisconsin   Noah’s ark is one of the most repeated stories in the Bible. It meant little to me, though. For over 30 years, I have placed my faith in the Lord Jesus. Raised Catholic, my parents taught me to honor God and respect His Word. All of my life, I have heard and read the Bible many times without a significant impact on my personal life. Stories of Abraham, David, and even Paul seemed distant from me, being alive at the turn of the millennium, though I tried to put myself in their shoes. As I did, the Lord…

  • creativity
    Creativity,  Faith

    Creativity: What You Need to Know

    Creativity is the most misunderstood gift I know. Students, coworkers, and even casual acquaintances regularly inform me that they lack the creative spark. Most, if not all, have a misconception of creativity as if it were a rare commodity that only a few wild-eyed writers and crazy-haired artists possess. The truth is that as beings made in the image of God, we are all creatives. We must start with creation, as described in Genesis, to understand who we are. In the beginning, God said let there be light. I think it is worth noting that light already existed before this moment. After all, God is light, himself, as scripture indicates.…

  • ship in storm/ walking on water
    Faith,  Featured

    Walking on Water: Celebrating Risk and Failure

    In rereading the miracle of Jesus walking on water, I notice a couple of things I hadn’t before. The first is that the water Jesus walked on was stormy. The image I had in my head previously was of Jesus walking across smooth waters, the light dancing across the little ripples. But no, Jesus traversed wind and waves, apparently without any trouble. The second thing I notice is that Peter, not Jesus, initiated the whole walking on water fiasco. Peter challenged Jesus to prove himself. And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Matthew 14: 28 I admit…