Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens
Unlocked is a daily teen devotional centered on God's Word. Each day's devotion—whether fiction, poetry, or essay—asks how Jesus and what He did affect today's topic. With devotions read by hosts Natalie and Dylan, and questions designed to encourage discussion and a deeper walk with Christ, Unlocked invites teens to engage with the Bible and submit their own devotional pieces.
Episodes
Flames of Hope
READ: JOHN 8:12; EPHESIANS 2:12-13; COLOSSIANS 1:12-14
I was stuck in the darkness Didn’t know there was light Yet a flame in the darkness Was burning so bright
But I was blind to the fire Couldn’t see the bright flames Till a voice from the fire Called out my name
I didn’t want to believe it Or raise up false hope But the voice drew me closer And it ga
My Daily Habits for Dealing with Anxiety
READ: PSALM 73:23-26; 1 PETER 5:7
I struggle with anxiety every day. It’s not because I don’t know that God loves me and that He’ll take care of me—I do know this—but it’s simply something that I deal with. Maybe you struggle with anxiety too. There are some daily habits I’ve taken on that seem to help me live with a little more peace. These are not
Battling Intrusive Thoughts
READ: PSALM 139:1-12; MATTHEW 6:9-13; ROMANS 8:26-39
“What’s wrong with me?” I said to myself as unwelcome thoughts invaded my prayer time. Guilt consumed me. My desire to pray was spoiled by toxic thoughts. This was my special time with God, and I felt like I’d failed. “How can I call myself a Christian? I’ll have to quit praying.” Has this happened
Living in Community
READ: ACTS 2:41-47; 6:1-7; ROMANS 12:1-21; EPHESIANS 5:19
The lights flickered off, and a voice wavered over the intercom as rain began pelting the glass dome above my head. “The Atmospheric Observation Center has upgraded the oncoming macro to a category five. Please make your way to a designated safety location.”
The Center always rated the stor
The Shepherd's Voice
READ: JOHN 10:10-18, 27-28; 1 PETER 2:24-25
“The sheep are too close to the road!” I said to my husband. We were on our daily walk, which took us past a field where we frequently saw sheep grazing. But today, the green grass near the road enticed them into dangerous territory: the yard between the shepherd’s house and a busy road. We alerted the shep
Time and Closeness
READ: PSALM 34:1-8
I wish I had known sooner that the more time I spend with God, the closer He actually feels. As an adult—and especially over the course of the past few years—I have felt closer to God than I ever did before. I feel Him here with me. I have conversations with Him all throughout my day. I know that He’s there, and I trust Him. I beli
Scared to Death
READ: ROMANS 8:38-39; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-57; HEBREWS 2:14-15
What cause of death are you most afraid of? For me, it’s definitely getting eaten by a great white shark. (Yeah, and all those episodes of Shark Week have not helped me overcome my greatest fear!) We can think of all kinds of terrifying ways to die, but the truth is many people find death
The Gift of Serving Others
READ: ISAIAH 58:10; MATTHEW 25:31-40; 1 JOHN 4:19
In college, I worked part-time in a children’s ministry program. My tasks ranged from organizing outreach events to teaching elementary schoolers about Jesus. Though some moments were more glamorous than others (ahem, cleaning acrylic paint off a child’s sneakers), everything felt important. This was
Need Some Advice?
READ: HEBREWS 4:14-16; JAMES 1:1-8, 16-25; 3:13-18
Where do you turn when you need advice?
On our phones, we carry around more information in our pockets than most people throughout history have ever had access to. But here’s the thing: our lives aren’t filled with identical, cookie-cutter problems. No quick video can fix our every relationship is
What's Next?
READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13
“What’s next?” It’s the ever-present question. It comes up every time you change schools, pick classes, or consider options for what to do after high school.
When I’m asked this question, I sometimes think it means I’m not good enough. Have you ever had similar thoughts? I haven’t “arrived” at where they think I should be
The Greatest Story Ever Told
READ: PSALM 78:1-4; JOHN 1:1-14
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and been completely blown away? A story with characters who face the same struggles as you, a hero you can cheer for, and a rescue story that grips you from start to finish?
Sometimes we find it hard to see the Bible the way we see any other story. We lose sight of the fa
Fully Known
READ: PSALM 139; LUKE 12:6-7; ROMANS 5:6-11
Recently, a friend told me I walk really loudly. My other friends heartily agreed: they could always tell when it was me walking because my steps were so loud.
To be honest, I was caught off guard and a little embarrassed. I’d gone twenty-two years of my life without knowing about my noisy walk. Even tho
Even More
READ: LUKE 5:2-11; EPHESIANS 1:1-23; 3:14-21; 2 PETER 1:3
Once again, I was enjoying one of the several state parks near me. I had been coming here for the past ten years, and I always stopped at the front because the channel was so beautiful, the beach was gorgeous, people were paddle boarding on the lake…what more could you want? I didn’t realize u
The Rescue
READ: PSALMS 34:17-32; 91:1-16; MATTHEW 14:25-31
The zipline course extended across seven platforms high above the jungle of Mexico. Halfway between the fourth and fifth platforms, I slid to a halt. I looked down at the ground seventy feet below. I looked up to see that one of my two clips was broken. I dangled there until a worker on the platform cl
More Than the Sparrows
READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; 1 PETER 5:7
What will you do after you graduate? If Destiny heard those words one more time…
She rubbed her forehead with tired fingertips. As the computer loaded yet another search for college options, Destiny groaned. If only she knew which way to choose.
“Dessi!” The back door slammed, and a set of pigtails peeked arou
God Was There the Whole Time
READ: NUMBERS 33:1-10; PSALM 139:1-12; HEBREWS 13:5
I have to admit, when I’m reading certain parts of the Bible, I sometimes hurry through what I’m reading without really paying attention. The book of Numbers is one of those books that I just try to get through when I’m completing a Bible reading plan. Last night, though, as I was reading a chapter
Jesus: Brother and Friend
READ: JOHN 15:13-15; ROMANS 8:28-39; HEBREWS 2:11
A true friend will be by your side through anything, good or bad. They won’t abandon you or just tell you what to do and then leave. They’ll be with you no matter what.
Jesus is our truest friend. He promises, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Je
Peace Before You Know
READ: PROVERBS 3:5-6; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-8; 1 PETER 5:7
Can you remember a time when you had to wait for news that really mattered? Like when the results could mean you made the cut for the team. Or that you got into your favorite college. Or they could mean another surgery. Or cancer. How do you find peace in the waiting?
That’s hard for just about
Blessed Memories
READ: DEUTERONOMY 4:9; PSALM 78:1-16
I was in middle school when I first took an interest in the Civil War, particularly the role that my third great grandfather, Michael Sallander, played in it. He was only a teen and a recent immigrant when war broke out, yet he still enlisted in his home state of Wisconsin, lying about his age to do so. All four o
Redeeming Language
READ: GENESIS 11:1-9; ACTS 2
Diversity in language is an important part of God’s creation! In fact, language is one of the many ways God shows how creative He is—and how He is redeeming all that He has made.
The creation of different languages happened at Babel. The people were guilty of being prideful and wanting to make a lasting name for themse
God of the Impossible
READ: LUKE 8:22-56
Who doesn’t love a good superhero movie? It’s fun to imagine someone “somewhere out there” who’s not bound by the laws of nature like we are—someone who comes to the rescue when weak earthlings find themselves in trouble they can’t escape. While many of us daydream of being a superhero, I think many of us also have a craving to be
Hannah: Anguished Prayers
READ: 1 SAMUEL 1:1-10; 2:1, 21
Recently, I had the opportunity to share with some friends about a woman from the Bible. As I started reading about Hannah in preparation to share her story, a few things stuck out to me. Hannah was seeking the Lord consistently as she prayed for a child. First Samuel 1:10 describes this prayer as marked by deep anguish
Unashamed
READ: PSALMS 1:1-6; 3:3; ISAIAH 61:10; LUKE 15:11-32
I was probably in high school when I started continuously reading the psalms. Whenever I get to Psalm 150, I start over again. But I usually don’t look forward to Psalm 1. Maybe it’s because, when I read these verses, I’m confronted with the reality that I don’t measure up.
But when I read Psalm
What Do I Still Lack?
READ: PSALM 23; MATTHEW 19:16-30
The rich young man approaches Jesus with one question on his mind: “What good must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). When Jesus tells him to obey the law given to Moses for all of Israel, the man is confident he has kept all the law. Yet he knows he’s still missing something, so he asks, “What do I still la
The Restorer
READ: PSALM 36:5-10; MATTHEW 11:25-30
“Oh God, where are you? I failed the audition. I feel so foolish. Please help me.” Ember prayed, gasping, tears falling. Trembling underneath the weeping willow tree, her quiet space, she shut her eyes tightly, blocking out the world, focusing on what her grandmother used to say.
Pray, darling. Jesus meets us
Tech Detox
READ: PSALMS 23; 139
As I pull up to one of my favorite hiking locations along the shores of Lake Michigan, I take a deep breath. Intentionally, I leave my phone in the car and head to the trail with only my car keys. Five minutes in, I feel the stress and demands of the week begin to lessen.
Soft green leaves rustling in the breeze. Sunlight dapp
Our Heavenly Father Knows Best
READ: ESTHER 4:5-17; ROMANS 8:18-39
You may have heard of the old TV show Father Knows Best. This 1950s American sitcom was about a father and his family. You may or may not enjoy old black and white sitcoms, but the title might stir up some questions. It would be naïve to say that earthly parents always know best—they’re flawed people. But it is tru
A Bad Plan
READ: GENESIS 3:1-11; 1 JOHN 1:9–2:2
“Well, that was a bad decision.”
“I can’t believe we did that.”
“So, now what? You know He’ll find out.”
“Hmmm. I have an idea. See all those bushes and trees over there? Let’s hide.”
“Good plan.”
Perhaps this is how the conversation went between Adam and Eve. Genesis 3 doesn’t tell us their exact d
Bringers of Good News
READ: ISAIAH 52:7-10; JOHN 3:16-17; ROMANS 10:5-15
In the United Arab Emirates, immigrants are not allowed to proselytize (attempt to convert) anyone from the local population. This makes it hard to share the good news that Jesus loves us so much that He died and rose again to make the way for us to be with Him forever. But that did not stop my paren
Even Better
READ: JOHN 14:15-31; 15:26; 16:5-15
What could be better than God with skin on, walking the planet, in the person of Jesus Christ? On the night before Jesus went to the cross, He told us. Jesus knew that He was going to die, be raised from the dead three days later, and after a short while, ascend into heaven. But first, He told His disciples, “When
Loving a Cheater
READ: HOSEA 1:1-11; 3:1-4; EPHESIANS 5:25-27
How much does God love you? The answer is: a lot!
But sometimes “a lot” can be hard to picture. To show us how faithful His love is, God gave us an analogy in the Old Testament: the story of Hosea and Gomer.
Hosea was a prophet, and God told him to marry a woman named Gomer. But Gomer was unfaithful
Not Finished Yet
READ: ROMANS 7:15–8:6; GALATIANS 5:13-25
Lying on my dorm room floor, I wiped tears from my eyes. Why did I keep doing things I knew grieved the heart of God? Perhaps it was growing up in a strict home? The countless rules just fueled my desire to live a little outside the lines. For me, that looked like a struggle to honor God in my romantic relatio
Confession
READ: EZEKIEL 36:26; JOHN 6:60-69; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11
The question is asked, “What do you believe?” I open my mouth to recite the familiar words: “I believe in God, the Father almighty.”
But do I believe? Can I claim this testimony? I close my mouth and wonder, Can I honestly profess these ancient words?
Then I remember The peace during the storms, T
Not Seeing but Still Believing
READ: DEUTERONOMY 31:6-8; LUKE 15:1-7; 19:10; 1 PETER 1:3-9
When I was eleven, I marched with a school group in our town’s Christmas parade. We started near the football stadium and then marched through town. After two miles or so, we finished at the end of Main Street. As my friend Meredith watched the thinning crowd, her face drooped as much as her
The Enemy's Deceit
READ: PSALM 119:105; ROMANS 8:33-39; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17; 1 PETER 5:8-9
As an old story goes, in the Old West, thieves trying to escape law enforcement would sometimes turn their horses’ shoes backwards. These “bank robber horseshoes” supposedly tricked investigators into assuming the criminals traveled on horseback in the opposite direction. With tra
Accepting Correction with Humility
READ: PROVERBS 15:31-33; HEBREWS 12:5-13
When we’ve done something wrong, and someone calls us out on it, what’s our response? Shrug it off? Refute their claims? Sink into shame or self-hatred? Or do we remind ourselves of our identity in Christ—as beloved, forgiven children of God—then take the time to think about what they’ve said and consider how
Even When I Fall
READ: EPHESIANS 6:10-20; JAMES 1:2-18
I have been riding horses for a while, and at first, I thought I would never fall. It was so simple in the beginning—just walking around with an adult guiding me the whole time.
Eventually, I decided I wanted to become a real rider. So my mom found some lessons for me to do once a week. I was so excited to can
Lament (Part 2)
READ: PSALM 13; MARK 14:32-36
Have you ever read a psalm and thought, Wow, they’re really mad at God. Are you even allowed to say that to Him? The short answer is, yes, and it’s called lament.
In fact, about a third of the psalms in the Bible are lament psalms or complaint psalms. A lament is when you bring your honest, unfiltered frustrations, an
Celebration (Part 1)
READ: 2 SAMUEL 6:12-23
Did you know God commands His people to party? Just skim through Leviticus 23 and count how many times God tells His people to celebrate. In fact, Jesus’s first miracle took place at a wedding celebration (John 2:1-12). And, as we can see in today’s Bible passage, sometimes holy festivities can look pretty wild.
Celebration
Disoriented
READ: MATTHEW 7:24-27; EPHESIANS 4:11-32; COLOSSIANS 2:6-10
The space weather alarm buzzed on my cruiser, Nova. I was halfway back to Earth after gathering medical supplies on Triton. Sensors indicated a dense solar wind heading my way—usually bringing a geomagnetic storm.
I routed extra power to shields, retracted stabilizers to prevent shearing,
My Centurion Guard
READ: PSALM 71:3; GALATIANS 6:1-10; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:8-11
Have you ever considered who you can count on when times get tough? For thirty years, I had an undetected brain tumor. While it wasn’t cancerous, it took over every part of my life and affected how I behaved and thought. Many people got scared of me and left me. However, my family and close fri
Rescuing Luigi
READ: ROMANS 8:1-4, 38-39; COLOSSIANS 1:13
We waited outside the pole barn on a brisk winter morning to meet our new foster dog. Cheryl, the head of the animal shelter, brought the little terrier out to us. Nearly furless, the dog cowered at the end of his leash.
“Poor thing,” Cheryl said. “He’s spent the last six years in a small pen outside with
Driving in the Slow Lane
READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; PHILIPPIANS 1:4-6, 9-11; 4:4-13
As I was driving down a rural highway, I glanced in my rearview mirror and spotted a car very close behind me. Even though I was driving the speed limit, I worried this driver thought I was going too slow. So I stepped on the gas, then suddenly spotted a deer crossing the road, and slammed on the
Making the Grade
READ: ROMANS 6:15-23; GALATIANS 6:7-8; COLOSSIANS 1:22
As the end of the semester loomed, I scrambled to improve my grade. But I’d waited too long to turn things around in this class, and I would simply receive the grade on my report card I had earned.
My seventh grade English teacher, Ms. Tyson, taught our class with a stern focus on correct gram
Helen Cadbury: The Power of God's Word
READ: ROMANS 1:16-17; 10:1-15
Helen Cadbury was born in 1877 in Birmingham, England. Her father was Richard Cadbury—one of the founders of the Cadbury chocolate company. One night when she was 12 years old, Helen received Jesus Christ as her Savior at a church meeting. The next day, Helen told her best friend about it at school. This girl remarked sh
When I'm Overwhelmed
READ: PSALM 61:1-5; ISAIAH 41:10
What should I do? What if this doesn’t turn out? What will I do next?
These questions are overwhelming. It’s easy to start overthinking everything and become stressed out about the decisions we have to make, both big and small. It’s easy to be worried about the future and how each decision is going to affect our li
The Writing on the Wall
READ: MATTHEW 7:13-14; JOHN 10:7-10
Spelunking. The official yet admittedly odd term for cave-exploring. Fun to say, but not so fun when your spelunking gets you hopelessly lost in a complex cave system where the darkness is absolute and you doubt you’ll ever see the light of day again.
Which is exactly the point I’m at right now—hopeless and lost
True Friendship
READ: 1 SAMUEL 18:1-5; 20:1-42; MATTHEW 11:19; ROMANS 5:9-11
“My father tried to kill me yesterday,” the one in royal attire said. “You were right—he wants to kill you too. You must go.”
The other, armed with a sword, only nodded. They had sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, and this terrible turn of events could not change t
Wounded
READ: GENESIS 3:1-10; PSALM 34:5; LUKE 15
One day on a walk through my neighborhood, I spotted an injured duck. As I neared the lake behind a row of houses, other ducks flew away at my approach. Unable to fly, the wounded one hobbled around a tree trunk to hide. It seemed desperate to escape on only one functioning leg. I called Animal Control servic
The Eternal God
READ: GENESIS 21:22-34; ISAIAH 40:28
In the book of Genesis, the author uses several different names for God. One of those names is the “Eternal God.” And the context in which this name is first used may appear strange. Abraham calls upon the Eternal God...after he plants a tree!
There are a few essential things to notice about this passage. First
I Know Him!
READ: JOHN 4:1-30, 39-42; 17:3
Did you know the first time Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah was to a woman? Jewish Rabbis weren’t even supposed to speak to women, and especially not to Samaritans like the woman at the well (John 4). On top of that, Jesus knew all about her disreputable lifestyle, but He offered her everlasting life. Jesus knows
God's Gifts
READ: PSALM 136:1-9, 23-26; MATTHEW 6:28-33
Thanks be to God for His innumerable, indescribable gifts. God is wondrous! He continually provides more than enough; He sustains us. He is good.
He gives us many gifts: The tools to sustain our material needs. The support of people around us. The blessing of each new day. And, greatest of all, the gift
Trustworthy
READ: EXODUS 14:14; JUDGES 5:21-22; PSALM 20:7
O soul, march on in strength Fear not the pounding steeds Behold the King of Glory The fulfills your needs.
O soul march on in strength Though in horses some do trust Though chariots are mighty, The Lord will fight for us.
I love horses, and I wrote these stanzas based on Judges 5:21-22 and Psalm 20:7. They
Countering Chaos and Depletion
READ: 1 KINGS 19; MATTHEW 11:28-30
Elijah is arguably one of the fiercest, most epic prophets of the Old Testament. God worked through him in so many ways. Called fire out of the sky? Yep. Raised the dead? Yep. Repeatedly matched wits with the evilest king in the historical nation of Israel? You know it.
But after a particularly public—and victori
Truth and Tolerance
READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-10; 1 PETER 3:15
How do we speak the truth of the gospel when the world doesn’t always value truth? When I consider the changes my country has made in the name of tolerance toward various beliefs and ideas, fear casts a shadow over my heart. Can you be both truthful and tolerant at the same time? How do you show love, yet also
God Is Good (All the Time)
READ: NAHUM 1:7; ROMANS 8:28-39; JAMES 1:17
“God is good. All the time.” Have you ever heard Christians say this phrase to each other? Sometimes one person will say, “God is good.” And the other will respond, “All the time.” But what do these words really mean?
God’s goodness means He is both generous and merciful. The problem is, we don’t always
In-Between Times
READ: PSALMS 13:1-6; 46:1-11
Have you ever felt stuck between two phases of life? I know I have. The “in-between times,” as I like to call them, can be really difficult to navigate.
Maybe you’re moving from middle to high school. Maybe your parents are splitting up, and you have to live in two households. Maybe you’re moving between schools, churc
The Game Maker
READ: ROMANS 3:19-28; 5:6-11
With pounding heart, Riley leapt off the platform for the umpteenth time. Dodging fireballs, she jumped from foothold to foothold, as heat rose from the lava below.
She was almost there! Ahead was that final jump—that final expanse of lava. She could see the cool, grassy paradise at the end of the course.
Her compan
Worry Wars
READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-12; 1 PETER 5:7
Maybe you’re like me. If you grew up in church, it might be second nature to pray about everything. After all, you want to share whatever is going on in your life with your best friend Jesus. So you ask God to help you face the challenges at school. Will you be able to pass the algebra test? What
At a Loss for Words
READ: ROMANS 8:26-27, 31-34
Every time I called the dog’s name, my family laughed. Now that I’m older, I understand why.
I grew up near my uncle Andy, who had a dog named Shep. I adored Uncle Andy and liked his dog too. But—as a child—I couldn’t pronounce “Shep.” Try as I might, the dog’s name sounded like “Botch” every time I spoke it. I understo
Dear Unforgiveness
READ: MATTHEW 18:21-22; EPHESIANS 4:32; COLOSSIANS 3:13
Dear Unforgiveness,
I nurtured you after someone hurt me. You grew in the soil of my misery, and I watered you each day with anger and frustration.
Like ice, you crept into my heart, teaching me to shut people out, afraid of future disappointments. You are a storm twisting within, causing
As Far as the East Is from the West
READ: MICAH 7:19; 1 JOHN 1:9–2:1
Do you still feel guilty about it? That thing you did. Maybe it happened yesterday, maybe it happened eight years ago. No matter what it was, you may be holding on to unnecessary guilt.
Guilt does have a purpose. It leads us to repentance and encourages us not to do evil again…but that purpose can be twisted by Sat
A Tricky Performance
READ: ISAIAH 64:6; EZEKIEL 36:25-27; MATTHEW 23:23-28; 1 PETER 1:18-23
“You wear the pink wig; I’ll wear the silver one!” My friend Bridget and I laughed as we dressed in costumes. Playing around with Bridget’s keyboard that day, we decided to put on a show for my grandma, who had stopped by for a visit.
My grandma didn’t know about the tunes the
Both/And
READ: PSALM 103:1-8; EPHESIANS 1:3-6; COLOSSIANS 3:1-2
Ever wonder why we have to go through so much hard stuff in this life? If you do, you’re in good company! All of us prefer the sweet and easy moments, free from the burdens of grief and pain. God created us for wholeness, but humanity’s sin brought brokenness. Yet God made the way for wholeness a
Dead
READ: EPHESIANS 2:1-10
My skin is cold. Though I can’t know for sure how cold—since corpses can’t feel anything. They can’t do anything at all, really.
If I had the ability to touch, I’d feel the icy, rough dirt that holds my stiff body in place. I’d feel the maggots wriggling their muculent bodies around the tips of my fingers, inside my ears, ar
Dining with Strangers
READ: LUKE 22:19; 24:13-36
The mall food courts in Guatemala City are very different than those I visited in the US. When I came back from four years away from my country, one of the first outings we had was to the mall. Mall runs and window-shopping are common practices among most city folk in Guatemala. We especially like doing this on Sunday after
A Doubter and a Lover
READ: JOHN 20:24-31; 1 PETER 1:8
I’m just gonna say it—I think Thomas the disciple, commonly known as “Doubting Thomas,” gets a bad rap. When the other disciples witnessed the risen Christ, Thomas was absent. Thomas said he wanted visible, tangible proof of Jesus’s resurrection, saying, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands…and put my ha
Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?
READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-20
In 1 Corinthians 15:17, Paul writes that if Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is worthless because we are still in our sins. Jesus’s victory over the grave is what secures forgiveness for our sins and guarantees that we will have eternal life with Him. So how can we be certain that Jesus rose f
Easter Pie
READ: ISAIAH 53:1-5; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:8-18; 1 PETER 5:6-11
The pastor spoke through the laptop sitting on a TV tray in my living room. It wasn’t the typical way I spent Easter Sunday. I took a few steps and opened the blinds, mimicking how the shades opened during service at my home church. My mom laughed, and I returned to the couch to listen to the
Does Jesus Know My Pain?
READ: ISAIAH 52:13–53:12; JOHN 16:33; HEBREWS 4:14-16
Long before Jesus was born, many prophets foretold His coming. Isaiah was one of these prophets. And his words (found in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament) use powerful imagery to convey God’s glorious redemption story. Isaiah had a lot of incredible things to say about Jesus, even before He
Salvation Walk
READ: ISAIAH 53:1-12; MARK 15:16-41; LUKE 23:34, 39-43
Anguished, Blood splatters On the sacred ground. Jesus weeps for us.
Soldiers taunt Spitting, striking Upon His holy face Our Savior scars for us.
Falling, rejected, Brutal nails pierce Into the Son of God Jesus dies for us.
Many did not understand Who you were and are: The Lamb, the Messiah, Restor
Maundy Thursday: Love and Service
READ: JOHN 13:1-38
Maundy Thursday is one of my favorite times in the church calendar. The evening service I attend is one I have always found deeply moving. Listening to Scripture during the commemoration, it’s as if the words transport me back in time to the upper room sitting with Jesus and His friends. Key moments from the Bible unfold, like when
Rooster Crow
READ: MARK 14:27-31, 66-72
A rooster crowed at the moment of the apostle Peter’s biggest failure.
Let’s back up a few hours before that awful choice. On the night of Jesus’s betrayal, He warned His disciples that they would scatter when He was taken from them.
That’s when Peter spoke up: no matter what the others would do, he would not deny Jes
Anyone's Son
READ: ISAIAH 53:3-12; MATTHEW 27:15-26; ROMANS 5:6-11; 8:15
I love names. I’m a fiction writer, and every time I start a new book, I have to choose character names. Sometimes one just lands on the character from the very beginning and sticks, but other times I have to do in-depth research about name meanings to pinpoint the name that’s just right.
Surprise!
READ: EZEKIEL 36:26-27; ROMANS 7:14–8:2; PHILIPPIANS 1:6
I’d been looking forward to the slumber party at our Sunday school teacher’s house for weeks. It was a rite of passage for girls at our church entering middle school. Little did I know the party included a surprise.
After living in a rundown house with a leaky roof in almost every room, our
Two Hills, Two Kings
READ: MATTHEW 2:1-18; 27:27-54
Two hills stood in ancient Israel. One was the highest peak in the Judean desert where King Herod the Great built his Herodium Palace, a lavish monument to his own fame and military triumphs. The other hill was Golgotha, the “Place of the Skull,” where Jesus—mockingly called the “king of the Jews” was crucified (Matthew
Why Did Jesus Weep?
READ: JOHN 11:1-44
When I was little, I would talk with God, praying, “God, if you’re really up there, please show me a sign!”
I think my prayer is one that, at one point or another, we all pray. We want to know if God is there. But we also want to know, “Is He here? Does He care about my thoughts and situations?”
In John 11, Jesus’s close frie
The Serpent
READ: GENESIS 3:1-15
The sign of the serpent had been engraved on the doors for as long as anyone could remember. Every time she went past, she was reminded of their enslavement. It was carved into the wood deeper than the ocean itself, a writhing ribbon of sickening green. One could almost imagine it was moving, undulating toward them with a rasping
The Label That Matters
READ: ROMANS 8:14-17; GALATIANS 3:26-28
Liar. Drunk. Adulterer. Coward.
Scroll through the news on any given day, and chances are you’ll find individuals who have been assigned disparaging labels. These labels are not new. In the Bible, we find that Jacob was a liar, Noah was a drunk, David was an adulterer, and Jonah was a coward. And yet, God wo
Being a Light
READ: GENESIS 1:27; PSALM 139:13; MATTHEW 5:14-16
Bullying. It’s painful to experience. But here’s the thing: I don’t know bullying’s pain because I’ve been bullied. I know its pain because I have been the bully.
I’ve made fun of people. I’ve gossiped about people I didn’t like. I’ve secretly judged the so-called “losers.” But I’d been trying to l
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