Like too many young people these days, I grew up neglected in a dysfunctional and abusive home. I hated my father as I watched him abusing others and received his abuse myself. I hated him so much that before I reached my teen years, I wished him dead and vowed to make that happen. Needless […]
The Bible describes those who obey and delight in God’s commandments as trees—beautiful, strong, and productive. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Ps. 1:3. I found two modern-day […]
A small gecko silently clung to the ceiling, patiently awaiting its dinner of an unwary insect that might fly too near the dim fluorescent light in the center lounge of an empty home-based hair salon. Just below the hungry gecko sat a hungry salon owner—a middle-aged woman named Pawn. She was trying to enjoy her […]
July 6, 2020: dark-30 in the morning. Some notification kept pinging. Clearly, it was not going to stop. I got up and found my phone. It appeared to be Alex, my daughter-in-law, using Facebook Messenger: “Please send me your phone number.” Alex had my phone number. This must be a scam. But it kept repeating. […]
The spirits had given me amazing success, and I was living the “good” life in Hollywood. I thought I had reached the pinnacle of spirituality until it all came crashing down and I hit rock bottom. It was then that I made the most surprising discovery of my life.
Beginnings
I was born in Iraq, […]
It began as a normal day for David* and his wife Mary.* Together, they collected 1,000 sermon DVDs and fliers to share in the closed country where they live. Mary entered the markets, where most vendors are women, and David went to the bus stations, where most drivers are men. This witnessing strategy had worked […]
Susanna is a Bible worker in South India. She takes care of churches in two strongly Hindu villages. The leaders in one village hate her because every time she makes a new friend, someone new gives their life to Jesus. The leaders told all the other villagers not to trust her: “She doesn’t care about […]
I wish I could tell you I have a perfect life. But I don’t. I’m coming to realize as the years roll by that nobody does. I’m a perfectionist by nature, so it’s really hard for me to admit and accept that reality. I keep pushing for the perfect life—but sometimes life isn’t perfect. And […]
Isn’t it the heart that counts with God? “We knew that the biblical tithe is 10 percent, but we thought God would be fine with a few dollars here and there, as we thought suitable.” This is how Violet and Jarrod, like many other Christians, viewed returning tithe to God. After all, God knows how tight our […]
The Bible describes those who obey and delight in God’s commandments as trees—beautiful, strong, and productive. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Ps. 1:3. I found two modern-day trees […]