Do you remember hearing about the prayer of Jabez? When Bruce Wilkinson’s book, The Prayer of Jabez, was published almost 20 years ago, it took the Christian community by storm. Quickly propelled to the bestseller lists, it encouraged Christians to daily pray the...


Is Forgiving Yourself Biblical?
“I know God forgave me. I just can’t forgive myself.” Perhaps you’ve said those words. Maybe you heard someone else say them. But is forgiving yourself a biblical concept? Christians know faith in Christ as Savior and Lord provides freedom from the eternal penalty of...
Does God Ever Forget?
Anyone other than me find themselves becoming a little more forgetful as they get older? It happens, doesn’t it? The same weakness we saw in our parents and grandparents (and chuckled at!) is now showing up in us. And if you haven’t experienced this yet, no worries…it...
My Favorite Bible Verse…or Not
The world around us is becoming increasingly challenging. Challenging to live out our Christian faith in a morally relativistic culture.Challenging to share the joy of our faith in a world that is not only uninterested, but hostile to a biblical world view.And...
But God
One of my favorite phrases in the Bible is “but God.” The phrase is peppered throughout Scripture. And it makes my heart smile every time I come across one of those verses. They bring a vertical perspective to my horizontal circumstances. They remind me that my...
Two Types of Hope – Which One Is Yours?
If there’s one thing in short supply these days, it’s hope. Politicians promise, but fail to deliver on their promises. Family members make commitments, but disappoint us. Terrorists strike with seeming impunity. Jobs are scarce, money is tight, and the more we wish...
Refrigerator Magnet Theology
How many magnets grace the front of your refrigerator? One? Five? Twelve? Refrigerator magnets can be silly, serious, or snarky. They can be cute, corny, or classy. Refrigerator magnets have also generated much theology that sounds good…but isn’t. Consider these...
Bible Study is Not Enough
The title of this post is probably not what you might expect from a Bible teacher. Bible study is important. No, it’s more than important, it’s critical. But studying the Bible for the purpose of quoting it or making memes or posters with Bible verses isn’t enough....
Coupons, Chocolate Milk, and Gullible People
The last time I logged onto Facebook, several connections joyfully shared a wonderful discovery: a $75.00 Safeway coupon toward a minimum purchase of $80. Who wouldn’t be excited to find a coupon like that? Fraud. Hoax. False. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a...
The Key to Real Success
’Tis the season of graduations…and graduation speeches. And almost every speech will encourage the graduates in their pursuit of success. A recent search for the word “success” in the Amazon books category yielded 269,946 results. At the click of a button, more than a...
Receive Ava’s weekly blog
posts & occasional
newsletters in your inbox!
You May Also Like
Intentional Bible Study – Part 2
Intentional Bible Study – Part 2 Intentional Bible study is not enough. That may not be what you expect to hear from...
Intentional Bible Study – Part 1
Intentional Bible Study – Part 1 There’s Bible study and then there’s intentional Bible study. But did you know...
Strong Women
Strong Women In honor of Mother’s Day, many church sermons will be shared this weekend extolling the wonders of...