Author Ava Pennington
Author Ava Pennington

Is God Egotistical?

Is God egotistical? This question sounds sacrilegious, doesn’t it? Yet, I’ve heard some who don’t believe in God use that as an excuse for not believing. Who would worship an egotistical God who demands praise? Why would anyone worship such a God? They even quote...

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Love is Painful, But Worth It

I recently attended a Celebration of Life service for a friend’s adult daughter. It was a beautiful service, with a touching time of fellowship afterward. Even as we celebrated her life, the pain was palpable—agony beyond the pain of the loss of a child, as great as...

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Not Just a Fish Tale

Ever been told a fish tale? You know, a story about “the one that got away.” With every telling of the story, the fish gets bigger and bigger. When it comes to the Bible, the book of Jonah is maligned as a “fish tale” by those who don’t believe the Bible. The biggest...

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Blind Faith?

I hate the phrase “blind faith.” All too often, those who don’t share my faith in Christ are quick to dismiss it as blind. Blind, as in, I believe without any supporting evidence. Blind, as in, I’m ignorant to believe what they refer to as fairy tales. However, what...

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The Plague of Perfectionism

A few years ago, a popular television program called Monk featured a lead character consumed with perfectionism. He couldn’t prevent the murder of his wife, so he spent the rest of his life trying to control everything else. For a while, my nickname became “Mrs....

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The Illusion of Control

This was supposed to be such a productive week. My to-do list for spring break was filled with all the little projects I haven’t gotten to since Christmas break. That was the plan. Reality was a bit different. I haven’t been this sick in more than thirty years. Not a...

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A Sense of Entitlement

I deserve this. I earned it. It’s my right. A sense of entitlement. We see it in political debates about whether certain government benefits are a “gift” or have been earned. We see it in marriages and other relationships as individual people focus more on their...

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Are You Mad at God?

God, how could you let that drunk driver kill my son? What about the baby born without arms and legs – where’s the good in that? There’s just too much suffering in the world – if God exists, why does He allow it? It’s all God’s fault—if there even is a God…or so an...

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He is Mine

When you read a Bible verse, how do you decide which words to focus on? For example, which would you say are the important words in the following verses: “Blessed be the LORD, my rock… My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer; My shield and He...

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The People of Christmas: The Worshippers

We see them in most nativity scenes: three men off to the side, dressed in opulent robes. They seem out of place in the tableau, rich men bearing luxurious gifts, coming to worship a baby belonging to poor parents. We don’t know much about them. We do know they had...

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