Author Ava Pennington
Author Ava Pennington

Christians, Please Stop Saying That

Last week another hurricane hit Florida. But it wasn’t just another hurricane. Irma is the most powerful storm to ever come out of the Atlantic. So large, it covered the whole state, coast to coast. The. Whole. State. We endured Category 1 winds on the east coast....

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Suicide Highs Result From New Lows

Anguish. Darkness. Despair. Desperation. Hopelessness. Suicide. Suicide has been called a permanent solution to temporary problems. And it’s a permanent solution that’s increasing in almost every age group in our nation. According to data recently released by the...

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Thursday – A Day of Betrayal

When we think of Easter, our first thought is usually of the Resurrection. A Sunday morning that changed history. Sin conquered. Death conquered. The devil conquered. We have an empty tomb as proof of the once-for-all victory. Or maybe we think of Good Friday. The day...

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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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Convictions or Circumstances?

My heart weeps for her, even though we’ve never met. Twenty-nine, a newlywed, and terminally ill with brain cancer. Who wouldn’t be moved by Brittany Maynard’s story?  Last April, Maynard was given no more than six months to live due to stage four glioblastoma, a...

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Hope…or Despair?

In 1997, Entertainment Weekly called him the funniest man alive. But this week, the funniest man alive was so wrought with despair that he committed suicide. Sixty-three years young, Robin Williams ended his battle with severe depression with finality. He could see...

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The Good Old Days

We’re good friends with someone from my husband’s days in the Army, more years ago than we’d like to remember. This friend is great about keeping all the guys connected, passing along good news (and sad), and organizing reunions. The guys often talk about the good old...

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This is Not Our Home

Three of my friends lost their mother this past weekend. Three times in two days, I received a message saying John or Pat or Sonia’s mother died. These three losses remind me that death cuts through all the things we think are important, and bares what is truly...

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Don’t Worry, Be Happy?

Who doesn’t want to be happy? The right to pursue happiness is even written in the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Then there’s the popular post floating around the internet. Perhaps you’ve read it… “Someone once said, "There comes a time in your life,...

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Is God Ever Not Good?

A friend recently had successful cancer surgery. When she joyfully announced the results, the responses were positive and predictable: God is good! God truly answers prayer! God really loves you! God is an awesome God! We rejoiced in her prognosis because we...

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