Editor’s note: Merry Christmas from all of us at FaithGateway! We pray today is filled with joy and celebration. Even when everything around us goes wrong as it seemed to that first Christmas, we can trust the our Heavenly Father has it all under control. And, His purposes are higher and more glorious that we could…
Worship the King
Christmas cards depicting the night Christ was born typically include Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, shepherds, a smattering of farm animals, and the Magi, who we refer to as the “three wise men.” Those travelers from the east, however, didn’t actually come until later — probably not until Jesus was a toddler. (Matthew 2:11 tells…
In the Middle of the Mess: Brokenness Is the Beginning
Grace and Radical Acceptance You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. — John 8:32 ESV Session Overview It’s there to greet you first thing in the morning, through an unkind word from your spouse or child. It’s there again as you merge onto the highway, via the other guy’s blaring…
Peace in the Eye of the Storm
I woke up and reached over to the bedside table for my phone to see what time it was. It was just three o’clock in the morning. I groaned. I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could. I didn’t want to wake my husband or our three little dogs stretched out at the…
The One Jesus Loves
When I was a child and someone asked me what my name was I would say, “Sheila Davina Walsh.” My mum would tell me time after time that all I really needed to say was, my name is Sheila but that made no sense to my five-year old brain. There are lots of Sheila’s living…
The Peace of Reconciliation
Morris Brown African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was packed. The lower level of the sanctuary had standing room only. The balcony was at capacity too. Those who didn’t get a spot inside gathered on the church lawn where volunteers passed out ice water to provide relief from the stifling summer heat. The mixed race crowd…
When Brokenness Becomes a Bridge
Bottom of the Barrel The phone rang one morning as I was rushing out the door to get to class. I almost let the machine take it, but as all my family live in Scotland and England, I never want to miss a chance to hear their voices. It was Marlene. “Sheila, I need you…
The Unbelievable and the Unthinkable
We don’t know how Mary, Martha, and Lazarus became so close to Jesus. In fact, we don’t know much about the siblings at all, not their ages, or if they ever married and lost a spouse so that they needed to live together as adults. But Scripture does tell us that Jesus stayed with them…
Healing for the Deepest Wounds
She just needed a little money to finish college. The price was steep, but she reasoned to herself that she wouldn’t pay it for long. She was only ten units away from earning her degree. But the price is always steeper than expected when the Enemy is offering the solution to our problems. Before she knew…
A Lesson in Perseverance… from a Yorkie
It had been a long weekend of delayed flights and short nights. I had finally gotten home, but Monday morning I could barely crawl out of bed. I think I was sleepwalking when I made myself a cup of coffee and headed out to the back patio with my three little dogs. And our ritual…