This was — and is — a lullaby for me, a song stemming from the love of my God and heavenly parent restoring and renewing my peace when I most need it.

This week’s Scriptures call us to identify the ways God renews our being. It invites us to participate in the changing of our minds: go beyond observation, acknowledge our weakness and open ourselves to the hope of restoration.

John stood at the door of a new age of grace, welcoming all. I’m wondering, do I do the same?

By Emily Trapp, a senior music and communication double major from Canby, Ore. DEVOTIONAL: Paul wrote the book of Philippians during his second journey to Philippi, where he found an invaluable environment of love and support in comparison to the other places he is known to travel to within Scripture. Unlike many of Paul’s letters, … Keep reading »

As I walk around the garden, there are not clear indicators to tell me that there will be a new season. Instead the hope is within me. It is the remembrance of the consistent cycling of the four seasons. Spring will come!

By Brook Hostetter, a senior music major from Harrisonburg, Va. DEVOTIONAL: Back in the day, the job of the metal refiner was an incredibly meticulous and important task. A refiner was to make a metal the best that it could be. In order to do this, the refiner would take their precious metal and hold … Keep reading »

Refinement is not comfortable for the metal, nor is it easy for the metal worker, but it is necessary. In the end, the hero and the metal undergo a similar process. They are each refined through hard work, commitment and patience.

With so much turmoil in our world, sometimes we may question – God where are you or why is this happening? Hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires and many other natural disasters, in addition to wars and acts of violence, can at times cause us to run weary and feel overwhelmed in our walk with God.

As we come away from the Thanksgiving holiday and transition into the Advent season, this verse in today’s Scripture reminds us to thank God for what joy we are feeling and relish the love that is in our lives.

The psalm for today tells us to wait. Now I don’t know if it’s because I am young and graduating soon from college, or simply human, but I am ready for the next things in my life to happen. I am ready to have an answer to the ever-recurring question, “What are you doing next year?” I am ready to know where I will live or what I will do or who I will meet in my ever-looming future.