November 4 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” -Matt. 5:44-45a On Wednesday evening, I sat with my sisters in Christ and we began to pray over the persecuted church. Each of us held … Continue reading 3 Ways to Pray for the Persecuted

Skeptic of Christianity, people ask a notorious question: How can a loving God allow evil? Truthfully, scores of Christians ask the same thing. The blatant evil plaguing the world counters our limited perception of a daddy-like God. We want to understand how an Almighty Father whose “steadfast love endures forever” could strike his mighty hand … Continue reading God Creates Calamity?

October 28 This is a special week. The end of October marks one year since Bethany J’s Journal was launched! Can you believe it? For me, the time has sped. Yet so many beautiful things have happened over the past year too. It would take more words than I can conjure to thank God for … Continue reading One Year of Blogging! + A Fresh Design

October 21 I’ve been watching the sky lately. Not because I know of any impending comets or eclipses or irregular moons. I’ve been sky-watching because there’s something inherently awe-inspiring about witnessing a sunrise or a sunset. And when the radiance of hues across the skyline strikes awe within me, I’m immediately raptured by the God … Continue reading Watching the Sky

The New Testament story of Jesus, the demoniac, and the herd of hogs is both miraculous and absurd. In Mark 5, this event is carefully detailed from the disciple writer's viewpoint. Taking a few creative liberties, I recently wrote this story from a different perspective: that of the hog farmer. /// I brushed a grimy … Continue reading The Hog Farmer (A Short Story from Mark 5)

October 14 In Amos 2:7, God confronts his people with a list of wrongdoings that were blasphemous to his name. He starts with mistreatment of the poor and progresses to adultery. The verse ends with this result: …so that my holy name is profaned. (Amos 2:7b) As I read the Lord’s words, I struggled with … Continue reading Does God Rate Our Sins?

October 7 I’m an ardent quote-lover and quote-collector. Today, I've gathered a few of my favorite quotes to share with you, from theologians' words to simple truths. "There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still." -Corrie ten Boom "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who … Continue reading A Collection of Quotes

Friends, I’m so excited to share this article with you today, written by my dear friend, Gia. It’s an incredibly insightful take on how our infatuation with “personality types” often overshadows our true purpose to be like Christ. I hope it impacts you as much as it did me. / / / “INFP personalities are … Continue reading The Personality Paradox (A Guest Post)

September 30 Several weeks ago, I started studying the attributes of God as our ladies Sunday School class travels through Jen Wilkin’s book, None Like Him. As I read through the chapter focusing on God’s eternity this past week, I came across these three points Jen gives for redeeming the time. I’ll share them with … Continue reading 3 Ways to Redeem the Time

September 23 What makes you happy? Do you ever stop to think about it? How about sunshine? Or homemade pie? Or steaming coffee? Or emails from friends? Or clean socks? Or singing? Or painting? Or toddlers and giggles and messy faces? The list of things that make us smile is an important one to keep … Continue reading Things That Make Me Happy (A New Blog!)