November 27, 2023 Melissa Valerio What do you do when you have a big decision to make? Most of us will likely find someone to ask for advice. Because heaven knows we don’t want to make the wrong decision. But the question is…who should we ask? Well, ultimately, it’s God whom we should ask […]
November 20, 2023 Melissa Valerio Every year on November 20, we celebrate World Children’s Day. A day “meant to celebrate worldwide fraternity and understanding between children as well as to promote the ideals and objectives of the UN Charter and the welfare of the children of the world.” How fitting, at least for those living […]
November 13, 2023 Melissa Valerio Philippians 4:8 “From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise.” (CEB) […]
November 6, 2023 Melissa Valerio “I’m hungry!” I hear this no less than 7 times throughout any given day. These kids are growing, which means hungry bellies ’round the clock. Wouldn’t it be simpler if I only needed to feed my kids once, and they’d be good for life? One meal to set them […]
October 30, 2023 Melissa Valerio When I first became a Christian in high school, I had no idea how to pray. No one was around to teach me, so I sort of winged it. I found the “Lord’s Prayer” and recited that prayer every night for the next year. I knew this prayer felt […]
October 23, 2023 Melissa Valerio I used to think that God would never give me more hardship than I can handle. I think it’s because I took 1 Corinthians 10:13 and twisted it. This is what it says: “No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will […]
October 16, 2023 Melissa Valerio On October 16, 1950, the classic novel “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis was published. The story of four siblings named Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy who find their way into the fantasy land of Narnia through a wardrobe in an old […]
October 9, 2023 Melissa Valerio According to Merriam-Webster, “jealous” has three definitions: hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage: ENVIOUS intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness vigilant in guarding a possession When I think about jealousy, I can totally see how the first two definitions have come into play […]
October 2, 2023 Melissa Valerio We all have prejudices. As much as we’d like to deny it, they are there. Maybe they’re small, but they are there. It takes a lifetime of walking with Jesus to rid ourselves completely of them. Sometimes it takes a gentle reminder from God to get our hearts right. Like […]
September 25, 2023 Melissa Valerio The story is told of a zoo that was noted for its great collection of different animals. One day the gorilla died, and to keep up the appearance of a full range of animals, the zookeeper hired a man to wear a gorilla suit and fill in for the […]