JourneyWise
Articles
Engaging insights and educational musings to guide and inspire you on your journey from the scholars and thinkers at the JourneyWise network.
ARTICLES BY TOPIC
Advent
Christmas
Lent
Easter
Health & Wellness
Bible Reading
Faith
Joy
Love Jesus
Grief
Press Releases
Advent
Pentecost: God Comes Unexpectedly
The New Testament Book of Acts tells the story of the birth of the Church. Here is an exciting part of the story. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the...
Waiting on the Holy Spirit
Waiting is not an easy task for me. I’ve been known to drive miles out of the way to avoid being delayed by a train. I’ve been caught sneaking food from the dish before it was placed on the table. I’ve evaluated the check-out lanes at Wal-Mart in order to choose the...
Pentecost: What Does This Mean?
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a...
Christmas
JourneyWise Advent Resources 2024
The other day, I was at Costco, headed to the paper towels, when I overheard a conversation that caught my attention. I casually pulled my buggy up to the children's book area to see what the commotion was about. "A Bluey advent calendar!!! We have to have this!!" A...
Epiphany of Epiphany
I was asked to write this article on Epiphany by Chip, and in all honestly my first question was, “Chip… what is Epiphany?” You see, most of the great folks I work with have a Methodist or Anglican background. I, on the other hand, have a Baptist background, and we Baptists don’t celebrate Epiphany. When I asked Nicolet, “What is Epiphany?” she laughed and said, “Chip probably doesn’t remember you’re a Baptist.”
Unpacking The Nativity for Every Day
Charles Dickens was on to something when, in his novel A Christmas Carol, he described humanity’s journey through the lenses of past, present, and future. The hero (begun as the villain) of the story was Ebenezer Scrooge — a prominent, self-centered, greedy old man. Scrooge despised good cheer and celebrations like Christmas because he had long forgotten the winding roads of his own journey. In doing so, he left behind the avenues of fond memories, lost loves, and compassion for his fellow human beings. You know how the story goes, as Scrooge’s descent into a broken life engaged the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come. Through some not-so-pleasant windows into Scrooge’s life, the spirits convinced him that he needed to change, and motivated his transformation.
Lent
Pentecost: God Comes Unexpectedly
The New Testament Book of Acts tells the story of the birth of the Church. Here is an exciting part of the story. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the...
Waiting on the Holy Spirit
Waiting is not an easy task for me. I’ve been known to drive miles out of the way to avoid being delayed by a train. I’ve been caught sneaking food from the dish before it was placed on the table. I’ve evaluated the check-out lanes at Wal-Mart in order to choose the...
Pentecost: What Does This Mean?
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a...
Easter
The Meaning and Importance of the Season of Lent
The journey through Lent prepares Christians to fully experience the joy of Easter, celebrating the triumph of Jesus over sin and death.
Don’t Leave Your Joy Outside the Door
The season of Lent is not always a season of joy, and we can often dissect joy from this time of reflection. Our problem is that our joy is most often tied to our circumstances. Despite the suffering He endured, Jesus’ joy remained constant.
Ordinary Time, Explained
During those times of year when we shift away from the high celebrations of the church, think about how the early followers of Jesus felt as they no longer had the physical presence of their Lord.
Health and Wellness
Biblical Principles for Dealing With a Difficult Diagnosis
Few experiences test our faith and resolve like receiving a difficult diagnosis. As believers, we have hope and encouragement rooted in Scripture.
The Need for Sleep
We all need it, and yet we all struggle to get it. It makes us do better in every area of our lives, and yet we treat it as if it is optional. It helps us achieve our goals, yet if we don’t get it, we cannot become all we were meant to be. So what is it? Sleep.
Use Visualization to Interact with Scripture
Visualization is a technique that can be helpful in your Christian walk and can be used for Scripture memorization, stress reduction, a more meaningful prayer time, and a more intentional interaction with Scripture.
Bible Reading
Discipleship
Jesus did not stutter or make a suggestion. He stated a divine demand: “Make Disciples.” What many believers set aside as optional, Jesus stated as an essential command to be obeyed. When Jesus returns, His first words to His church just might be, “Why aren’t you doing what I demanded?”
Cultural Differentiation
In Daniel 3, every but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bow down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. These three men refused to bow down, even though it came on penalty of death (though we know that the Lord delivered them from Nebuchadnezzar’s hand).
He Meets Us Where We Are
When we receive something from someone without seeing our need for it, we tend to be less grateful toward them. We don’t take the gift seriously, and it doesn’t affect our lives as much. A similar result can happen in our relationship with Jesus. He meets us where we are, but if we aren’t in a place where we recognize our need for Him, we can easily brush Him off.
Faith
Pentecost: God Comes Unexpectedly
The New Testament Book of Acts tells the story of the birth of the Church. Here is an exciting part of the story. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the...
Waiting on the Holy Spirit
Waiting is not an easy task for me. I’ve been known to drive miles out of the way to avoid being delayed by a train. I’ve been caught sneaking food from the dish before it was placed on the table. I’ve evaluated the check-out lanes at Wal-Mart in order to choose the...
Pentecost: What Does This Mean?
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a...
Joy
Pentecost: God Comes Unexpectedly
The New Testament Book of Acts tells the story of the birth of the Church. Here is an exciting part of the story. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the...
Waiting on the Holy Spirit
Waiting is not an easy task for me. I’ve been known to drive miles out of the way to avoid being delayed by a train. I’ve been caught sneaking food from the dish before it was placed on the table. I’ve evaluated the check-out lanes at Wal-Mart in order to choose the...
Pentecost: What Does This Mean?
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a...
Love Jesus
A Gospel for the Wanderer
It seems for quite a lot of people, there is a very real need to assert that they may be wandering, but they’re definitely not lost, and no one needs to save them. Bumper stickers proclaim this “not lost-ness” and Pinterest boards are filled with memes about the virtues of wandering.
What Are You Planting?
A few years ago, my husband and I traveled to Montana in April. We were so excited for our trip to fly fish, horseback ride, and hiking—all the great things you do at a ranch. We kept watching the weather thinking it was going to be great weather. The forecast was showing around 70 degrees during the day and in the 50’s at night. We were imagining sitting out by the fire at night, enjoying fishing in the creek with fresh green grass all around us.
Discipleship
Jesus did not stutter or make a suggestion. He stated a divine demand: “Make Disciples.” What many believers set aside as optional, Jesus stated as an essential command to be obeyed. When Jesus returns, His first words to His church just might be, “Why aren’t you doing what I demanded?”
Grief
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Jesus encourages us to love with real openness and honesty, but such love also brings great vulnerability. By loving and living in a way that we mourn deeply, we open ourselves up to incredible heartache, trouble, and hurt. But! We also draw closer to Jesus, and, with Him, there is potential for great joy because Jesus has overcome the world. (See John 16:33.) In other words, the risk of grief or mourning can be overwhelming. It is not easy to love people to a point where we mourn over hardship and loss. But, through it, God promises life-changing joy if we are willing to take the chance.
Our Comfort in Mourning
As Advent is a season to prepare for the coming of Jesus, Lent is a time to face the reality of death in the world as we look forward to the resurrection power brought to us on Easter. As we sit with the brokenness, death, and suffering we see around us, we can learn from Jesus who took our mourning seriously.
Broken-Hearted: A Lenten Journey
I was lying there looking at a bank of monitors on the wall. They all had images of my heart on them. No, not the little red hearts like valentines, but my beating heart. It was like an out-of-body experience. The medicine I had been given made me feel like I was in a dream.
Press Releases
JourneyWise Network Announces Partnership with Museum of the Bible and its ‘New Testament Experience’
MEMPHIS, TN — The Moore-West Center of Applied Theology and the JourneyWise Network has partnered with Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. as they are set to open the “New Testament Experience”. The “New Testament Experience” is a three-part immersive experience...
He Meets Us Where We Are
When we receive something from someone without seeing our need for it, we tend to be less grateful toward them. We don’t take the gift seriously, and it doesn’t affect our lives as much. A similar result can happen in our relationship with Jesus. He meets us where we are, but if we aren’t in a place where we recognize our need for Him, we can easily brush Him off.
JourneyWise Launches New Book
JourneyWise, a multimedia network dedicated to helping people “Love Jesus and Love Like Jesus,” will launch its first two books this fall with publishing partner Whitaker House.