I live in a society that has become complacent in its approach to the community of believers, which is one of the greatest blessings of our faith. Where I grew up, the Church is vital to Christianity, and it shows. Despite the uproar and many misses in the country, Christians are thriving, and the Church is joyful and growing; oh, the joy of the Church in Nigeria!

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon in Judges 6:12-22, he was taken aback by the title bestowed on him. a warrior. Although all that Gideon could see was his people’s troubles, God saw a deliverer in him.

Greetings, friends in faith! My name is Dr. Mya Fields. I'm a wife, mother, assistant dean, and professor. As a military brat, I've moved around a lot but call Texas home. Growing up in Texas, my grandparents, Mary & Jim, but to me, “MawMaw and PawPaw,” took us to church…

Looking in the mirror, I saw the woman staring back at me, but the longer I looked, the less sense I made. It prompted me to ask, “Who or what are you? Yes, I could see the beautiful black woman staring back, but those are just definitions given to me by a world that can’t answer the stirring in my soul.

As was their habit, after enjoying peace for eighty years because of a leader who feared God, the Israelites returned to their old ways, abandoning the laws God gave them through Moses. Judges 4:1 says, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, now that Ehud was dead.” This led them to be oppressed until they cried to God for help again.

It seems impossible to live right in our world today, where all things seem acceptable, yet nothing seems to make sense. Just when you think you’ve seen the worst of things, something happens that dwarfs the mountain of wickedness, injustice, and immorality you experienced the day before.

Like many Christians, after my salvation, I expected a wave of the wand to disperse all my troubles. My bags were packed for a long journey, vacationing with Jesus. I was sure I would start riding on a boat without waves under it or clouds above it. I mistook the satisfaction my soul felt at the instance I accepted Christ…

As a little girl, I wouldn’t say I liked going outside at night because there was an Iroko tree a few miles away from our house. Despite the distance, it governed the nearby forest, and you could see it from my house. The tree towered over the hills and spread its branches above other surrounding trees. It was high and wide and lived up to its name.

Having my home state witness the awe and wonder of the recent total eclipse is a privilege that will remain with my family and me forever. It’s one of those events you hear such big buzz about, and you think it can’t be worth it, and then you are blown away by the gravity of amazement you experience. It’s worth every T-shirt, banner, and gadget made to celebrate it.

As I flipped from one TV channel to another, the conversations threw jabs at my already weary heart. It felt like the world would lose its footing the next minute. I was so overwhelmed that I just muted it. They were conflict-driven, life-sapping, and hope-depriving. For a moment, I thought to myself…

What is your purpose? Who are you? What are you supposed to be doing? These are questions we have all asked ourselves. These questions had kept me up at night for the past two years. Who am I, and what am I supposed to be doing? What is my purpose?

If you were in Church that Sunday morning at Christian Heritage Church in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2010/11, you’d visibly see how terrified I was to be called out by a visiting Pastor whom Pastor Ron McCants had invited to preach. I can worship in the presence of a billion people; standing alone with the minister in the presence of a few hundred people is a different story.

It isn’t easy to think of perfection in the world we live in now. Each time we flip through our news feed, something is tugging at our heart’s core. There are wars around us, and injustice in our human systems is a daily struggle. The evil permeating people's hearts is unimaginable, forcing us to ask, “How does this end?”

The dictionary defines love as "An intense feeling of deep affection.” It’s one of the shortest words in it. The four-letter composition would imply simplicity; however, it’s anything but. For some of us, it’s everything we’ve ever wanted, while for others, it’s something they would one day like to know.

Throughout the Bible, there are various moments where God tells someone not to be afraid. Each of those times came at a time when the hearer had every reason to be very afraid. In one instance, Joshua, the leader of Israel after the death of Moses, was leading the Israelites to their promised land (Exodus 3).

If you’ve heard a champion speak, you'll see and hear the confidence that can only come from a place of certainty of victory. The voice may be calm, yet everyone listens because it resonates. This is especially true after the race or battle is won. I am not talking of a weightless, proud noise from an empty cymbal …

I was reading about “The Coat of Many Colors” recently, and it was fascinating to see that while the coat played a massive part in it, there was more to that love story. The story is about Joseph and his father’s love for him before and after the coat. Genesis 37:3 says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his sons because he had been born to him in his old age.”

Picture Jesus in the room you are in right now. Think of Him sitting right there, before you, hanging out in your space, just like He did at a Pharisee’s house in Luke 7. The thought, although intriguing, is intimidating. The questions going through my mind are: what do I do, and how should I act? Should I sit, stand, smile, or be still?

Maybe it’s because of my calling or because of Mum; I love talking about God. I became a Christian at fifteen, and before then, although I was oblivion to the depth of God’s love for me because of my parents’ walk with Christ, my life was filled with the topic of God. Mum sings and talks about Him like He’s right in the room.

I didn’t start driving early; when I started, I spent days studying the big book to pass the test. I asked my teacher many questions and watched him show me how to signal, turn the wheel, check the mirror, and other necessary skills. I took the time to learn to ensure I’d be ready to keep myself and everyone around safe when I got behind the wheel.