MICHELLE COCHRAN
Have you ever watched a small child putting together a puzzle? Sometimes the child will take a small piece, put it in a larger space, and declare that it fits. From your experience, you know that fitting requires more than just laying flat against a board. In truth, fitting means snapping exactly with the pieces... Continue Reading →
Imagine you are Tom Slick, an agent for social change. Through your hard work, you become famous. People come from everywhere to hear you and to debate with you. Maybe the notoriety catches you off guard, but you are grateful and want to further your platform. Then, your cause’s biggest hero shows up and endorses... Continue Reading →
Sitcoms often show people tearing each other down. We laugh when we hear good jabs, but in real life, those jabs can wound. If a comment especially stings, we tend to remember it for years, even more than physical pain we have endured. We replay the words in our minds, dwelling on them. Our emotions... Continue Reading →
An unhuman war rages around us, yet most are oblivious to it. Some say it isn’t real, but we feel the effects of it, often in misery or anxiety. This war causes much of humanity’s suffering. Sometimes we are used as pawns, sometimes prey, and sometimes we are protected. Because we are deeply affected, we... Continue Reading →
If we pay attention to our motivations and our words, we expose our hearts. Sometimes what we find is ugly, and we tend to gloss over it or excuse it. But we need to give each selfish area to God and ask him to free us from it. Some may endeavor to fix their selfishness... Continue Reading →
An inspired Scripture study called The Divine Plumbline by Dr. Bruce Thompson recognizes that people are motivated by either pride or fear. Sometimes people can swing from one to the other, but usually one will dominate. Neither are from God. I tend toward fear. I catch myself worrying about what might happen in the future.... Continue Reading →
When my husband and I first looked at our baby, the euphoric feelings of joy and tenderness were followed by the realization that neither of us knew how to change a diaper. We had a lot to learn. Three children and twenty-four years later, we are still learning. The joys and stresses of parenthood have... Continue Reading →
"And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. . ." Malachi 4:6a God intends for us to live in relationships, not each person grasping alone for happiness. Yet so many of our relationships have soured. What has happened to cause families to break apart?... Continue Reading →
"We read to know we're not alone," writes William Nicholson for C.S. Lewis in the play Shadowlands. Life is hard. We are broken, and we yearn for wholeness. We search for meaning and for purpose. I have found incredible joy and peace in Jesus, and I am honored to share my journey with you. He... Continue Reading →
Outpost of Peace 