July 7 Jesus brings joy to the world. We start the month in Luke 2:8-20. While shepherds were watching over their flock, an angel suddenly appeared, bringing great news: Jesus was born! The shepherds rushed off to see him, telling everyone about him afterward....

June 30 There's always a reason to celebrate. We finish the month in Habakkuk 3:17-18. Habakkuk wrote these words as God’s people were about to be taken captive. Everything was going wrong in Habakkuk’s world . . . but still, he chose to trust God and choose joy....

June 23 Find joy in what you see around you. In week 4, we take a look at some of David’s Psalms— specifically, Psalms 8, 16, and 19. David wrote a lot about the things he observed in nature and the world around him that God had created. Through creation, we notice...

June 16 Celebrate each step of the way. For week 3, we head to Ezra 3:10-13. At the time, God’s people were living as captives in Persia, when the new king, Cyrus, allowed them to return home to Jerusalem. However, when they returned, everything was broken down and...

June 9 Make a habit of choosing joy. In week 2, we see how God set aside times and rhythms for the Israelite people to reflect on and remember everything God had done for them. In Deuteronomy 16:13-17, we read about one celebration in particular called the Feast of...

June 2 We can have joy because of Jesus. We start the month with Luke 15:1-7, where we find Jesus telling a parable about a shepherd who goes to find his lost sheep. Jesus explains that the shepherd cares so much about the missing sheep that he leaves the other 99...

May 26 Practice living for God. We finish the month in Mark 12:41-44. Jesus noticed how wealthy people were giving lots of money at the temple. Then a poor widow walked up to the offering box and gave just two small coins. While this seemed like a small gift, Jesus...

May 19 Practice talking about God. For week 3, we head to Matthew 16:13-20, where Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do you say I am?” After everything they’d seen Jesus do and heard Jesus say, what did they really think about Jesus? This gave Peter the perfect moment to...

May 12 Practice praying to God. In Matthew 6:9-13 we find Jesus talking about prayer during His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus shared a model for prayer that helps us understand more about how we can talk to God. We can pray with gratitude and honesty, pray for our needs,...

May 5 Practice hearing from God. We start the month with Psalm 119:105, where David wrote, “Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me.” When we read what the authors of the Bible wrote, we can find out how God wants us to live....

April 28 God is with you while you wait. We finish the month with a story found in Luke 2:25-35. God’s people had been waiting for hundreds of years for the Savior. God promised Simeon that he’d get to see the Messiah before he died. We believe that Simeon waited a...

April 21 When you have to wait, remember what's true. In week three, we head to Exodus 32:1-35. Moses met with God on Mount Sinai. He left his brother Aaron and the rest of the Israelites to wait. Rather than waiting patiently for Moses to return, the entire nation of...

April 14 When you think you can't wait, think twice. For week 2, we turn to Genesis 25:24-34, where we find one of the best examples of what happens when someone is not patient—the story of Esau. After a hunting trip, Esau was exhausted and hungry! And wouldn’t you...

April 7 Waiting can make you wise. We kick off the month with a patience proverb found in Proverbs 14:29: “Anyone who is patient has great understanding. But anyone who gets angry quickly shows how foolish they are.” When it comes to waiting, we have a choice. We can...

March 31 Jesus is alive. We finish March by celebrating Jesus’ resurrection as described in Luke 24:1-12, 36-49. God went to great lengths to make peace with us. All of God’s promises came true, and everything that Jesus said and did led up to this moment. When Jesus...

March 24 Jesus came to be our Savior. We kick off Easter week with the story of Palm Sunday as described in Matthew 21:1-11. By this time, God’s people had been waiting hundreds of years for God’s promised Savior. As Jesus’ ministry grew, the people were starting to...

March 17 You can help others make peace. In 1 Samuel 25:1-35, we find a story about a woman named Abigail. We read how King David was furious with a man named Nabal who had mistreated his men. David decided to get revenge . . . until Nabal’s wife, Abigail, intercepted...

March 10 You can show you care by letting go of what's fair. For week two, we head to Genesis 13:5-18. We read how Abram and Lot’s herdsmen were arguing because there wasn’t enough land for both men’s herds. Abram chose to make peace with Lot by letting Lot choose the...

March 3 Make peace wherever you can. In week one, we look at something Paul wrote in Romans 12:18: “If possible, live in peace with everyone. Do that as much as you can.” This is a big challenge! Do as much as you can to live in peace . . . with everyone! Paul was...