Pursuing Christ with Biblical Truth, Spirit-filled Grace, and Passionate Prayer
Renew your heart with these inspiring articles about Knowing Jesus by author and teacher, Melissa McLaughlin~ Truthful Grace. Jesus loves you. Jesus died for you. Jesus wants you to be near Him and know Him.
By Melissa McLaughlin It is Finished The cross fades. The tomb lies empty. The Savior is alive! Glancing back, we reminisce and then peer ahead with new hope and strength. We remember the final moments of Jesus’ earthly ministry. As He drew His last breath, Jesus groaned, “It is finished.” It. Is. Finished. Three small … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin The Sweetest Story Ever Told Are you looking for a fun way to retell the sweetest story ever told? The Gospel. The Good news. The Easter story. We want everyone to hear the story of Christ’s rescue mission to save us through His life, death, and resurrection! But… maybe you’d like to … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Memories of Love My eyes welled up and a lump caught in my throat. While cleaning some piles of dusty books in the basement, my husband unearthed a few old photos of our children when they were young. I gazed at their tender faces, and recalled hearts of gold and smiles as … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin A New Year in Christ Each year my goal is to deepen my relationship with Christ. When I think back to the place where my faith journey began, I am amazed to see how far God has brought me. From my earliest memories, I believed in God and felt His love for … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Have You Met the King? I never met our President. My tiny sphere of influence does not include the King or Queen of any country, for that matter. I’m just an ordinary person. But there is a King who knows my name. And I matter to His kingdom. In Isaiah 9:6-7 we … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin A New Name My eyes tear up as I remember that day. It seems like only yesterday we said, “I do.” I met my husband at church. Our tender friendship grew into a committed relationship and culminated in our marriage a few years later. We celebrated this sacred occasion with a worshipful … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Seeing God With Us It was a simple thing. My husband and I paused for a brief rest. The daily grind of laundry, bills, cooking, and errands hemmed us in like hamsters on an exercise wheel. Despite running as hard as possible, the finish line appeared just out of reach. At one … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin A Powerful Prayer in Song I woke that morning to a surprise from God. Just as my eyes opened a praise song popped into my head. Blessed be the name of the Lord ~by Don Moen I hadn’t heard this song in years. The music and lyrics echoed in my heart for … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin When Days are Cold The air stung my cheeks as we trudged along that winter day. An overcast sky shadowed our steps. A hint of snow whispered in the wind. We hiked this same trail just a few months earlier, our senses flooded with rich fall foliage, vivid colors and the scent … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Why Did God Save Us? Why did God save us? That’s easy. The answer rolls right off our tongues… because God loves us, of course! God sent Jesus because He desired to rescue us from hell and bring us to heaven. (John 3:16) Yes, it’s true, God loves us. Yet, scripture teaches … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Reading the Bible can be positively life-changing. Imagine this, the Voice of Him who spoke us into existence is found in these pages. Is it any wonder we need His Word to live? The Bible contains God’s will, character, law, heart and His marvelous message of salvation in Christ. If we allow … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin A Memory of Love As a child, one of the highlights of our school year was Valentine’s Day. Once a year, we brought a shoe box to school and cut an opening on top. With energetic hands, sparkling eyes, construction paper and crayons, we transformed used cardboard boxes into personal mailboxes for … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin The Feast of Tabernacles is the last of three fall feasts appointed and initiated by God in the Old Testament. The Feast (or Festival) of Tabernacles is also referred to as: The Feast of Booths / Ingathering / Shelters or in Hebrew “Sukkot”. The word Sukkot is the plural form of “sukkah” … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin One of my favorite summertime joys is seeing flowers arrayed in their colorful, radiant glory. My parents have the most amazing bush that blooms each year during mid-summer months. Every evening at dusk several blossoms on the Evening Primrose burst open and fully expand within about 45 seconds. First we stand back … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin The first time I participated in a time of prayer and fasting was in high school. In order to raise awareness and raise money to fight world hunger, our church youth group organized a sleepover at the church that included a time of prayer and fasting. This afforded us the opportunity to … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Have you ever felt the innermost part of your soul drying up and withering away? Like a plant left too long in the sweltering summer sun. Like a streambed gone too long with no replenishing rain. Like a person walking miles in the desert with a parched mouth and no water bottle … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin In a world of lies and questionable news, it’s hard to know what to believe. Like any other child, when I was young, I peppered my parents with all kinds of questions. I never wondered if they were telling me the truth. If they knew the answer, they told me, and it … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin His footsteps fall softly in the olive grove Enveloped in verdant Garden fragrance The tender leaves, the stalwart trunks rooted and still, The young olive fruit swelling with sustenance A Garden pulsing with life Yet death casts its shadow there The earthy soil once wet with morning dew, Now soaked with the … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Have you ever stepped into an emotional or relational landmine? Suddenly a passing comment or simple exchange takes on a wartime feel and you find yourself dodging verbal bullets, seemingly out of nowhere. At moments like these, our souls long for a touch of gentleness. A remembrance that we are only human, … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin Ever heard one of those remarkable testimonies of someone whose life was dramatically changed after they became a Christian? I get so excited to hear about God’s mighty hand moving in people’s lives. For many years, I felt my experience following Christ lacked the pizzazz that marked other’s journeys. But this is … Read more
Let Jesus love you. We were created to be in a relationship with God. Love Jesus and let Jesus love you. Feeling the ragged, weary and worn from the harshness of the world? Let Jesus love you.
Where is God when life doesn’t make sense? If God is sovereign and good, why do bad things happen? How can we find God in the midst of our pain?
Got Bread? Jesus is the living bread of heaven. How can we eat of Jesus’ flesh and drink of his blood? We receive Jesus by faith.
Can I really know God? How can I actually know God? Is it possible for a mere human being to know the God who created all things? The God of the Bible has made it easy for us to know him. Read on to find our four ways to know God.
How can I experience the peace of God? When I look around I see violence, evil and hatred. How can I find God’s peace? Here are 7 ways to experience the peace of God which passes all understanding.
What did Jesus really mean when he said these famous words, “Do not judge”? Is there a difference between judging and discerning? Do we turn a blind eye to evil and injustice?
By Melissa McLaughlin Too Far Away Oh, how we wept. She was our first child. Following a difficult pregnancy, with many scary bumps along the way, she was finally born. Though five weeks early, our greatly anticipated child was born. At first we were relieved and rejoicing simply that she was alive! Smiles, laughter, tears! … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin In Over My Head It was our honeymoon! What joy! We had decided to celebrate in Acapulco, Mexico. The food was scrumptious, the people joyful, the beaches beautiful and the water was warm and inviting. Being an avid ocean swimmer, I convinced my husband to take a snorkeling trip for an up-close-and-personal … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin John 3:16 I was mesmerized. My eyes were glued to a closely matched, nail-biting game of college football, when all of a sudden, there he was. The camera scanned the cheering crowd and then zoomed in on the young man, his face and chest painted pitch-black, contrasted starkly by the carefully painted … Read more
By Melissa McLaughlin I walked one day where the water flows Gently bubbling joy Singing peaceful melodies Unheard by most who passed by Giggling splashing over rocks Fresh and crystal clear Rushing free Full of life On and on and on If you listen carefully You can hear its song The Living Water plays on … Read more
The world can sometimes feel cold and dark. How quickly a day that began in sunshine and warmth can evaporate like mist in the wind. How can you rekindle the embers of your soul and keep your heart glowing? During the darkest times of my life, it was the heart and words of Jesus that … Read more