“I looked at the Lord on the throne of heaven, and the dove of peace flew into my heart. I looked at the dove, and it flew away.”   When we lift our eyes to Christ, there is calm amid raging waters. But when we turn our attention to the gift instead of the Giver, even good things slip away. Don’t focus on the dove. Focus on the Lord. Even neuroscience agrees. A baby is shaped and soothed by the loving gaze of a parent. We grow best under a faithful gaze of love. A child’s nervous system...

The Gardn ers Crown   Mercy, the kind that saves us, grows in the most unlikely ground. It blooms among thorns. It takes root in the soil of struggle and suffering. From the beginning, the earth bore the marks of our rebellion. Genesis says the ground was cursed, “thorns and thistles it shall bring forth.” The first garden became the first grave. The soil itself carried the ache of separation. And yet, when redemption came, Jesus entered that same story and wore the curse upon His head. A...