by Ronda Wells A recent discussion on a romance novel compared the tropes of alpha- and beta-male heroes. Alphas are strong, dominant men; they offer protection and security. Multiple subtypes exist within this group. Beta-males, by contrast, are gentle, shy, guy-next-door types. They go after their goals with quiet determination. I married a beta, who hardly said five words around …
April 20, 2024 by Ronda Wells …for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3:14 KJV If I’d had good knees, I would have hiked many mountains in the Rockies and Appalachians. Majestic mountains are thrilling, and the scenic views are stunning. On a family vacation, we drove up to Pike’s Peak instead of …
by Ronda Wells “But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.” John 19:33 ESV Years ago, a medical school classmate visited her father in the ICU. On the drive home, she developed sudden, severe, left-sided chest pain. She was only in her late twenties, but she knew the signs of …
“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10 ESV Algorithms are based on math—that much I remember from college. In fact, that’s all I remember. Your basic algorithm is a recipe: a step-by-step set of rules for solving a problem like quadratic equations. My math nerd hubby still remembers all …
“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them …
The Cinderella theme in movies and romance novels seems all the rage right now. An American marrying a prince is instant clickbait on social media. American actress Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry of England are popular, but I’m of an age to remember magazines, newspapers, and television reports about glamorous actress Grace Kelly, who became a princess after …
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 KJV After the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, I became a hypervigilant news junkie, glued to the screen for every update. Having two school-aged children, my anxiety grew. I …
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12 NASB Do you have thin skin? Metaphorical or literal? I …
“For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.” Jeremiah 4:3 NASB Along an Indiana highway, a large field hadn’t been planted for the second year in a row. We live in the heart of Midwest farm country, so a cornfield left to fallow for …
“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT When hubby and I travel, we avoid chain restaurants. A small-town diner got several good reviews and had lots of cars in the lot, …