Hannah Hansen

For many people, Christmas is an exciting time of reuniting with family, spending quality time together, and eating too many cookies.

But for others, it’s a painful reminder of broken families, loss of loved ones, or long distances that separate you.

Lately, I’ve been a little grumpy.

Call it stress, overcast fall days, or the impending Michigan winter, but either way, my mood has been off. I’ve been irritable, frustrated, and low energy.

The past few years have been taxing on the world collectively. I imagine many of you reading this have felt the same way over the past three years. I know I have! Even so, our emotions can certainly draw us closer to God. Read on to discover some ways to do just that!

At this time of year, many churches start their regular Sunday morning Bible classes and weekly small group meetings.

But if you look at the weekly attendance to Bible studies compared to the number of people who attend worship on Sunday, the numbers don’t quite match up. Why do fewer people attend these studies? Why is there such a big gap? What’s the disconnect?

I’d like to argue that there are no excuses for not attending Bible study. People of all ages need to study the Scriptures surrounded by fellow Christians. Here are three common reasons why people might not attend regular Bible study and some encouragement to rethink that perspective!

Reading is a great activity all year round, but especially in the summer! With school out, the sun setting later in the evening, and the days lasting longer, summer is a great time to head to the library or online bookstore to stock up on summer reads. Whether you set a specific summer reading goal or want to start reading together as a family, there’s always a great new book for you to dive into.

Many people adopt spiritual disciplines during the season of Lent instead of, or in addition to, giving up something. Whether you are reading an extra devotion or incorporating prayer into your daily routine, adding spiritual disciplines to your life during Lent can be a great way to grow closer to God and deepen your faith in and dependence on Him.

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions this year? Did any of them concern relationships in your life?

In college, I used to (only semi-jokingly) ask God to send me a tall, blonde, Jesus-loving, soccer-playing, European boyfriend.

A few weeks ago, I married a tall, blonde pastor who played collegiate soccer and grew up in Germany.

Y’all, God definitely has a sense of humor.

Your answered prayer is likely different than mine—a cured illness, a new job, a successful pregnancy. But no matter the magnitude or minuteness of your prayer, God still answered it!

If you grew up going to Sunday School or confirmation classes, I can almost guarantee that you had to memorize Bible verses. It likely went something like this: You remember you have a Bible verse due today. You quickly memorize it by repeating it to yourself a bunch of times, stumble through presenting it to your teacher, and then immediately forget it.

Many of us don’t have any Bible verses memorized besides John 3:16. This is a problem.

During quarantine, a lot of people I know have been taking up creative hobbies. I’ve seen tons of Instagram posts of people sharing their sourdough bread recipes, knitting projects, and watercolor paintings.

Being creative is definitely a gift from God—a gift that we might not always think of! Creative projects have actually been instrumental in my faith, as it makes me appreciate different facets of God’s character, as well as appreciating all of the blessings He has given me.

This Memorial Day will, for many of us, look a lot different this year. We likely won’t have huge family cookouts, watch any parades, or visit any cemeteries to remember loved ones. But that doesn’t mean we can’t remember the true meaning of Memorial Day, in addition to maybe a few extra remembrances.