Special Features 2021 Archives

For over 30 years, Heartlight has shared articles to help people live for Jesus in everyday life. While we are no longer publishing new articles, this enduring collection features relevant pieces throughout the year to encourage faith, offer biblical perspective, and speak to real-world joys and struggles.

God of Fresh Starts

Max Lucado reminds us that the God of hope gives us fresh starts just as he did to Noah with the olive leaf and the dove.

Hope is an olive leaf — evidence of dry land after a flood.

Thank You and Have a Blessed Thanksgiving

The Heartlight.org and VerseoftheDay.com team gives thanks for you and prays you have a blessed Thanksgiving.

The prayers of the Heartlight.org and VerseoftheDay.com team pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Sometimes, God Takes His Time!

Max Lucado encourages us to endure and not lose hope because sometimes God takes time to make his perfect will happen and redeem our messes.

Life feels like it is in slow motion when are waiting for the bad seasons to end and God's new fresh life awakens to redeem and refresh our weary souls.

Imagined Fears?

Ron Rose is in his mobile office and at Black Rifle Coffee having a cup of beyond black visiting with people and inviting them to share a conversation and invite God to be part of the moment.

Fears are often more what we imagine than what is real!

Stand Up!

Max Lucado reminds us of Jesus' power do fresh and new things if we will respond to his command to get up and do something.

Jesus sees you, my friend, and he has a new version of you waiting to happen.

They laugh because they have given up hope, and hope born anew is always funny before it is real.

Disoriented to Be Recalibrated

Ron Rose is back at the coffee shop to visit and pray and observe and be with God and discovers a dynamic new concept, sometimes God confuses to have us do a soft reboot and recalibrate our compasses!

His hands were fiddling with his watch the whole time. He had taken it off and seemed to be trying to get it to wake up, to get it unstuck.

Helping Immigrants & Refugees Get Involved with a Spiritual Group

Rhonda Underhill shares ways that newly arrived immigrants, especially older ones, can make a new home in their new world

These displaced people need to discover Jesus' love and the love of his people.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

Resist and Obey!

Max Lucado reminds us that while all sorts of challenges await us today, the Lord longs for our obedience so he can step in and crush Satan at our feet.

Decide now to choose obedience and resist the devil and invite the LORD to help you win your victory over the evil one!

Three Easy Ways To Help Service Members in Your Community

Rhonda Underhill shares simple ways to help active service members and veterans with their adjustments to civilian life and provides many good links to services and resources that are helpful.

Living in a civilian world after being in service can be a tough transition, but with support from their community and friends like you, a service member's life can be much easier to navigate.

Our Brutal World

Max Lucado reminds us to be courageous in our times of trouble for we have put our faith in the one who has conquered.

Life is a dangerous endeavor. We pass our days in the shadows of ominous realities.

There in the Deep End

Ron Rose writes about his daughter Julie from long ago and how she didn't want to swim in the deep end of the pool if her teacher wasn't there.

Yesterday, in practice, she was the only one who did it. Why was she so afraid today?

Inheritance Day

Philip Gulley talks about inheriting things from his grandfather and what it means for inheritance day to come.

Melancholy or anticipation? We are part of a great cycle of inheriting from our grandparents and parents as well as passing on to our children and grandchildren

Beyond Chapter and Verse

Jordan Harrell and Phil Ware invite to come celebrate at the table of grace our Father longs for us to share and not get hung up on chapter and verse prooftexting religion.

Have we missed the joy of our Father and the party he longs to throw for all of us who love him and give up all to follow Jesus?

Give Your Fears to the Father

Max Lucado reminds us that Jesus made all sorts of faces as he lived life much as we do, and because he has been where we are, even in the darkest of times, we can turn to him and find grace to help us in our times of need.

How remarkable that Jesus felt such fear. But how kind that he told us about it.

What Is Our Blindspot?

Jordan Reese shares a poignant piece of writing by her dad as she thinks through our blindspots and calls us to seek first Jesus' Kingdom and that righteousness, not our own biases.

Since it's a blind spot, no matter how hard you try you can't see what you should be seeing.

Almost Persuaded?

Paul Faulkner reminds us that we need to decide to respond to Jesus now and honor him with our lives.

Why do we put off our commitment to truly follow Jesus?

Wearing Jesus

Max Lucado reminds us that when we are baptized, we are clothed with Christ, so what people see in us they attribute to Jesus!

Are you letting this Garment set your style?

Twenty-five: A Quarter Century of Grace

Phil Ware takes time to reflect on twenty-five years on the web and to give thanks for those who got them there and for the Lord who continues to do miracles among us.

The Lord is not finished surprising us with His grace and power if we live for His purposes.

A One Another People

Phil Ware shares a great infographic on one another passages in the Bible.

We are made in God's image with a built in hunger for relationship.

Thank You!

Phil Ware thanks all who participated in the prayer effort focused on #NewYearwithNewHope!

Our prayer time with our brothers and sisters from around the world is just a foretaste of glory!