Afraid Yet Filled with Joy— Two2Grow, June 26 “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Matthew 28:8 NIVA post by Emelie Stenhammar, MDAt the word of the angel of the Lord, the women left the tomb where they had been looking for Jesus’ body and went to tell the other disciples of His resurrection. They were given a commission from the ang...  Read More

Caught by Goodness and Mercy— Two2Grow, June 25 “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 NIVWhen our kids were young, we lived in a small two-story house that had a very steep staircase, almost like a ladder, leading to the second floor. They were not allowed to climb it alone—Emelie and I were always behi...  Read More

Chaos Defeated—Two2Grow, June 24 “Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” Revelation 4:6a NIVHave you ever experienced chaos—whether in your circumstances or in your inner emotional life? You lose all your fixed points in life, and confusion and fear take over.The devil is the master of chaos. Whenever he enters the picture, that's what he brings. ...  Read More

Be Bold—Two2Grow, June 23 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." — Joshua 1:9 NIVI have a mentor in ministry who is now over 90 years old. One of his favorite things to say to me when I face hardship is, “Be bold.”Joshua was taking over as the leader of God’s people after Moses. It was a...  Read More

Taming the Tongue—Two2Grow, June 22 By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.  James 3:6 The MessageAt the wall in a house of some elderly missionaries we often visited in Africa hung a framed print on yellowed, moisture-damaged paper:“Christ is the Head of th...  Read More

When Many Meets All—Two2Grow, June 20 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”Psalm 34:19 NKJVLiving for Jesus will attract problems—where the light shines, that's where the bugs come.So don't be surprised when you go through difficulties, and don't let the devil lie to you and say that you are suffering because God doesn't care about you or that God ...  Read More

To This You Were Called—Two2Grow, June 20 "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." 1 Peter 2:21 NIVWhen I was young, I thought that if I only had strong enough faith, I wouldn't have to go through difficulties. I saw suffering and faith as opposites that could not be mixed, like water and oil. But as I went deeper into...  Read More

The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit—Two2Grow, June 19 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 NIVMost churches I’ve attended in East Africa, regardless of tradition, close their services by having everyone quote this Scripture together in unison.It is a rich text, and I particularly love the phrase, “the ...  Read More

Just Say a Word—Two2Grow, June 18 A Post by Emelie Stenhammar, MD“The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8 NIVIn 2016, our family was preparing to move to England, where Mikael was going to do his PhD and I was going to work at a hospital. To be allowed to work there as a medical doctor, I was ...  Read More

Jesus Will Make You Become—Two2Grow, June 17 “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17 NKJVA world-renowned evangelist once visited the church I was part of. I had never heard him preach before, so I asked one of the church leaders what it was like to listen to him. She said that when you hear him preach the gospel, it is so wonderful that you want to get saved all over aga...  Read More

God Works When You Rest—Two2Grow, June 16 “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.” Genesis 2:21 NIVAt one point, I thought that the harder you work, the more God will bless you. I worked very long days and took pride in the few hours of sleep I got. But I eventually came close to bu...  Read More

Puzzle Solver—Two2Grow, June 15 This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters. Isaiah 43:16 NIVThe worship song “Way Maker” is one of my favorites. It speaks of God’s power to do the impossible—to make a way where there is no way. If we could have listened to what the Israelites sang while crossing the Red Sea, I’m sure that would have been their s...  Read More