Faithful Writers

The Emmaus Road is one of Scripture’s most honest portrayals of emotional struggle. Two disciples walked away from Jerusalem carrying the weight of disappointment. Their faces were downcast, their steps heavy, and their conversation filled with confusion. They had believed Jesus was the One who would redeem Israel, but His crucifixion shattered their expectations. Their grief was so overwhelming that when Jesus Himself approached them, they didn’t recognize Him. When Jesus asked what they were discussing, they stopped walking. Their shock revealed how deeply their emotions had shaped their worldview. They assumed that anyone who knew about Jesus must be grieving His death. In their minds, the entire community of believers was devastated, confused, and hopeless. But their feelings didn’t reflect reality. Some people were celebrating Jesus’ death, believing they had eliminated a threat. Others were indifferent, seeing His crucifixion as just another execution. Some were hiding in fear. And some, like the women who visited the tomb, were already filled with hope because they had encountered the truth that Jesus had risen, just as He had said He would. Their testimony aligned with everything Jesus had taught about His suffering and resurrection, yet the disciples dismissed it because their emotions had already decided the story was over. This is what happens when feelings become our lens. Emotions are real, but they are not reliable. They can cloud judgment, distort perception, and convince us that our experience is universal. When we feel hopeless, we assume everyone else is hopeless. When we feel discouraged, we assume no one sees a way forward. When we feel abandoned, we assume God is distant. When we feel overwhelmed, we assume the situation is impossible. The disciples weren’t lying about their feelings. They were simply interpreting life through them. Their emotions had become their “truth,” even though their truth didn’t match God’s reality. This is why Scripture emphasizes the renewing of the mind. Transformation doesn’t begin with changing how we feel. It begins with changing how we think. Paul’s instruction to renew the mind is not a call to ignore emotions but to anchor them in truth. Likewise, his command to think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy is not a sentimental suggestion but a spiritual strategy for emotional stability. Jesus models this strategy on the Emmaus Road. He doesn’t start by soothing their emotions. He starts by addressing their interpretation. He listens to their disappointment, then gently challenges their assumptions. He opens the Scriptures and reframes the story they thought they understood. He shows them that the Messiah’s suffering was not a failure but a fulfillment of God’s plan. He walks them through truth until their perspective begins to shift. What’s remarkable is that their emotional transformation begins before their eyes are opened. As Jesus explains the Scriptures, their hearts begin to burn within them. Something awakens. Something stirs. Their feelings start to change because their thinking is being renewed. Their hopelessness loosens its grip as truth takes root. When their eyes are finally opened at the breaking of bread, everything becomes clear. The One they believed was dead is alive. The One they thought had failed has fulfilled every promise. The One they assumed was absent has been walking with them the entire time. Their response is immediate. They return to Jerusalem — the same road they had just walked in despair now becomes the road they run with hope. Their testimony, once shaped by disappointment, is now fueled by resurrection. This story speaks to anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by emotion. When feelings dominate thinking, perspective shrinks. We lose sight of what God is doing. We assume our emotions reflect reality. We project our fears onto others. We dismiss hopeful voices. We forget what God has already said. And we overlook the possibility that Jesus is walking with us even when we don’t recognize Him. But when truth renews the mind, perspective widens. When perspective widens, feelings begin to heal. And when feelings heal, testimony becomes powerful again. The Emmaus Road teaches us that emotional transformation begins with mental renewal. Jesus restores hope not by changing circumstances but by changing perspective. He still does the same today. © 2026 Randy DeVaul, MA. Want more content like this? Explore more articles Knowing God.

We all know Psalm 23, most by heart. It’s comforting, it's uplifting, and it’s encouraging, but sometimes the problem with knowing one so well is not knowing the others. Psalm 22 piqued my interest recently, specifically verses 9 & 10. “Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” This led me to look more closely at Psalm 139 as well. It is too long to quote in full here, so I will pull out a few key phrases. You have searched me... You perceive my thoughts from afar... You are familiar with all my ways... Where can I flee from your presence? Even there your hand will guide me... For you created my inmost being... You knit me together in my mother’s womb... Your eyes saw my unformed body... What I see here is an active God, intimately involved in every stage of our lives, from before conception to our final breath. Psalm 22:9–10 and 139 together form one of the most detailed pictures of human life as known and held by God, so much so that even before the sperm meets the egg in the womb, we are already fully seen and known by Him. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” “from my mother’s womb” While a recent line of thinking argues that life begins only at the first breath after birth, referencing Adam and Eve and the breath of life by God in that discussion, it is worth realizing that their creation was unique and does not negate the role of a womb. Adam and Eve were formed fully as human beings without a womb because they were the first humans; there was no womb for them to come from. In that unique creation situation, 1) Eve was formed by God with a womb, and 2) Scripture emphasizes God’s direct involvement in forming their lives; He knit them together from dust and a rib. And more broadly, Psalm 22:9–10 and 139 continue to emphasize that same pattern for all of humanity. He sees, knows, and discerns even before we are visible to the naked eye or microscope. “Your eyes saw my unformed body…” “ from my mother’s womb…” And since we do not have a physical body yet at this point, that is our soul He is seeing. So where does our value start, then? Does it begin where God says it begins, or where human wishes and wants tries to place it? © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Knowing God. ko-fi

It usually does not feel like a big deal in the moment. You are talking to someone every day. It feels like a relationship. You act like you are together. But when the question comes up what are we, you dodge it. Not because you do not care, but because defining it feels risky. What if it changes things. What if it costs you something. So you delay. And nothing explodes. Life keeps moving. It even feels easier this way. Until one day, you realize something important quietly slipped through your hands. That is how passivity works. It rarely looks dangerous at first. It feels safe. It feels like keeping your options open. But over time, it begins to shape your life in ways you never intended. Passivity is not doing nothing about something that does not matter. It is doing nothing about something that does. It is choosing not to choose when a decision is actually required. Most of us are not passive across the board. We are often highly driven in the areas we care about. We plan our careers. We optimize our schedules. We chase opportunities. But at the same time, we drift in areas that matter more than we want to admit. Relationships. Character. Faith. We tend to be passive in the areas that matter most. Sometimes it is because something does not feel urgent. Other times it is because making a decision takes courage. Decisions close doors. They expose us. They force us to deal with consequences. So we tell ourselves we will deal with it later. You can see this pattern everywhere. In relationships that stay undefined. In majors that remain undecided. In life directions that stay open ended. We are overwhelmed by options and afraid of choosing wrong, so we do not choose at all. Indecision feels like safety. But there are some things in life that are too important to delay. Some decisions demand a response. And when it comes to Jesus, passivity is not neutral. To see this clearly, we need to step into a moment that was anything but neutral. Pontius Pilate stood at the center of one of the most volatile situations in the ancient world. As the Roman governor of Judea, his job was to maintain order in a region constantly on the edge of unrest. The Jewish people lived under Roman rule and longed for freedom. There was a history of rebellion. Religious leaders held deep influence. Rome demanded control. And now it was Passover. The city of Jerusalem was packed. The air was charged with national longing and political tension. This was the time when people remembered deliverance from oppression. It was not hard to imagine how quickly things could turn into revolt. Then Jesus entered the city to crowds shouting for salvation. From a political standpoint, everything was unstable. And then Jesus was brought before Pilate. At first, Pilate approaches it like any other case. He asks if Jesus is the king of the Jews. It is a political question, the kind he is used to asking. But Jesus does something unexpected. He turns the conversation. He asks whether that question is Pilate’s own or something he is simply repeating. In a moment, the dynamic shifts. Pilate is no longer just evaluating Jesus. He is being evaluated. Jesus tells him that he came into the world to bear witness to the truth, and that everyone who belongs to the truth listens to his voice. Pilate responds with a question that has echoed for centuries. What is truth. But the defining detail is not the question. It is what he does next. He does not wait for an answer. He walks back out to the crowd. Not rejection. Avoidance. Pilate is not uninterested in truth. He simply has no room for it. There are too many pressures. Too many expectations. Too much at stake. In that moment, truth feels less urgent than survival. It is not hard to see ourselves in him. We may not be governors, but our lives are full. Classes, jobs, internships, friendships, expectations. Many of us feel like we are barely keeping up. And in the middle of all of it, Jesus speaks about truth. About who God is. About what actually matters. About life, death, and eternity. And our instinctive response is the same. Not now. Later. When things calm down. But that moment rarely comes. Life does not simplify. It expands. Responsibilities grow. Pressures increase. The idea that there will be a better time to deal with ultimate questions is often a myth. Pilate shows us where delay leads. From that point on, he begins moving back and forth. Inside with Jesus. Outside with the crowd. Inside, he is confronted with truth. Outside, he is surrounded by pressure. Each time he steps away from Jesus, the noise grows louder. The tension rises. The cost of doing what is right becomes clearer. And something subtle begins to happen. The louder the crowd becomes, the quieter the truth sounds. You can feel this in your own life. The constant noise. Notifications. Opinions. Expectations. The pressure to keep up, to fit in, to succeed. It does not usually argue directly against truth. It simply drowns it out. Until eventually, you can barely hear it at all. In the end, Pilate tries to escape the decision. He attempts to hand responsibility over to the crowd. But the crowd has already been influenced. The momentum has already shifted. Then the decisive pressure comes. If he releases Jesus, he risks everything. His position. His reputation. Possibly his life. The cost becomes too high. So he gives in. He publicly washes his hands as if to declare his innocence. He tries to separate himself from what is happening. He tells himself it is not his responsibility. And then he hands Jesus over to be crucified. An innocent man condemned. A decision shaped not by truth, but by pressure. This is what passivity does. It does not leave you neutral. It slowly moves you in a direction, often without you realizing it, until one day you arrive somewhere you never meant to go. We often believe we can stay undecided about Jesus. That we can revisit the question later. That we can hold a neutral position without consequence. But neutrality is an illusion. There are always forces at work. The pull of comfort. The fear of cost. The influence of culture. If you are not actively moving toward truth, you are drifting away from it. Most people do not abandon faith in a single moment. They drift. Slowly. Quietly. Through a thousand small decisions to delay. A thousand moments of saying not now. But the story does not end with Pilate trying to avoid responsibility. Because at the center of this moment, when everyone else is passing the weight, Jesus does something entirely different. He takes it. Blame moves from person to person. The crowd deflects. The leaders deflect. No one wants to carry the weight of what is happening. It is too heavy. This is what we do as well. We minimize. We justify. We shift responsibility. The weight of our own failure is more than we can bear. But at the cross, Jesus steps forward and says he will carry it. He does not defend himself. He does not redirect blame. He does not say this is not mine. He absorbs it. The injustice. The sin. The weight that everyone else is trying to escape. This is the heart of the gospel. Not that we fix ourselves, but that Jesus takes what we cannot carry. And that changes everything. Because the reason we avoid truth is not just because we are busy. It is because we are afraid of what it will cost us. Afraid of what it will expose. But the one who confronts us with truth is the same one who offers to carry our burden. Which means we do not have to run anymore. We do not have to delay. We can face the truth because we are not facing it alone. So the question remains. What will you do with Jesus. You do not drift into following him. You only drift away. Pilate thought he could deal with it later. But later never came. And many of us are doing the same thing. Not rejecting. Just delaying. But delaying your decision about Jesus is your decision about Jesus. So do not walk away. Do not wait for a less busy season that will never arrive. The moment is now. What will you do with him. © 2026 David Jun. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Knowing God. ko-fi

We all have these thoughts: Am I going to lose my job? How will I pay my bills? Will my groceries last all week? What if the test results are positive? Am I good enough? Do they even like me? These thoughts can quickly become persistent worries. They can paralyze you. For some, the weight is heavier than for others, but regardless, worry steals from your present and robs your tomorrow before it even arrives. This is different from the normal day-to-day issues that naturally cause concern. Persistent worry can keep us in an unhealthy state of mind. Over time, it grows into anxiety, manifesting itself physically within our bodies and makes us sick. Concern is acknowledging that something is happening now or could potentially happen in real time. Concern is natural; it is a safety system God placed within us. We can take those concerns to God and seek His guidance, wisdom, and solutions before they turn into persistent worry and anxiety, before they become thoughts that offer no peace, no answers, and no direction. We can stop that anxiety cycle. No matter the situation, who is at fault, or how big or small the mountain before you may seem, you can lay it before Him. He will walk with you through it and never leave your side. Let Him in, and let Him carry those burdens and keep your tomorrow's. “For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.”~ 2 Timothy 1:7 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.”~1 Peter 5:6–7 “Jehovah will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”~ Exodus 14:14 “Be still, and know that I am God […]”~ Psalms 46:10 © 2025/26 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Knowing God. https://ko-fi.com/janeisley Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Never thought I would be writing this one. Yet here we are. Numerous pastors are now talking publicly about private meetings they said they attended over the last several months. Pastor Perry Stone, Bishop Alan DiDio, Pastor Larry Ragland, Tony Merkel, Joseph Z, Pastor Frederick K. Price Jr., Ben Hughes, and Mike Signorelli, although I still have not been able to confirm whether Signorelli or Hughes were actually in one of the meetings or just working alongside people who were. There were likely others who have not surfaced yet or are choosing to stay quiet. Who They Actually Met With Let me pump the brakes on the word government right now because that word is being thrown around. The basic consensus from everything I have read and watched is that these meetings were not directly organized by the government. The people holding them appear to be self described believers with high security clearances who are connected to the military, the administration, and Washington in some capacity, but operating outside of any official government role. No names have been produced, and no official documentation of any kind has surfaced. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna publicly asked Bishop DiDio to name the intelligence officials involved and he has not done so. So before we spiral, what we actually know is that on May 8, 2026, the Trump administration released 162 declassified UAP files. Military videos, diplomatic cables, Apollo era photographs, FBI composites of non-human craft. And well respected church leaders report they were pulled together for private meetings, phones off, no recordings, in what sounds more like a UFO disclosure organization with believers in it than any kind of formal government operation. So What Does Any of This Actually Mean? It means satan is going to have an absolute heyday, and I knew it the moment I heard these files were going to be released. So as people start to ramp this up and spiral down, here is a number that should be keeping every church leader up at night. Research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, tracked annually by pollster George Barna, consistently finds that only 6% of self-identified Christians actually hold a Biblical worldview. That means 94% of people who call themselves Christian are caught with their pants down right now and about to enter a world of pure deception, riddled with fear and have absolutely no Biblical leg to stand on. We already lost the ability as a culture to define what a woman is, what a child in the womb is, or what our God given sexual design looks like. The church (as a whole) largely rolled over on every single one of those, laziness, silence, and Scripture twisted into a pretzel to validate whatever the culture demanded that week. You really think this stops here? You really think a UFO file drop is going to be handled any differently by a church that has spent years surrendering ground it was never supposed to give up? Come on. Shouldn't You Have Been Doing This Already? I'll be honest, I have mixed feelings about these meetings and why they happened, I find them murky and ill timed with everything else going on in the world. What I do notice is that every church leader I can find who was in one of these meetings has a significant social media platform. Was that intentional to get the word out or help people prepare and adjust? Was that intentional to give people a “better” file drop to rabbit-hole and keep them distracted from the pseudofile's and cannibals? Was that intentional to create a distraction from the war in Iran and keep eyes off what Israel has been doing?(yes, I went there.) Was it intentional to get people questioning God, creation, and Scripture? Did they fake these meetings for their own reasons? (that one I doubt, but have to ask) Or was it intentional to manufacture fear and create a PTSD trigger? I do not know yet. I am not singling out any specific person here because there was a notable variety of religious leaders at these meetings, but if you have these platforms, if you have these congregations, if people look to you to understand the Word of God, why the scramble now? Why is this the moment the church decided to start preparing your people? Shouldn't that have been happening from day one? There should never have been a need to have private meetings with church leaders if church leaders were actually doing their job. The 94% walking into this without a Biblical foundation did not get there by accident. That lands squarely at the feet of church leadership that was more concerned with keeping their pockets lined and people comfortable than keeping them grounded in Scripture. Yes, this also lands on people to stand up and question things being fed to them and redevelop missing critical thinking skills, but a whole hell of a lot just fell hard on the shoulders of church leaders for screwing up so badly all these centuries. Wake Up and Smell the Wolf There are multiple things happening simultaneously here and I want to name some of them because people are missing it. Remember the Epstein file drop? That washed right under the bridge, no real sustained outrage, no mass marches for justice, nothing. And now this conveniently drops. Diversion and division. That is what is happening. Do not miss it while you are busy panicking about "aliens." And just so you know, an alien would probably be a lot nicer than a demon, confusing the two as different beings is going to be a costly mistake. Here Is What Is Going to Happen 1) People are going to question God on every possible level and why wouldn't they? It's not like only 94% of Christians barely know Scripture, let alone how to find a book or chapter int it. 2) The normalization of "aliens" aka demons, because that is what is actually happening and what satan wants, and this is going to accelerate. This has been building for decades through Hollywood, television, books, gaming, and entertainment. Satan has been softening you up for this moment for a very long time. The problem is not that people will encounter this information. The problem is that they have been so thoroughly conditioned to find it fascinating instead of spiritually alarming that they will not even recognize what they are looking at. This is not normal. It has never been normal. Slapping the word alien on it does not change what it is. 3) And now suddenly everyone is an expert on the Nephilim, giants, and the Books of Enoch. That last one, we are going to have a separate conversation about the Book of Enoch because I have a lot of thoughts, and none of them are polite. 4) The worst thing that is going to happen out of all of this is that people are going to be deceived. Massively. That is the goal. It has always been his goal. This Shouldn't Be Your First News Release The Bible was never once silent on this topic. Ephesians 6:12 NIV: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Principalities and powers. Spiritual forces of evil. That is the Biblical description of what is in those files. People just gave it a different name and a press release. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 NIV: "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing." Signs and wonders that serve the lie. Read that again slowly. Where I Stand I genuinely do not care what is in those files. I am not scared, I am not worried and I am not losing any sleep over "aliens" because I know exactly what they are and who wins and it is not them. What I care about, is the staggering number of people who are going to be deceived by this because nobody built them a foundation to stand on. The Christian church failed. Not in a small way, but in a massive, generational, brutal, inexcusable way. This is no longer a Christian nation, it is a nation with a remnant, only 6% who are actually Biblically grounded anymore, and the rest are walking into this completely exposed. That is the horrifying tragedy here. Not the files and not the demons parading in a costume. The Biblically illiterate congregations that filled pews for decades while leadership worried about keeping the offering plate full and the seats plush. Read your Bible people. I get it we are in a time and age where things have massively cumulated into people genuinely struggling to even just think for themselves, let alone read or do math and not to mention pumped full of addictive additives on a daily basis with social media, but that excuse can only take you so far. You are fully capable of opening your eyes, asking questions, and getting down and dirty and breaking a mental sweat and reading Scripture. Chosen ignorance, is still that - chosen. For the church leaders, I pray you get this one right. The deception is not coming. It is already here. As for me and my house, I'm will never bother to click any links to look at those files. © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Sources: Perry Stone UFO Briefing Claims - Charisma Magazine Pentagon UAP Files Released May 8 2026 - USA Herald Religious Leaders Told Prepare Now - End Time Headlines Newsweek - Pastor Meeting and Eric Burlison Response American Worldview Inventory - Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University, conducted by Dr. George Barna Crosswalk - Survey Finds That Only 6% of Professing Christians Have a Biblical Worldview USA Herald - Multiple Pastors Claim U.S. Military Intelligence Officers Secretly Briefed Them To Prepare Their Congregations For UAP Disclosure Charisma - Viral Claims of Secret Government Briefing to Pastors Ignite Fierce UFO Disclosure Debate Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF. https://ko-fi.com/janeisley

“Don’t follow me… follow Jesus.” If you’re anything like me, you may have read that and immediately thought “Don’t tell me what to do.” Whether that sounds like “I’m going to follow you BECAUSE you told me not to” (power of reverse psychology) OR it manifests more like “I won’t follow Jesus because religion is not for me” (or something along similar lines); rebels like myself don’t follow blindly just because someone (even super charismatic influencers) suggested it. We need proof, just like “doubting Thomas.” Show me your scars Jesus, and I’ll show you mine. Miraculously, when we authentically call upon the name of Jesus (not for the purposes of a dramatic Easter *performance set to emotional music with flashing lights up on a mega church stage) from our true heart, He opens the door just as it reads in the following scriptures: Ask, Seek, Knock “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:7–12) Are you truly seeking God? Or are you simply looking for the all the inherent flaws associated with organized religion? Personally, I’m trying not to judge the *performance aspect of big production churches (including my own) because I do believe the overall intention is good. At our church this past Easter weekend, our lead Pastor asked each one of us to sincerely consider this question from God: “Do you love Me?” He poignantly followed it up with “Do you love me, not for what I can give you or do for you but for ME, regardless of circumstances? If you had been there to hear the raw emotion in our pastor’s voice when he posed this question, you would most likely believe that his own answer to God’s question is that he truly loves God with all his heart, mind, and soul, simply for who God is — for His pure goodness no matter the tests, pain, or trials this life inevitably presents along the way. By the way, our church did an AMAZING job with the choir performances and other professional quality entertainment. So when I say that I am trying not to judge it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the productions. It has everything to do with the no-nonsense, scholarly Bible Study tiny one-hundred-percent unpaid volunteer-run ecclesia I grew up in compared to this multi-million dollar annual budget enterprise where masses flock to be entertained twice a year (Christmas and Easter), rather than seeking and studying God’s Word to know Him better and love Him more all year long. There are pros and cons with both kinds of churches. I learned a ton from my childhood church where EVERYONE knew everyone else and people definitely noticed whenever you missed an event. I fell in love with the contemporary worship music and passionate preaching at the church I’ve been attending for the past 31 years. It wasn’t until recent years that I actually started genuinely connecting with people in smaller group settings at this HUGE church and it has been life-changing in all the best possible ways. Atheists and agnostics claim they can’t see God, therefore God does not or may not exist. I would argue that WE are the hands and feet of God as members of the body of Christ and therefore GOD can and will be seen and experienced via relationships in real time in real life! I know, WILD, right? And believe me, I have shared some of the same hard questions with several of you such as “Why would God create this world knowing it would quickly become a sinful, broken “fallen world” in need of a savior?” Two answers immediately come to mind for this one. The first one is “There is a GOD and I am not Him…” (merely a member of His family). The second response is “By design, God intentionally created children with the gift of FREE WILL, because He didn’t want AI robots who give all the correct answers desired by the user.” I pray that this perspective helps those who struggle with these challenging questions and more. I invite your respectful comments and additional questions to be addressed in future stories. If you are part of the older crowd including these generations, Silent Generation (1928–1945), Baby Boomers (1946–1964), Generation X (1965–1980), you may remember classic advice columns in the black & white printed old-school newspapers like Ann Landers and “Dear Abby” Ann Landers (Esther “Eppie” Lederer) and Dear Abby (Pauline “Popo” Phillips) were influential, competing advice columnists born as identical twins on July 4, 1918. Starting in the 1950s, they revolutionized advice columns with direct, modern, and witty responses, reaching over 100 million combined readers. (AI overview) I just had the most delightful thought! Perhaps I could microcosmically represent a similar advice-giving column related to your biblical questions here at Medium ;) That could be fun! I will add the disclaimer right now that I will not have all of the answers to all of the questions. Anyone who claims they do have all of the answers, aside from God, is clearly lacking wisdom (also known as a “fool” in Proverbs.) Should we go with “Dear Nora” or “Dear Grateful Gwen”? What do you think? P.S. Also, don’t follow me because in this miraculous moment I have [John] 316 followers, so that’s pretty awesome! But do follow Jesus and exercise your FREE WILL to follow or unfollow whomever you choose (including me) ;) © 2026 Nora Gwen. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. https://buymeacoffee.com/gratefulgwen https://ko-fi.com/janeisley Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

To answer your question, yup, the word unicorn is most definitely still used in some Bible translations, the question is was it a mistranslation, or real history. All nine verses below are from the 21st Century King James Version. “the strength of a unicorn.” Num 23:22 “the strength of a unicorn.” Num 24:8 “and his horns are like the horns of unicorns.” Dt 33:17 “Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?” Job 39:9 “Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band to the furrow?” Job 39:10 “for Thou hast heard Me from the horns of the unicorns.” Ps 22:21 “like a young unicorn.” Ps 29:6 “But my horn shalt Thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn;” Ps 92:10 “And the unicorns shall come down with them,” Isa 34:7 So, does that make this mythological creature true? Well, I’ve discovered a yes and no answer here; the yes part is actually pretty awesome, so stick around. First, here’s the short history lesson on how the word unicorn landed in the Bible in the first place. The Hebrew word translated into unicorn is re’em, then the Greeks came along with the Septuagint and took re’em and translated that to monokeros, which means single horn (unicorn). Then the Vulgate kept that literal translation and used the word unicorn and finally came along the King James translation, and they kept to that literal Latin word, and voila — you get unicorn, and they just might have gotten it right, in a weird way. Now to the fun stuff. The animal used in these Biblical descriptions doesn’t fit the mythical unicorns we hear about from mythology. This animal is used to describe great strength, and Ps 29:6 indicates a calf, not a foal or colt. Meaning not horse-like in appearance. Trust me, they knew the difference, Zechariah 9:9. So, I got curious and found two things. The first thing is where the traditional, as we know it, unicorn myth got its start. A dude named Ctesias from 4th century BCE spotted something in India and this is what he said about it “fleet of foot, having a horn a cubit and a half in length, and coloured white, red and black” (1) But then he goes on to describe another animal with similar makings, which kind of rules out his first description, then a few other key people added more over time. Honestly, check out the article, it’s fun and right to the point. It’ll go through everything on the mythology side of things. Because I've got something cooler I want to show you. bbc.com The Siberian Unicorn (Elasmotherium sibiricum) And yup, he was real and he was a rhino (extinct now), so those who translate that animal into rhinoceros may also be very correct, because the Siberian Unicorn was a hairy rhino. Here’s what they know about this big guy. “were likely vegetarians, have been described as weighing up to four tons and standing two meters tall by nearly five meters long” (2) “despite its massive size and prominent shoulder hump, it is thought that the Siberian unicorn was actually adapted to running at speed.” (3) “roamed the grasslands of Eurasia” (4) “ recent discovery of a well-preserved skull in Kazakhstan.” (2) “may have eventually died out because it was such a picky eater.” (4) It’s a wee tricky to see, but the blue dots were the Siberian Unicorns (Elasmotherium sibiricum) roaming areas, for lack of a better term. wikipedia.com I’m zeroing in on Ps 26:9 because David specifically used the word calf, not colt or foal. So somewhere along the line, David knew about these animals. I decided to use Google Maps and see how far Lebanon (where he was when he wrote Ps 29:6) was from Kazakhstan. googlemaps.com According to Google Maps, he was only 999 (walking) hours away from where this recent finding of a not quite as long extinct as thought Siberian Unicorn. If you’re wondering, that's only 42 walking days away, well, 41.625 to be exact. We know Jesus as His disciples walked a lot more than that, plus they had camels, donkeys, and horses to travel on. So 42 days was nothing to them, and easy enough for travelers to go around talking about these big guys as well. My conclusion? How cool is this? A lot of people use the unicorn translation to discredit Bible translations, and others use it to say it’s all made up because there are verses that talk about the fabled mythical unicorn. Maybe the writers of the Bible weren’t wrong after all, and we just had a different vision of what we think a unicorn should look like? Either way, I think this is a very neat piece of the pie that some might have fun learning about. © 2026 Jane Isley Sources: (1) St. Neots Museum: Unicorns — a brief history (2) The Times of Israel; Humans, ‘unicorns’ may have walked Earth together. (3) Natural History Museum; The Siberian unicorn lived at the same time as modern humans. (4) BBC; ‘Siberian unicorn’ walked Earth with humans. Biblehub.com; What does the Bible say about unicorns?

God’s Heart Is Not Condemnation I know many don’t know this, believe this, or even want to slow down enough to understand this. When this topic comes up, anger and mistrust often flare up before critical thinking even has a chance to begin, especially in light of real church abuse, blatant lies, and misinformation blaring in our ears every day. I acknowledge and empathize with the hurt, mistrust, and mixed messages flooding out there. But I do not condone the radical abandonment of critical thinking when it comes to something this important. What I want to do here is slow the conversation down and explain why hell is not something God forces on anyone, but is, in fact, tied directly to human response and therefore is an optional choice made by mankind. I present the information; how it is received is up to the reader. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 2:3 The Source of the Confusion A significant amount of confusion surrounding this topic comes from the fragmentation within Christianity itself. Over time, multiple divisions, interpretations, and traditions have developed, some faithful to Scripture, others heavily shaped by cultural or institutional influence. In some cases, hell has been used as a tool for fear, manipulation, or control. In others, it has been minimized or denied altogether. This inconsistency has contributed to widespread misunderstanding. Because of this, it is necessary to return to Scripture itself rather than inherited assumptions. It should be a serious conversation, but not a traumatic or abusive event. What Scripture Actually Says About God’s Intent “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17 Scripture is clear and always has been that God’s heart is not toward the condemnation of mankind but toward its redemption. What people like to get hung up on is the act of responding to Christ and following Him. The Role of Human Nature and Response People want to do what they want to do; that's human nature. We see it everywhere. The ones that fight back and see Scripture as restrictive simply do not understand it or take the time to study it without a lens attached to their eyes. In any country or culture, there are laws. Doing something will result in a consequence. That's not really fought on or debated, and part of me wonders if that is because it is run and supported by humans and generally removed from anything to do with God. Either way, bad stuff equals consequences. That is the same for God. Sin equals death; that's the truth, and that is what is known, but a large part of the issue is how it is taught. Some church leaders skirt the full truth and add in their opinions, others use it to manipulate their congregation, or appease their congregation, and others teach that hell doesn’t even exist. Like I said, I can empathize with confused people, but it is still on them to be responsible, to step back from the mainstream and determine for themselves what Scripture says. Despite popular belief, it is very possible to be Biblically grounded and read Scripture without any preconceived notions, if you so choose. Personal Responsibility Cannot Be Removed To claim that God arbitrarily sends people to hell completely removes all weight of any personal accountability, which is a lot of what is happening. Many things are leading to this, not just one thing, but it still comes down to personal responsibility and exercising critical thinking. Judgment (hell) has been reframed as something imposed externally rather than something aligned with the choices of mankind. Hell simply is an optional choice, not a forced one, so is the salvation offered. It is a personal choice by the person, not a forced decision. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18 The language here is vitally important to understand. Condemnation is not God’s desire, but a result of rejection. We all know cause and effect, you push a pencil and the pencil moves, you drink water, and you get hydrated, you flick a marble, it rolls etc…. You do something, and there is an effect. The important part to remember is that choice is yours and yours alone. I can give you water, but you can choose if you drink it. God offers salvation and heaven, but you choose if you accept it. Free Will and God’s Patience If you choose hell, then God will honor that choice because we are all given the free will to choose. Does He want that? No, that is why Jesus came and died for us; that is why, like in 2nd Peter, He is being patient with us. If God wanted to rush this and be done with the world’s crap, He would. But He’s not, He keeps waiting because He does not want anyone to perish. Hell is the locational consequence of rejecting God. You don’t want to be there with Him? Then you won’t be, that's your choice, not His, and not any other person's. It will be exactly what you wanted: the permanent absence of God’s love and mercy. He is not going to bring you to heaven if you do not want to be there. I know I sound harsh and maybe even a bit blasé about the whole topic, but this is not a new topic in this world. It is not as difficult to understand as some would like to believe, it is not a grey area that may or may not have a few different possibilities for answers, it’s a yes or no answer that can’t be redefined away, it can’t be changed by the ever changing narratives out there and it simply boils down to a persons choice, one that God will respect because it is what that person chose. © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Rethinking Doctrine.

Even between those in the same religious community. While learning and sharing similar doctrines, Scripture, and base beliefs can draw people together, everyone is going to interpret things slightly differently. People come to faith at different points in life, which shapes their maturity, understanding, and experiences of Christianity. Some grew up deeply involved in church. Sunday school, youth events, even community concerts. I, however, wasn’t very active in church life as a child. My mother, a single parent, wasn't always feel welcomed by churches, so faith in our home looked different. We prayed, worshiped, and learned together, just not always within a larger church community. Even so, my faith was strong. I sometimes longed for a church community, but I also knew God was with me whether I worshiped in a sanctuary or around the dinner table. Others I know feel the opposite, that faith must include regular church attendance and activity. What I’ve realized is that many of us share similar experiences, struggles, doubts, spiritual battles, even miracles, yet we don’t often talk about them. Sharing our stories, whether within a congregation or just among family and friends, helps us grow in faith and encourages others along the way. That’s why conversation matters. To truly understand a faith, we need more than general guidelines, we need to listen to the lived experiences of those who practice it. © Maia Vashti 2nd Year Anthology Student at SNHU Reference: Brodd, J., Little, L., Nystrom, B., Platzner, R., Shek, R., & Stiles, E. (2021). Invitation to World Religions (4th ed., pp. 475, 492, 494). Oxford University Press Academic US.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 If you’ve ever read that verse and thought, How? How am I supposed to rejoice when my life feels like a painful, overwhelming mess? You’re not alone. I used to stumble over this all the time. For the longest time, I thought rejoicing meant forcing a smile and pretending everything was fine. I believed I had to stuff down my worries and hide my pain, because if I admitted to struggling, it meant something was wrong with me, or worse, with my relationship with God. Along the way, I got the idea that Christians were supposed to have it all together, and if problems didn’t magically disappear, then clearly I was the problem. (this was reinforced many times w/in churches) But that’s not what Paul was saying here at all. Joy vs happiness. Paul isn’t commanding us to feel happy every second of every day. Happiness is tied to circumstances. But Joy? Joy is way deeper. Joy is an anchor. It comes from knowing the Lord is near, even when the storm rages on. This is the same Paul who wrote these words while imprisoned, not on a chillax vacation or during an easy season of his life. That tells me rejoicing is not about ignoring our pain, it’s about remembering God’s presence within it. Choosing rejoicing. Rejoicing is an active choice, and it's definitely a hard one to make. It’s choosing to thank God for every breath you're taking, even when anxiety wants to tighten your throat. It’s choosing to sing praises while your face is damp and your nose is still clogged from crying. It’s choosing to trust that God’s promises are always stronger than today’s problems. Definitely not easy things to do, sometimes beyond hard, but when you can do them, even in small ways, it will shift your whole perspective. Because rejoicing reorients us. It pulls our gaze off the chaos and fixes it back on the Lord, who holds us steady. It doesn’t erase the struggle, but it reminds us that the Lord is our refuge, our fortress, and our friend. A Psalm to hold on to. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart triumphs, And with my song I shall thank Him.” Psalm 28:7 So, if you’re struggling today, I want to encourage you to rejoice. It doesn’t mean that “fake it till you make it” crap. It means pause, breathe, and whisper, “Lord, I know You are here.” And that whisper of faith? That’s rejoicing. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider supporting my work. Your gift helps keep this work going. You can visit me at Faithful Writers on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on Facebook.