I recently watched a TikTok of Kent Hovind, an evangelist who talks about how God transcends time, space, and matter. He argues that the "trinity of trinities" of time, space, and matter necessitate an all-powerful creator. While Mr. Hovind's theories are controversial in the scientific community, it got me thinking about how our material world trinity is representative of the Holy Trinity of God. Similar to the Holy Trinity, time, space, and matter are not separate, independent concepts that can exist on their own; they are deeply interconnected. In fact, remove one, and the entire framework of existence begins to fall apart. Time is what allows events to occur. It is the dimension in which change happens, where cause leads to effect, and where movement is even possible. Without time, nothing could happen. There would be no sequence, no growth, no motion—only a frozen, meaningless state. Time gives existence its progression. Space, on the other hand, is the...

When we hear the word “trans” these days, our immediate first thought probably has something to do with transgender. That’s what we hear most often in pop culture and political debates. But the prefix itself transcends the current debate.  The prefix trans- comes from Latin meaning across, beyond, or to the other side of something. Once you understand that meaning, a whole group of English words becomes more clear: transform, transport, translate, transfer, transgress. Each of these words carries the same basic idea—movement from one place, condition, or state to another.  Trans words run all throughout Scripture. The Bible repeatedly describes the work of God as moving people across something—from darkness into light, from death into life, from separation into reconciliation. God is constantly bringing people from where they were into something entirely new.  Transform One of the clearest examples of this prefix appears in the word transform. In Romans 12...

For years, I prayed that God would change my ex-husband. I prayed that God would soften his heart, make him kinder, make him easier to co-parent with, or for God to help him become the kind of man I believed he could be. I prayed that God would convict him, transform him, and bring him to a place of repentance. After all, Scripture tells us in Matthew 19:26 that “with God all things are possible.” If God can part the Red Sea, raise the dead, and transform Saul the persecutor into Paul the apostle, surely He could change the heart of one man. So I prayed. And prayed. And prayed some more. For a long time, nothing changed. Or at least nothing changed in him. And that created a tension in my faith that I didn’t quite know what to do with. I watched all these women who had prayed their husbands into a relationship with God. So why not mine? If God can change anyone’s heart, and I was faithfully praying for that change, why wasn’t it happening? Was I not praying hard enough? Wa...

In my English class, I teach my students Greek and Latin roots. My theory has always been that if students learn the roots of words, they can usually figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words on their own. Instead of memorizing hundreds of vocabulary words, they learn the building blocks of language, and suddenly their vocabulary grows with much less effort. One of those building blocks is the prefix re -. It’s a prefix that means “again” or “back.” When you know that meaning, a whole group of words suddenly becomes clear: renew, revive, refresh, rejoice, restore. The Bible is full of re- words. This small prefix appears again and again in Scripture, and the message behind it is deeply encouraging—that God is a God of restoration. He does not simply create once and then abandon what has been broken. He restores. He renews. He revives. Over and over again. Rejoice The command to rejoice appears throughout Scripture. In Philippians 4:4, Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord alwa...