Include Weekly

Include Weekly is your guide to what's new, what's deep, and what's worth dwelling on. Each issue offers a short devotional reflection, a closer look at a piece of scripture, and one gentle spiritual practice to try during the week ahead. It’s a space to slow down, engage thoughtfully with faith, and reflect on how scripture and spiritual practice connect with everyday life.

At the opening of the Gospel, John speaks of a mysterious figure—the Word—who is both with God and is God. The Creator of all things, the source of life, the light of humanity. A light, he says, that has entered the darkness—and a darkness that cannot comprehend it or overcome it. And then, witho...

Apr 20, 2026 gospel john prologue testify witness

Rhythm of Remembrance

Some truths are too large for plain speech. John begins his Gospel not with an essay or a plain declaration, but with a poem. Because poetry, both then and now, is not ornamental—it is a powerful vessel of truth. Poetry is how we collectively remember who we are. The Psalms, the prophets, the...

Apr 13, 2026

Resurrection for Ordinary Mornings

When I was younger, I thought serving God meant escaping the ordinary. I imagined holiness as something lofty and rarefied—lives spent in constant focus on the eternal, far from kitchens, bills, commutes, and mundane work. Spirituality, I believed, required grand gestures, heroic devotion, and a ...

Apr 06, 2026 easter resurrection risen

In the Beginning

There are openings, and then there are thresholds. Can you imagine John, wrestling with the weight of telling this story? He knows he has been called to this—to bear witness, to testify, to shape experience into language so that others might believe. But language falters. Words feel thin, like...

Mar 30, 2026 creation gopel jesus john logos the word

The Story and the Truth

I still remember being 18, sitting on the couch in my dorm and venting to a friend after yet another frustrating interaction. “She’s just… toxic,” I said, exhaling hard. “I can’t deal with her anymore.” It felt justified. Clean. Final. In that moment, I wasn’t just describing her behavior—I was ...

Mar 23, 2026 anger forgiveness friendship grace

Back to One Another

If Satan could destroy God, he would have done it long ago. But he cannot defeat Him. He never could, and he never will. Scripture reminds us that “the Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). So if the enemy cannot strike the throne of God, w...

Mar 16, 2026 faith forgiveness forgivetobefree godslove reconciliation

Imago Dei

Human beings were built for forgiveness. We know this because we need it constantly. From a spouse, a child, a friend, from God Himself—when does a day pass that we don’t find ourselves needing forgiveness from someone? For many years, when I thought about forgiveness, I thought about it throu...

Mar 09, 2026 forgivenss freedom image of god imago dei

The First Word Was Mercy

There’s a moment in the story of Scripture where we stand at the edge of something holy and foundational. It sits in the very heart of Torah. In Exodus 34, God does something extraordinary: He declares His own name and character to His people for the first time in a direct, personal way. The tim...

Mar 02, 2026

Power of the Lamb

Conflict is the engine of every great story. Without conflict, there is no tension and without tension, no transformation. A story becomes compelling only when something is at stake—when two forces collide and the outcome matters. The central conflict of Scripture is not God versus man, nor is...

Feb 23, 2026 conflict lamb lion of judah power princple story

The Hero and The Giant

In last week's newsletter we looked at how Jesus used stories to draw us closer, into a dialogue with God Himself, and this week I want to take a look at the overarching narrative of scripture, and how reading the text through that lens can shift our gaze to God. The Bible is largely a collectio...

by Jessica Stout — Feb 16, 2026 david goliath narrative protagonist story of the bible

Called Closer

This year at Christmas we bought our twin daughters each their own vanities.They’re fourteen, and they’ve reached the point where they are ready to begin curling their hair and using some light makeup. It wasn’t too difficult to find a couple vanities that would do the job–a quick search on Ama...

by Jessica Stout — Feb 09, 2026 narrative parables sower story

Called to Include

by Jessica Stout — Feb 02, 2026 abraham hospitality include

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Include Weekly

Include Weekly is your guide to what's new, what's deep, and what's worth dwelling on. Each issue offers a short devotional reflection, a closer look at a piece of scripture, and one gentle spiritual practice to try during the week ahead. It’s a space to slow down, engage thoughtfully with faith, and reflect on how scripture and spiritual practice connect with everyday life.

Include Weekly

Include Weekly

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