BeanSpired Editions

An empty mug sits on a rough wooden tabletop.

When Our Best Isn’t Enough

November 22, 2022February 1, 2023 Megan Bean

The end of our capability doesn't have to be the end of our story. In fact, by the grace and power of God, it can be a beginning.

A Bible lies open in the seat of a power wheelchair in an outdoor setting. Fallen leaves in the grass indicate it's autumn.

Disability & Rare Disease, God

When the Bible Meets Disability

October 28, 2022July 24, 2025 Megan Bean

How we view disability and treat those who live with it matter. And, as with every other life topic or ethical question, our best guide is the Bible . . . All our best intentions and attempts at inclusion will miss the mark unless they grow from and by biblical truths.

A clock with a decorative wooden frame hangs on a wall. It reads 8:07. Natural light shines on it from the left, but the room also seems to be lit with soft artificial light.

Tough Times

Preparing for the Hard Times

September 16, 2022September 26, 2024 Megan Bean

Nothing can guarantee we'll make it through hardship without scars, slip-ups, or shaky moments. But there are things we can do to maximize our chances of suffering in a way that honors God and makes us more like Jesus. And a lot of that work begins long before the trial does.

The green heart-shaped leaves of an Eastern Redbud tree fill most of the photo. The closest are mere inches from the camera. Some leaves are in sunlight, others in full or partial shade. A few bits of blue sky show though the canopy of leaves. The leafy branches cast shadows on the grass below.

God

A Love That’s Easily Pleased

July 29, 2022September 27, 2024 Megan Bean

When we truly, deeply love someone, we’re easily pleased with their gifts. They could give us a rock and we’d treasure it—because it’s from them. If their heart’s in it, our heart responds. I wondered: How pleased am I with what God gives me? What does that say about our relationship? And how does He respond to what I offer Him?

A white plastic basket sits on the ground in the aisle a barn. The basket has two rectangular compartments and a handle running along the divider between them. Its compartments are filled with various brightly-colored brushes and tools used to groom horses. The floor of the barn aisle is covered with rather dirty rubber mats. Shade and morning sunlight streak the ground. Under a board fence in the background are the plants and dirt of a paddock.

Donkey Devos, God, Life

Waiting for Perfection

June 13, 2022September 27, 2024 Megan Bean

If God wants our sanctification so badly, why doesn't He just skim off our old selves and slip on the new in an instant? Why make us endure the wait?

A single set of footprints cross the damp sand of a beach, parallel to the line of the water. The sand is strewn with seashells and sticks. To the left, gray-blue seawater is rippling onto the beach.

Life, Relationships, Tough Times

When Obedience Comes First

May 20, 2022September 27, 2024 Megan Bean

Sometimes action has to precede emotion. Sometimes we have to trust the power of obedience to shape us, instead of trying to get ourselves in shape to obey.

The fallen, pale pink blossoms of a Japanese Flowering Cherry tree litter the sun-dappled ground under the tree.

God, Holidays & Seasons, Tough Times

When Good Things End

April 28, 2022September 27, 2024 Megan Bean

Trusting God’s purposes is hard enough when bad things invade our lives. But what about when good things leave? When instead of facing an enemy, we face simply...emptiness?