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Dana Rongione 01/04/2026 Dana Rongione 01/04/2026

The God We Want vs. the God Who Is

It started with palm branches and praise.

"Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!" The crowd was electric. People threw their coats on the road, waved branches, and shouted themselves hoarse. If you'd been standing in that crowd on Palm Sunday, you might have thought, This is it. The revolution is here. And honestly? That's exactly what they thought, too.

The same people who had been groaning under Roman rule for generations finally saw their moment. Jesus was riding in. A miracle worker. A man who had raised the dead, fed thousands with a few fish sandwiches, and made blind men see. If anyone could overthrow Caesar's grip, surely it was Him!

And then... He didn't.

No armies. No swords drawn. No Roman soldiers sent running. Just Jesus weeping over the city, turning over tables in the temple, and talking about things like eternal life and the kingdom of Heaven. Not quite the battle plan they had in mind.

Dana Rongione 23/03/2026 Dana Rongione 23/03/2026

What Can a Greyhound Teach You About Keeping Your Eyes on What Matters?

Over the next few weeks, I want to introduce you to one of my new favorite creatures, the greyhound. Now, before you picture a bus hurtling down the motorway, let me paint you a different picture. The greyhound is a dog breed unlike any other. They are elegant, ancient, and surprisingly full of spiritual wisdom. (Yes, I said spiritual wisdom. Just trust me on this one.)

This slender, noble dog has been around since the days of the pharaohs. In fact, greyhounds are believed to be among the oldest breeds on earth, with references dating back to ancient Egypt. This week, we are going to look at three remarkable characteristics of this dog that I believe the Lord wants to use to teach us something. Today, we begin with the one that may be the most convicting of all.

The greyhound has extraordinary eyesight, arguably the best of any dog breed.

Dana Rongione 20/03/2026 Dana Rongione 20/03/2026

Are You Sleeping Through the Night?

My smartwatch and I have a complicated relationship.

Every morning, I roll over, bleary-eyed, and check my sleep score. And every morning, that little device has the nerve to tell me exactly how badly I failed at something I've been doing my whole life: sleeping. Honestly, you'd think I'd have gotten the hang of it by now.

Here's how the scoring works. I can earn 50 points for getting a full 8 hours. I can earn 30 more if I go to bed at my set bedtime of 9 p.m. And I can earn up to 20 points based on how many times I wake up during the night, not just a little shift or a sigh, but a full-on, heart-rate-changing, get-out-of-bed kind of awakening.

That last category? That's where things get embarrassing.

On more than one occasion, I have scored a big, fat zero on my interruption score. Zero! You know what that means?

Dana Rongione 11/03/2026 Dana Rongione 11/03/2026

When You’ve Done Everything Right and Still Feel Like You Failed

I stared into the bathroom mirror and asked myself a very important question: How many people out there can tell I'm faking it?

Not exactly the inspirational pre-event pep talk I was hoping for.

I had done everything right. Really, I had. I'd lined up another speaker to carry most of the load. I'd purchased the decorations and gifts weeks in advance. I'd even managed to say "no," which, if you know me, is practically an Olympic sport, to several things threatening to crowd my calendar. When the back tweak hit, I rested. When the newsletter deadline loomed, I pushed it back without guilt. When the company arrived, I graciously excused myself when needed.

I had managed my time, my energy, and my expectations. I was practically a wellness guru.

And yet, there I stood, more tired than when the week began, staring at a reflection that told the whole unvarnished truth.

Dana Rongione 09/02/2026 Dana Rongione 09/02/2026

Owls, Night Seasons, and the God Who Sees in the Dark

Did you know you can learn a lot of theology from a bird with big eyes and a funny hoot? I didn't either—at least, not until my Bible study on the animals of the Bible landed on the owl. Suddenly, this "spooky" night bird became one of my favorite little professors.

In Isaiah 43, God says something that stopped me in my tracks: "The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls..." (Isaiah 43:20a). The owls honour Him... in the dark. They don't sing like the sweet little songbirds at sunrise. They don't trill in the bright blue sky. They hoot in the lonely, desolate places when everyone else has gone quiet and gone home.

Most birds are at their best in the sunshine, but the owl is built for the night.