I love that the Bible has so many verses on joy and rejoicing. St Paul who wrote to the Philippians from prison says ‘Rejoice, again I say rejoice.’ When Jesus prays for himself, his disciples, and for us his children, he prays that we will enjoy the joy he enjoyed. Doesn’t that sound beautiful?
Read MoreA more appealing alternative to finding solstice in nature than my ow futile attempts at solitude when I had young children; in moments when I craved a quiet respite, I would flee to the bathroom or my small closet. I would wonder, in those busy times of child-rearing and child training, if I would ever be able to have a clean and orderly patch of my small world for more than 10 minutes at a time.
Read MoreSeminary has stretched me in many ways and urged me to grow in empathy and experience. One class I am taking this semester is Christian History 50 CE - 1500 CE. Stick with me here. My class has learned about ancient theological arguments that have shaped the faith we practice today and divided the then-forming Christian tradition. Our professor arranged a visit to an Eastern Orthodox church to learn about their traditions, which are different than ours in the western church.
Read MoreThis month we started asking why we didn’t receive more answers to our prayers. Then, God issued a challenge - are we ready to RECEIVE the answers to our prayers. It’s funny how that works. As Christians, we talk about prayer and the mighty work God can do. However, we forget the second half of the verse…believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. All of these years of prayer - and we forgot the second half of the verse!
Read MoreA couple of years back when I visited Appa, he took me to his room and opened a draw, as if to show me a treasure. There in neat piles were all the letters, cards and paper clippings I had posted to him over the years. My eyes clouded with tears. That day I saw the soft tender part of my tall, dark, handsome and strong father.
Read MoreAs a kid I loved stickers. Every single sticker I could get my hands on got a place of honor in my Lisa Frank sticker book. Mostly they were random “good work” stickers from school or a smiling tooth giving a thumb’s up from the dentist’s office. And 90s kids, remember the sticker boxes? They opened like a treasure chest to reveal several individual compartments filled with rolls and stacks of colorful, sparkly stickers.
Read MoreJoy, contentment, happiness, gladness. All similar words and arguably interchangeable. But what do these words mean to you - really?
Read MoreWe have a sandbox at school. My students like to make sand pies, dig to the bottom of the box, make tracks, build sandcastles. Everyday is a completely new adventure when it comes to the sandbox. The other day, I sat down by a tiny human (about three years old) who decided to build a sandcastle. He chose the perfect pail and perfect shovel. Then he sat down to begin his work. He meticulously shoveled sand into the pail until it was full. After a few tugs on the pail, he managed to turn it over into the sandbox to dump the sand out. As he pulled the pail up, I watched the sand topple down in a messy heap. I took a breath, prepared to reassure him that we could try again together. But he looked at me with the proudest smile you’ve ever seen, and giggled.
Read MoreThe other day I was at my church helping to set up for an event when out of nowhere I felt tiny arms wrap around me in a hug. I glanced down to see a little girl that I had never seen before. She looked up at me and said something which both surprised me and stuck with me: “I love you… what’s your name?”
Read MoreAs I write this, I have been unable to hug my family in over 8 weeks. I have fortunately seen them in the past few weeks in short spurts with quite a bit of social distancing. For some, COVID-19 may have left you unemployed. During this season, you may have suffered anxiety, panic attacks, and depression
Read MoreI don't know about you, but during this time of lockdown, I have actually found it harder to be consistent with my quiet time rather than easier. It should seem the opposite, shouldn't it? Now that many of our social plans, outings, and even regular work hours are disrupted, shouldn't it be easier than ever before to come before the Lord? To carve out that time?
Read MoreRecently my son’s health began to decline, whilst trying to navigate this I was preparing to teach on Sunday. I kept on moving forward, childhood illnesses come and go, and I imagined this too would pass. My assigned passage was James 1.
Read MoreWe’ve all heard the following phrase in some form. Maybe we’ve even said it ourselves: “Life happens and it isn’t always fair.”
Read MoreI used to play tennis in high school. At least three times a week, we would run drills in the afternoon. The countless hours of sprinting, swinging the racket, and hitting shots over and over again seemed mind-numbing in the moment. But by the end of my senior year, I could see how much I had improved since being a freshman. I could play tennis well because I had practiced it almost every week.
Read MoreCamp stove. Fuel. Pot. Fork. Breakfast. Dinner. Coffee. Water purifier. Granola bar. Tea bags. Extra socks. Sleeping bag. Down jacket. Long underwear. Change of pants. Fleece vest. Mere Christianity. Water bottle. Apple. Toilet paper. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Pack cover. Fujifilm XT2. Coffee mug. Cord to hang a bear bag. More extra socks. Trekking poles. A hat. Phone charger/lantern. Overnight permit. With one last run-through of my mental checklist, I hefted the pack on my back. I adjusted the shoulder straps, clipped the hipbelt and tightened the chest strap. And I headed to the trailhead.
Read MoreGratitude and rejoicing is easy when things are going well, but what about the seasons of trial, anxiety, struggle? What then?
Read More
