My husband and I made a big mistake last fall. Huge. We neglected to apply an autumn round of lawn fertilizer. The lawn looked fabulous then, but once the frost broke we had a yard full of dandelions. I’m not talking about a couple here and a few there. I’m talking a bumper crop of the vile weed. So off I went to the hardware store to buy the biggest bag of weed and feed… … Continue reading
“What do I do now?” For a lot of us, it’s a question that marks more than a moment — it marks a season. We find ourselves in a place we never meant to be in, a place that looks completely different from what we’d planned for our lives. And we don’t know what to do. Sometimes that means you’re single and you thought you’d be married by now. Sometimes it means you thought you’d… … Continue reading
For a number of years during my commute to work, I would enter the highway at the same toll ramp almost every day. I would impatiently wait in the line of cars, wanting to get through the tollbooth as quickly as possible. As I waited to pay, I would see an anonymous hand reach out of the booth and go back in, then repeat this mechanical motion for each vehicle. Most commuters did not even… … Continue reading
Pastors are not strangers to the expectations of church members. But are the expectations of church members Biblical mandates from God? Or are there certain expectations that we, as pastors and churches, have believed to be signs of a healthy church? What does the Bible require of a pastor? Paul’s famous charge to young Timothy is a good place to start: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus christ, who will judge… … Continue reading
There are no words in any language that adequately express the emotion felt when hearing the phrase: “There’s a large mass”, no way to express the feelings that wash over the heart and mind when these words are spoken over the body of a two-year-old boy. But, I know I’m not the only one who has heard words like this and Chase isn’t the only one to carry cancer like this. How many times have… … Continue reading
One day, I was telling a woman named Ashley how my daughter always wanted to borrow my clothes, which many see as a form of flattery. I do, too, unless I have to dig through the laundry on her bedroom floor when I want to wear them. That story led to a conversation on entitlement. “Oh, I know what you’re talking about,” she said. I wondered what she could possibly be referring to since her… … Continue reading
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.” – 2 Timothy 2:24-25 Does God care about politics? Well, a better question might be, “Why wouldn’t He care?” He cares about everything concerning us, our daily lives, peace on the earth, justice and truth. He also cares about nations. In fact, He came up with the idea in the first place.… … Continue reading
God hates religion. Why? Imagine with me for a minute, Jesus, standing in the temple with the religious leaders. They were testing and mocking him. The courtyard of the temple was filled with merchants and moneychangers. It looked like a crowded flea market, not a sacred place of worship. (John 2:13-22) God’s sanctuary was being abused, and the high priests were okay with it. They were also perfectly fine with corrupting God’s commands with their… … Continue reading
“Pray continually.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 My niece is a senior in high school. In a few short months, she will walk in procession with the rest of her class to receive her diploma. It seems like yesterday she was a baby asleep in my arms. As a child, she loved to talk with me. She started the minute she saw me and continued until I left. She told me stories of her day, tattled on… … Continue reading
We all have our reasons for needing that morning shot of energy. But have you ever added up all the dollars you spend on that morning drive-thru? Here are 4 reasons to cut back on that cup of artisanal joe so you can invest in something even more worthwhile. 1. Coffee won’t help you keep your priorities straight. You may feel like a wild animal before your first cup of caffeine, but Christy reminded us… … Continue reading
