A close friend and I were chatting over text recently, and we came to the conclusion that though we’re going through completely different situations in our lives, we’re both having our faith stretched in the same way. For me, the stretching feels a bit like when I try to stretch my hamstrings in an exercise…
“A church that follows her Head, the Good and Great Shepherd, is a refuge for the flock, a place of green pastures and clear waters, a place of restoration for wounded sheep and most certainly, a place that fights off the wolves.” ~Diane Langberg Many churches seem similar on the surface because they share common…
“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19 NIV) I always like really good definitions, so I looked up what it means to ponder. Merriam-Webster defines ponder as, “to weigh in the mind, think about, or reflect on.” Another definition I read, from Oxford Languages, stated that ponder…
Over the last year, I’ve had a revelation. It’s something I knew before, but I think I forgot: pastors are people. You see, prior to this past year, I attended rather large churches—eleven years at a megachurch and about another four at a not-as-big-but-still-pretty-big church. When I moved to Michigan seventeen years ago, freshly married,…
Stop the ride, I’m ready to get off. I once took a ride on a malfunctioning roller coaster. If you’ve ever been to Walt Disney World, you’re no doubt familiar with Space Mountain. Lots of twists, turns, and dips—all in the dark, so you can’t brace yourself for what’s coming. I’m not a fan of…
When cruising on a big ship in the Caribbean Sea in the middle of a pandemic, it all comes down to getting a table for dinner by yourself. I know! This doesn’t sound very social or all that nice, but for my husband and me, it’s kind of the truth. I’m not sure how it…