As I write these words, I’m sitting in a classroom with ten Thai pastors who are ministering in environments that are pagan in nature, and incredibly harsh and difficult.  They come face to face with cultural and spiritual resistance. Yesterday we listened to each of them preach sermons, following a day of teaching by other members of the Board of Ordained Ministry and Bishop Scott Jones.  Overwhelmingly, their messages were centered on the being joyful in the Lord, being content with what you have, being faithful servants of God, being in relationship with God, and loving involves [...]

My sister streams YouTube videos on her TV in the morning while she gets ready for work. Sometimes I’ll sit on her bed with my coffee as she puts on her makeup. It doesn’t take long before I’m sucked into videos of young women documenting their entire day. It amazes me as I watch them cook perfectly healthy comfort food all under 30 minutes with just enough time to spare to do a full face of makeup and a bonus tutorial on how to achieve Disney princess hair in just three steps! All you have to do is [...]

At the beginning of the school year 2007, I decided to volunteer my time with KIDS HOPE USA, sponsored by St. Luke's Church. This required spending an hour each week with a young student at Briarmeadow Charter School. The program administrator met me on week one and took me to Mrs. Karol Bell's third-grade classroom where she introduced me to Samuel Barnes, the young man I would mentor. Right away, I told Samuel that we would spend half of our time each week in the library doing some type of school study and the balance we would [...]

com·mu·ni·ty /kəˈmyo͞onədē/ noun 1. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. 2. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. The day we stop seeking community is the day God’s love becomes stifled. We were created to be in community with one another. We belong to one another through and because of Jesus Christ. Noah’s Ark was a community. Two by two, remember? Noah didn’t bring all bears or cows on the ark. Jesus didn’t pick his disciples because they all [...]

In October 2001, Jane Williams called my name while Dr. Moore shook my hand in the St. Luke’s Sanctuary, and I will never forget my excitement that morning. As eager as I was to be gifted a shiny, new book, it was the actual presentation of my Third Grade Bible that was most exhilarating. This rite of passage was so powerful because these leaders whom I had admired my whole life were entrusting me with something sacred…it was the first time I remember feeling like a valued member of this community. Third Grade Bibles was the beginning of [...]

In early 2018, during our Tuesday Moms Bible Study, Julie Ellerbrock handed out color slips of paper wrapped with a bright gold bow and issued us all a challenge – write down your daily gratitudes and put them in a jar. On New Year's Eve, read them aloud as a family. I have always liked the *idea* of practicing gratitude daily but had been terrible at follow through. I vowed to be different this year. I bought a jar and set it on the kitchen counter with the hopes that mere proximity would serve as an adequate reminder. [...]