I come from a long line of churchgoing people: bishops, reverends, musicians, preachers, music ministers, church mothers, and deacons. Even before I had a relationship with God for myself, I assumed God must be real. Otherwise, I couldn’t reason why my great-grandma Sudie and the mothers of the church would gather in her living…
Here, Now: The Better Thing
There are no holier moments on earth than birth and death. But it’s the moments in between that make up a life. A whole God-given, genuine life. Each moment sows into the whole, slowly revealing who we become. But do we show up for them, really show up? Or do we categorize them as pleasant…
How to Make It Through the Holidays When You Don’t Feel Very Grateful
It’s that time of year again. Pumpkins are put away, Christmas décor in beginning to fill the stores, and there’s one more big Holiday to celebrate before the Christmas jingles hit the airwaves – Thanksgiving. As Christians we know we are supposed to “give thanks is all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and “give thanks to…
Struggle and Chaos
Struggles He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” — Matthew 26:39 We all struggle. But did you ever think that perhaps God may be using your…
What Am I Supposed to Do With All the Hurt
WELCOME! (SUGGESTED TIME: 2–5 MINUTES) Welcome to session 1 of Forgiving What You Can’t Forget. If this is your first time together as a group, take a moment to introduce yourselves to one another before watching the video. Then let’s get started! OPENING REFLECTION: (SUGGESTED TIME: 10–15 MINUTES) Leader Note: Have a few people share…
God Bless You!
When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. — Colossians 4:6 ICB ACHOO! That’s the universal sound for a sneeze. Sneezing — or sternutation (stur-new-TEY-shun) — is your body’s way of getting rid of something that’s irritating your nose. You…
Advent: Everlasting Father
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. — John 1:1-3 For to us a Child is born, to us a son is…
One Thousand Gifts OBS Week 2 — Grace in the Moment
Pick up a pen and count gifts. It keeps your eyes good. It offers you the definite gift of greater joy. It draws open the curtains right when the sun in going down. When loss threatens to bury us. ~ Ann Voskamp The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,…
Forgiving God
Getting hurt by people is hard. Getting hurt by what God allows can feel unbearable. While I might phrase my disillusionment as a question of why or how, when I lay my head on my tear-soaked pillow, questions can turn into bitter feelings. I probably wouldn’t want to raise my hand at Bible study and…