After getting married, life was great for Matthew and Ashley. They loved each other, and others well, and were active in their faith and community. But five months into their marriage things got difficult. There was no conflict between them, but troubles were happening to them. Matthew’s father had passed away unexpectedly. Grief led Matthew’s […]
Walking Through Divorce
I almost didn’t write this article. Either because it felt too scary or vulnerable or messy and I wasn’t sure I was willing to put myself out there to that extent. At times my past or the failure of my marriage has felt like a glass house that people get to look into from the outside […]
Community and Age Diversity
“You should come visit our community group! We are kind of old, though; you might not like it…” How often do we hear about Christian fellowship divided by age? Age often provides the boundaries for forming community. School divides by grade. Churches divide classes and small groups by age. Most friend groups form around similarly […]
Feedback
We’ve all experienced giving and receiving feedback in just about every way possible, from the mean and hurtful to the complimentary and life-giving. But despite the wide sweeping spectrum we’ve received feedback on in its many forms, part of our biggest means to find growth will lie in the importance and value we place on […]
The Multicolored Hall of Faith
There’s a never-ending debate many folks have on who the greatest NBA player of all time is. Is it Jordan? Is it Lebron? Is it Kobe? There’s no doubt that if you’re an NBA fan, you land on a particular side of this debate, and you have your reasons. A lot of it boils down […]
Cultivating Good Character
Judah was outraged when he heard Tamar, the widow of his deceased son, had become pregnant because of prostitution. He demanded, “Bring her out, and let her be burned!” (Gen. 38:24, NLT). What a shame to their family name! What an embarrassment for her! But this story exposes Judah’s poor character, not Tamar’s. Judah’s firstborn son […]
Kindness: The Forgotten Fruit
The Oxford Dictionary defines kindness as the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. Other words to describe kindness include affection, gentleness, warmth, concern and care. These are all terms used to express the affection felt from a family member or a dearest friend. Sadly, kindness can also be perceived as being weak, and though […]
Muting The Noise of the World
Some people like to do what they call a Prayer Hike. That is where one or more people go on a hike, or walk, and pray as they go. Now, many people, like myself, wind up on a prayer hike inadvertently when they find the trail much longer and steeper than anticipated. But here we […]
Kingdom Acceptance
I was quite popular when I was a small kid growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In school I had a reputation for being smart and kind, yet shy and quiet. I remember my classmates fighting each other over who could work with me on group projects. Outside of school, I picked up friends easily at […]
The Be-er Vs Do-er
I’ve been feeling run down lately. Sick. Headaches, blurred vision, and extremely lethargic – unlike myself. I knew something was going on when I came home after work one night and went to sleep for 12 hours. Something wasn’t right. This got me thinking, and thinking, and thinking. It wasn’t my high blood pressure. It […]
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