Patty wanted a more connected church experience. She returned to church after a several year hiatus and wanted to be involved beyond Sunday mornings. “I also wanted to meet other people who had similar interests and desires.” Patty signed up for a community group. That’s where she met Noel. Noel was on a two-year Navy […]
DISCERNMENT
How do you know that you’re hearing from God?
Prayer is a critical part of the Christian life – the Bible is clear on this. So it becomes very important that we nail down what a life of prayer looks like. A key question might be, how should we pray? Christ’s disciples asked Him that directly (Luke 11:1), which He answered with a prayer […]
SPREADING A LITTLE KINDNESS
How small gestures of love can have a big impact
My first year of college, I was stressed. I didn’t know how I was going to afford tuition, I didn’t have a job lined up, and I didn’t have any clue how I would have time to get it all done. I went grocery shopping with a few people I had met recently, and the […]
FINDING YOUR PLACE
Bringing community to life
I began serving at church at an early age, I believe 12 years old. My parents were both heavily involved in the church when I was growing up. We would go to church whenever the doors were open. We got there early and we left late. My friends were all from church and they are […]
Two Lefts Don’t Make It Right
When the pace of life leaves you feeling left out or left behind
Every now and then, as I scroll through my Facebook homepage, I discover another friend that I went to high school with or know from college who is married and has children, and I feel that familiar pang of jealousy – the one that tells me that I’m the same age as that person, so […]
Consuming Communion
Why do the bread and the wine matter?
My mouth watered as I watched scraps of bread and tiny juice cups pass by me in church. Such kid-friendly fare—I didn’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to eat the mid-service snack. “Communion should be taken very seriously,” my mom said. I was six. I took my snacks very seriously. I also prayed before my […]
A DIFFERENT KIND OF NEIGHBOR
Living and loving without going out of your way
They say good fences make good neighbors, but I say that all depends on your definition of neighbor. My childhood neighbors consisted of a gossip and the crabby couple in the houses behind mine, and a troubled five-year-old boy across the street. There was also my Barbie-playing-buddy next door. We had a give-and-take relationship—she took […]
FAITH & TECHNOLOGY
Creating a balance of being connected and staying connected
I wake up to my phone alarm every morning. Cuisinart makes my coffee. Toyota drives me to work. Facebook counts my friends and AT&T raises the bar on my friendships. Apple pushes me through my workout and takes down my notes in class. Finally, when my work is finished and the next day’s outfit has been […]
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO STORE TREASURES IN HEAVEN?
Setting our eyes on things that are more important than money
If you’re in credit card debt, please raise your hand… I am right along there with you. When I look at my credit card spending report and see the things that I bought, I always regret making such purchases that have only added to my debt and not to the benefit of my life. Things […]
UN-HOOKING UP?
On waiting until marriage in a sex-saturated culture
Hearing stories from friends struggling in their marriages, one day I thought to myself, what’s the point of marriage? I enjoy coming and going as I please, not having to clean up after someone else, going to see any movie I want and not having to compromise. My life is rather uncomplicated. Then I started […]