Covering topics that impact today's Christian: family, marriage, raising kids, spiritual growth, forgiveness, etc.
Sometimes it seems easy to lose Hope. There is so much to cause doubt and question. There is pain and suffering, injustice and hatred. We wonder how God could let that child die? How could He allow that girl to be raped? How could He do nothing to protect the innocent, the hurting, the faithful? We wrestle with these questions, and the doubters — the unbelievers — toss them at our feet to scatter on the ground as proof that
When I was in college at Appalachian State University, I was super involved with the campus Lutheran Student Association (LSA). It was the first group I joined when I got to school and in many ways the friends I met in that group were a life-line during those four years. They were my people and they helped me get closer to Jesus. I loved being a part of the group and the larger church community that supported them. Each year
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) I had the privilege of teaching the message at our church this past Sunday. The message was on Jesus’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. I love this story. Oh, I know that might sound strange. After all, it’s not an uplifting passage, like the Sermon on the Mount or one that demonstrates Jesus’s mighty power, like
Spring has begun here in Winchester, VA. The temps are rising and the daffodils and crocuses in my yard have just started to bloom, looking like sleepy maidens trying to awake from a long winter’s rest. This time of year is a beautiful reminder of fresh beginnings, new starts, and of course the miracle of resurrection. I can’t imagine better timing for the release of my friend Crystal Sutherland’s new book, Journey to Heal: 7 Essential Steps of Recovery for Survivors
It’s 4:30 a.m. I cannot sleep. I feel a burden deep in my soul and it is so heavy sometimes I feel like it’s crushing me from the inside and I can’t breathe, my stomach hurts, my heart aches and all I can do is let the pain leak out through my eyes. There is so much hurt and pain all around me. Friends with broken marriages, broken hearts, broken bodies, broken dreams. Those mourning the ones they love the
On October 3rd, 2015 ten of us landed in the tiny airport of Rapid City, SD. Four more were making the long drive from Virginia to South Dakota, and our group of 14 would be spending the week working on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Who knew so much could happen in one week? This is part two of two. Click here to read Part One. If you’ve ever been on a mission trip you know that the best part about missions
Today is kind of a big day for me. Nope, it’s not my birthday. Not my wedding anniversary either. One year ago today I mailed my capstone and finished grad school. Yeah, so what? (you’re probably thinking) Lots of people finish graduate school. And you’re right. But this anniversary is really not so much about finishing grad school or even finishing my capstone project and handing it over to the FedEx guy. It’s really about what happened when I walked out of