We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 On Honor and Prayer All of chapter 1 in 1 Thessalonians is ...
As a little girl in the Caribbean, I never experienced the distinctive beauty of four seasons. So in my fertile imagination as an avid reader, I imagined what each season was like and how I would experience it if given a chance. When my family moved to New York in the spring of 1978, with its promise of new beginnings came my opportunity to confirm ...
I'm still not over this past weekend. It was 85 degrees in Nashville. But that wasn't what I can't stop thinking about. I keep picturing a chapel full of women. They're wearing skinny jeans or bootcut or dresses or skirts but they're all there because deep in their bones we have this same ache in common. We ache for community. For friendship. We ...
When I was a girl, there was a boy in my school who had made himself locally famous for being a bully. Looking back, he reminded me of Biff from Back to the Future. Do you remember him, always tormenting the McFlys? There is nothing quite so infuriating as mean kids who try to build themselves up by pushing others down. Sometimes, mean kids grow ...
I have lived in the same small town my whole life. I married my high school sweetheart, and we are raising two kids on a cul-de-sac just a few blocks from where we both grew up. I can’t go anywhere without running into someone I know. When I see one of these many acquaintances, such as my son’s Pre-K teacher or the mother of my childhood best ...
If we are honest, the first thought that comes to our mind when we think about race and ethnicity isn’t usually celebratory, but rather fear and defensiveness. We are afraid to engage because we have been torn apart racially. We are afraid to engage because we mostly see deep divisions and lives that have been devastated. And we are afraid and ...
Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5 I looked at my iPod. Which playlist should I pick to listen to while I wash my dishes? My eyes went back and forth between my “Cleaning” and my “Rend Collective” playlists. I decided on the latter ...
This weekend at (in)real life, we met at the altar of the Living God. We gathered together with friends near and far. We reconnected, rekindled friendships, got our brave on, and went first with 'hello'. We laughed, and you bet we cried. We shared raw and real stories of painful friendship breakups, and of what happens when we can't see beauty ...
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ ...
I glanced around my music classroom at the shiny plastic of the un-chewed nametags, the neat folders, the beautiful stack of white, unused paper. The posters on the walls hung straight, smooth, and unmarked by the fingerprints of curious hands. I knew that in just a few moments, 50 pairs of expectant eyes would land on me and become my little ...
