Faith

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

Most people do their yearly reflections in January. Which makes sense, right? A new year is starting. A new slate to begin new habits. A time to reflect on what went well over the last year and what didn’t. I’ve never been one to do the whole new year’s resolution thing. It feels like most of them don’t last longer than a month anyways. However, the new year hit me a little harder this year for some reason. I couldn’t quite pinpoint why at the time though. It just felt different.

When I was a kid, I loved Christmas and tolerated Easter. To this child, Christmas was about presents, good food, and most importantly, several days off school. Easter on the other hand was about getting dressed up in uncomfortable clothes and having to pose for lots of pictures with my family in those uncomfortable clothes. There wasn’t much comparison between these two major holidays, one was a dream come true for all my childhood indulgences and the other paled by comparison.

Have you ever showed up to worship on a Sunday and been so distracted you found that by the time worship services ended you wondered if it was even worth attending because you were so distracted? Most of us have been there. Unfortunately, our society and culture have high demands on our time and we could live in a distracted state of mind for decades before addressing it if we are not careful. Therefore, I want to share a few thoughts with you. Things that I know will help you to worship in a way that will bring you life and help you to give to the LORD and receive from the LORD during worship. It will take a little bit of thoughtful prep… take heart, it won’t be too difficult.

A few years ago, when we were walking through the book of Genesis during a sermon series, we studied how Abraham would pause to build altars and remember all that God had done in the past. Throughout Scripture, we see a pattern of the Israelites recounting the awe-inspiring miracles that God performed for them time and time again. Throughout that series, I began to realize the importance of pausing to recount all that God has done for me, because I realized that I often prayed for things but rarely returned to thank God or even remember how He answered that prayer only a few days later.

It’s Christmas Time – Get Busy

Have you ever felt like your prayers are not being answered? Like, “What’s the use? Nothing is changing?”

Fall feels fresh and exciting, a season full of possibilities. School is back in all its forms; families are settling into a new year, new classrooms, and new groups of friends. It can also feel overwhelming, creating struggles to set priorities and find balance in our homes. We also step into church, with great intentions that we’ll show up, we’ll engage, and we’ll be committed to growth in our family and our faith. As quickly as the season starts, we are enveloped with the realities of the new school year — sports schedules, homework, school activities, work, care of family and homes, and then, an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy can sweep over us.

When we were in the hospital, shortly after learning that our daughter would likely never come home, I remember having a conversation. My husband and I stood in the muted colors of the Ronald McDonald House asking each other:

Introduction

Recently in a sermon, I told the story of how my daughter learned to ride a bike. In case you missed it, here are the essential details. When my daughter was five, she received her first bike. It was pink and green with tassels on the handlebars, and it had “Girl’s World” written in big letters on the frame. She loved the bike and immediately began to show it off to the neighbor kids.