Nearly 30 years ago, I heard a pastor say something that stuck with me: “Mary Christmas.” At the time, I thought it was just a clever play on words. But over the years, it has transformed the way I see Christmas—and how I walk with Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is often overlooked in…
Category: Faith
A Year of Firsts
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…
Easter is the Launching Point for Our Faith
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….
Preparing Your Hearts and Mind
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…
Prayers of Remembrance
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…