A Gardener for Jesus

May. 28, 2023 by

When I attended community college, I was the student worker for the life-science professor. Part of my responsibility was to oversee the greenhouse in preparation for our annual spring plant sale. The professor gave me his expectations of what I

Fear of Failure

May. 28, 2023 by

Atychiphobia—”the fear of failure” is a real struggle for many people. In a time in history and a culture that seems less willing to allow people to fail, there is an expectation that everyone will say the right thing, do

Individualism Moving to Interdependence

May. 28, 2023 by

Maturation from newborn to adult moves through several stages where an individual is learning new concepts and coming to a better understanding of their identity and place in this world. For the past several weeks, graduation festivities have been at

Joy of the Lord

May. 28, 2023 by

“I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where?” This song brings back so many memories of camp, Vacation Bible School, and Sunday School. The excitement and volume with which we would sing these words proclaimed our

Mind Audit Transformation

May. 28, 2023 by

A few years ago, I made the decision to monitor and journal the number of calories I was eating each day. It was an arduous task and was eye-opening as I was traveling and trying to find something to eat.

Potter and Clay

May. 28, 2023 by

The first song I sang in front of the church was with my brother, Jeremy. The song, written by Joel Hemphill, will be forever ingrained in my mind and my heart. “He’s still working on me. To make me what

Praying for Mission Calling

May. 28, 2023 by

“In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit

Spring has Sprung

May. 28, 2023 by

Take a look around—things are changing—Spring has sprung where I live and the cold days seem to be behind us. The tulips and daffodils around our house are bursting forth with bright colors. The buds on the trees, though blown

Sharing

May. 28, 2023 by

Robert Fulghum in his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten writes, “ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was

Weeping

May. 28, 2023 by

We are in the midst of Holy Week.  This week we will move through Jesus’ final days leading up to the cross. We know the crescendo to the story will come on Sunday, but we need not rush to the