It's that time of year when we're talking resolutions, and goals, and words for the year. We're talking boldness, and bravery, and brand new as we usher 2016 out the door and welcome 2017. And the most common resolution is no surprise. Lose weight. Gym memberships soar. According to Gold's Gym, their traffic jumps 40% between December and February. And everyone's tossing out the cookies and buying kale. But what if we turned this resolution on its head and went after weightiness this … [Read more...] about What If We Went After Weightiness?
Intimacy with Christ
We’ve Got It Easy
My days are pretty full. With being a wife to one, mom to many and working with RiverCross, there is not a lot of time. I'm guessing you're in the same boat. And this is the most common reason I hear for people not reading their Bibles daily. I get it. But here's the deal, reading your Bible daily is not only the most important thing you can do to grow your faith, it is also the easiest thing you can do. The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Now … [Read more...] about We’ve Got It Easy
Have You Ever Hoped for a Lazarus Story?
I have. A number of summers ago when all the children were still home, and every day was marked by swim team practice, and every week was marked by Wednesday nights gathered with a small band of friends who wanted only to sit at the feet of Jesus, we got a call that changed the way I thought about prayer. A two-year old little boy had wandered to the backyard of his grandparents' home and fallen into the pool. He had been rescued, but was on life support. We gathered the children … [Read more...] about Have You Ever Hoped for a Lazarus Story?
What They Call Waste
It's late afternoon, early evening. Friends are arriving. And they're some of your nearest and dearest. You know these people. You love these people. It's an everyday sort of evening. And yet there is grimness in the air. A weightiness behind the smiles as good friends greet one another. Your sister serves wine and you watch as your friends and brother swap stories and move to the table. As the light gets dusky and the oil lanterns are lit, you help with the meal, but your focus isn't on … [Read more...] about What They Call Waste
Perhaps Jesus is Cutting the Cord
What could be better than staying close to Jesus, right? That's what a man from Gerasene thought as well. He had lived a terrible life. Possessed by multiple demons, he lived in a graveyard. He was so violent, that he had been captured and bound in chains on multiple occasions. But he was so strong that he wrenched the chains apart and broke the shackles into pieces. Over time, his strength grew. And now he was at the point where no one could hold him down. . Can you imagine raising … [Read more...] about Perhaps Jesus is Cutting the Cord
What Freedom Walk Do You Need to Take?
It's a Saturday morning long ago. In a small town, the community gather in the synagogue. It's time to worship. Jesus is teaching this morning. But as he opens the scriptures, he notices a woman shuffle into the back. Bent over, she could barely lift her head due to the severity of her disability. Jesus is moved. And he knows that today is her day of freedom. Right there, in this place where men sat in the front and women were silent, Jesus calls her. "Woman, come forward." "Surely … [Read more...] about What Freedom Walk Do You Need to Take?