Defaulting to grace in the Church over world views

  Part One: Why grace over world views matter The things we think and do while we live on earth reflect our belief systems and world views. If we engage in worldly disputes within the Church, how can we be united as Jesus' followers reaching out to a lost world? What are the points of view… Continue reading Defaulting to grace in the Church over world views

Revisiting Habakkuk

I wrote a four-day reflection on the book of Habakkuk in January of 2020. I had just begun my second semester at UNLV. There were whispers of a strange new virus coming out of China, but no hint at how that news might unfold. Reports of  anger, division, injustice, and violence dominated the nightly news.… Continue reading Revisiting Habakkuk

Dignity, not Death

How do we determine the value of a life? I opened my Substack inbox on April 1 and was struck by the very pretty face of a young woman leaning contentedly on a man's chest. The story headline read, "I'm 28. And I'm Scheduled to Die in May." It wasn't a joke.  As I read… Continue reading Dignity, not Death

Not just another Tuesday

Confrontations and conversations during Jesus' last days Mark 11-12 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a… Continue reading Not just another Tuesday

Broken and Beloved

God uses our brokenness for His glory Kintsugi, literally "joining with gold," is a centuries-old Japanese technique of fixing broken ceramics. When a piece of pottery breaks, the pieces are put together, not with invisible glue so no one sees the flaws, but rather with gold lacquer so that the fracture is obvious. These repaired… Continue reading Broken and Beloved

Everything is Secondary, part 3

Political affiliation must be secondary to our affiliation with the people of God. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9-10). "For our boast… Continue reading Everything is Secondary, part 3

Personalities

And how they affect grace I haven't thought much about personality types in a while, but I read a post the other day that got me thinking about how personality may influence how we extend grace to each other. For example, on the ever-popular Myers-Briggs spectrum, I am an INTJ. It's consistent, too, across both… Continue reading Personalities

Fear is not all-powerful

God has prepared us for this very thing-Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! It's cold here in the South today. Nothing like what my friends in the North and Midwest experience, but when the temperature is below freezing for most of a week, these California-born fingers struggle to move. I can't sit close… Continue reading Fear is not all-powerful

Grace Wears Pink

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep… Continue reading Grace Wears Pink

Word for 2024

I am sitting in my living room. There is a fire in the fireplace. One dog is next to me and the other is sound asleep at my feet. My husband is in his recliner preparing for the work week. Michigan beat Alabama; the Longhorns and Huskies are tied.  It has been a bus day,… Continue reading Word for 2024