Tweet This time last year, I was considering my resolutions for 2015 and rather than a list of things I wanted to accomplish, I chose a word. Ironically the word was patience. Somewhere along the year, I lost track of my word, however, my word never lost track of me. This was a year of patience. The definition I used last year was quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence. I can definitely see those themes woven throughout the year, even when I may not have even realized it. Perhaps because I was pregnant a good chunk of the year, patience was consistently a theme. Growing a baby is a slow process. And our sweet little guy…

Tweet Seven months ago I stepped into a local strip club for the first time. Unprepared and unsure of what would happen next, we went and simply asked if it we could keep coming to support the girls who work there.  I believe with my whole heart Jesus loves them and His love compelled us to go. While I believe God can open any door He feels like, I was still a little surprised when we were met with excitement and an absolute yes. In fact, the #1 question I get when I talk about our ministry is “what do the club owners think?” And honestly, I can’t explain it.…

Tweet Lent is one of those interesting times in the life of the church.  You have people from all ends of the religious spectrum-Catholic, conservative, to contemporary-who celebrate the season in a myriad of ways. Some people deny themselves something, some take the time to reflect, and there is a growing trend of participating in acts of kindness or justice.   Personally, I tend to vary in my approach to lent. In past years, I have sacrificed something, participated in acts of justice studies, and done nothing.  As I head into this Lenten season, my heart and mind are struggling in the world of balancing life, preparing to enter parenthood,…

Tweet Our campus pastor challenged us to be more open with our giving stories. I think this was a mini-ploy to help him convince the members of our church tithing was a good thing, but it still caused me to reflect back over my giving journey. To begin, I have to give my parents major credit for this area of my life. They have always modeled giving for us. Even when things got tough, the church always got 10%. My mom raised us to believe if we wanted something, we just needed to pray about it. I will admit, this may not always be the best parenting strategy, but on…

Tweet Normally I make New Year’s Resolutions. A lot of them. And they are usually a long list of big accomplishments and dreams I hope to achieve throughout the next 365 days.  They start out well and somewhere around April or May, I completely abandon them only to return to them somewhere around November to realize I either a) failed or b) unknowingly accomplished the goal.  The new year is a wonderful time to try to kick off old habits or start some new ones and I am not knocking that, but I decided this year I was not going to make a single resolution.  Since I am a chronic…

Tweet While I am working on finding my approval solely in Christ and trusting Him alone, I will be the first to admit, it is a true work in progress.  A SLOW work. I still find myself craving the validation of others and rising and falling on their words. I still find myself trying in my own strength to get things done. I have been making more time for praying, writing, and I started a Bible study last week on my own which has proven to be exactly the right words.  In the midst of all of these measly efforts, I am convinced God knows sometimes my heart still needs…

Tweet Sometimes the message is heard at the right time in the right place.  For me this happened at our monthly leadership meeting at my church. Honestly, these meetings typically are just something I check off a to-do list.  Another day, another meeting.  A few weeks ago I even made a monthly calendar to keep all the meetings I have straight-it totaled like 30.  (which I will admit is RIDICULOUS!) But this month, it was different.  The theme was on creating margin in our lives and the message could not have come at more perfect time. Perhaps I was extra exhausted or overwhelmed or feeling the weight of a never-ending…