Homes To Worship In

Casey Fiore 5 min read
family

I was born in 1990. This means a lot of things: I have The Sandlot and The Princess Bride memorized. I had crushes on Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Sully from Dr. Quinn. I side-stepped most of the boy-band craze by being born into a country music household, but I could sing you Garth Brooks’ whole discography. It also means I use a night cream now. What this meant for my upbringing in the church, though, was I came of age while the church in America was wrestling with “contemporary worship music.” This term has survived for my entire life and can still be found on most church websites when describing their service.  Musical worship and service style has probably been a controversial topic since the Reformation, so I don’t want to overplay the rise of Tommy Walker. However, it seems to have been a part of a wider debate in […]

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Abide With Me

Jenny McCarty 5 min read
vine branches

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16 “Abide in Me,” Jesus says.  The words “Abide with Me” to the tune of the hymn have been playing in my mind, over and over again. This season has had many ups and downs. I find that I keep praying for many things or situations to occur or change in my present and in my future when I am realizing the one thing I truly need more of is Jesus. No matter the situation, I need God’s personal presence in every part of my life, and this is a song that pleas for it at the end of every verse–Abide with me. I hope it brings encouragement to you as well. The other evening, I […]

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Our Generosity Framework: A Financial Strategy

Bailey Lenzen 5 min read

A Snail Mail Lottery I’m sure it’s not just me, but I still get a thrill out of checking the mail. You never know what you might find! This held particularly true for me one day when I was home for a summer in college. There was a letter addressed to me by a wealthy man who used to work with my mother. This man happened to the instigator of my interest in attending Texas A&M, and I had never received anything from him before. Enclosed in this envelope was a letter wishing me well at A&M – and a check for $2,000.  Two. Thousand. Dollars! From a man I had not seen or spoken to in two years.  Growing up as an only child of a single parent, we often found ourselves the beneficiaries of generosity from my mom’s coworkers. Usually, it was a gift card at Christmas or […]

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Feeling Overwhelmed Leads to Reliance

Rachel Guerrero 6 min read

Overwhelmed. We’ve all felt it. Whether it be with school, work, kids, chores, or feelings! I know I use overwhelmed to describe how I feel quite often, especially being quarantined with a two-year-old and ten-month-old while trying to support my husband with a new church plant and find any time to.. paint my nails? I wouldn’t know what to do with time by myself! Although “I feel overwhelmed” can be a common phrase, what does it really mean?  One definition is “to overcome completely in mind or feeling.” Overwhelm can also be interchangeable with anxiety or worry. Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or worried is not a sin, but our reactions to our feelings can be sinful.  I know when I feel overwhelmed, I just want to sit down, shut everything off, and cry. Anyone else? Or maybe you’re more prone to anger. When too much is going on, you feel the […]

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Safety: An Unexpected Idol

Claire Raabe 4 min read
Narnia

Safety has been on my mind lately – perhaps yours as well. At every turn, safety becomes one of the first criteria I use to make a decision. Should I go into this store? Should I spend time with this person? Should I go home and visit my family? Should I stop to get gas here or wait until I am closer to home? Should I lick this envelope to close it or use water? Should I shake hands with this person I am meeting the first time? Ridiculous as it sounds, these are real dialogues taking place in my brain lately. Decisions that were once completely subconscious in nature have become loaded ethical choices.  It is exhausting to have to look at everything, and most everyone, as a threat to my safety. But, as my brain shrewdly counters, it is prudent. It is wise to be careful. I need […]

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Intimacy Over Everything

TaKasha Smith 3 min read

2020 has had a ROUGH go of it thus far.  There is a lot to say about the suffering happening around the planet, but I don’t want to say any of it.  Not today and not in this medium.  Instead, I thought I would share the only realization that is getting me through this time.  God (the creator of the universe, the Everlasting, the I AM) calls me His child and wants intimacy with me. The longer I have walked with Jesus, the more and more I have realized there is nothing as important than intimacy with Jesus.  It is a simple truth but one we effectively overlook every day.  When we struggle to “make time” to read His Word, when we neglect to pray until we have exhausted all other options, when we treat the people God loves like burdens instead of the beloved…  Here we admit that we […]

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What’s Your “Why”?

Rachel Marissa 3 min read

In counseling, we emphasize several key points to clients for goal-setting to be more successful. Two of the most important are some of the most simple – and challenging.  First, if possible, goals should be framed positively. For example, “I want to stop drinking” (negative) vs. “I want to be sober” (positive). Or, “I don’t want to be anxious” (negative) vs. “I want to experience more peace” (positive). Clients are encouraged to consider not simply what obstacle they want to overcome, but what they actually want to achieve. Second, goals should have a clear motivation. For example, a counselor might say, “I know you want to be sober/more peaceful/etc. — tell me what motivates that desire. Let’s meditate on that.” Even if a client has a positive goal in mind, it’s not enough. They’ve got to know their “why” so their goal is reinforced by emotion. For example, “I want […]

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Whose Legacy Are You Shaped By?

Eileen Drake 5 min read

We know that community is important to God. He is one God, with three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He made Adam and Eve because it was “not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) He sent out the disciples two by two. He reminds us to “not neglect meeting together.” (Hebrews 10:25) It is not a surprise then when we hear the phrase, “It takes a village.” This statement holds true for one’s spiritual growth and journey. If you think back on your life and consider who influenced your spiritual journey, you will most likely think of not just one, but a handful of people whose unique personalities, traits, and gifts God used to bring you closer to Him. I would love to invite you to read glimpses of how the church has blessed me in my walk with Christ. Beauty is seen and experienced when we […]

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The Privilege of Privilege

Kathryn Pesyna 5 min read
microphone

This piece is primarily addressed to my fellow White American brothers and sisters. When I was little, I would revel in the collection of stickers.  I always loved finding pretty ones and shiny ones.  I loved the ones with special characters and big vinyl stickers and traditional gold stars.  I always had high hopes for these stickers.  I wanted to use them for projects and to decorate my notebooks and water bottles.  I would wait for the most special moment to use those stickers, but whenever a moment presented itself, it never seemed to be the exact right occasion to use them.  I never wanted to risk messing them up or using them on a subworthy project.  They would remain in their packaging, always admired and held with great expectation, but never used. Several weeks into this pandemic, I, like so many others, began feeling deep grief and lament.  But […]

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