Two years ago, while everyone was sipping their pumpkin spice lattes and taking pictures in pumpkin patches, I was at home sinking into a deep depression following a surgery that didn’t go as planned. What was supposed to be a routine operation left me sick beyond belief, resulting in an anxious and fearful heart. Many […]

When my husband and I were first married we travelled to Hawaii for our honeymoon. As young explorers do, we set out to experience all Hawaii had to offer. While visiting Maui, we decided to wake up early one morning and go watch the sunrise on Haleakala. Arriving at the top of the massive volcano, […]

Throughout Scripture we see a woven thread that points us to a need for God. In the Shema, the Israelites were told to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength. They were to talk about Him with their children and keep His commandments before their eyes and on their hearts. They were to […]

We trust people who are like us. Think about who you vote for, who you sit next to in church, and who you let watch your kids. It’s people who are like you. We constantly surround ourselves with like-minded people because we trust them. We want to follow leaders who think like us because we […]

Fellowship is so much more than potluck dinners and ice cream socials. It’s more than hanging out with people before small group and shaking hands in the hallways at church. And while fellowship includes friendship, fun, and usually food, it’s so much more than all of those things. Fellowship is bonding over a shared “something”—a […]

When we are walking alongside the Lord and seeking His will for our lives, the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be present.  One of the fruit that results is joy. Paul mentions joy early on in listing the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, […]

When we were first married, my husband and I, like many young couples, had opposite expectations for many things. When our first anniversary rolled around, he wanted to go camping but I wanted to go to Malibu. When buying items for our first Christmas, he grabbed the colored Christmas lights and I grabbed the white. […]

I wish I had learned much earlier in life that overcommitment can be a sin. Sometimes we put good before God, and we assume that something good is definitely what we are supposed to do. When we jump into a commitment headfirst without even prayerfully consulting God, we can find our plate completely full—even overflowing—and […]

I grew up in a loving home and am blessed with two parents who deeply love God and each other. My father is also a pastor. There are a myriad of reactions I get when this comes up in conversation—mostly knowing looks, sometimes sympathetic ones. I told this to one woman who turned to my […]

“You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. I have never called you ‘servants,’ because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that […]