ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
When I was a very little girl, I would go to my great aunt and uncle’s house on Christmas Eve. This involved a seven-hour car journey in the days preceding, a special Christmas outfit chosen ahead of time and gifts carefully planned and wrapped. It was almost overwhelming to a small child; the excitement, the food, the impending visit from Santa Claus…and the gifts!
When my children were little, they were in a simple Christmas play at our small Milwaukee church that for some reason I often think about. The children playing Mary and Joseph went from door to door knocking, only to have an innkeeper (who happened to be the same man behind every door), proclaim loudly in a deep baritone the words “No room” as he turned them away again and again.
Those words “No room” seem to often fit into our celebration of Christmas.
Haga clic abajo para leer en Español
You’re sitting at your designated spot at the dinner table, the NFL theme music playing behind you and a heaping plate of turkey and sweet potatoes in front of you. You bow your head and close your eyes as someone at the head of the table says grace. You open your eyes, and the forkful of stuffing is halfway to your mouth when another family member asks the classic question.
Exactly one year ago today I received the phone call no one ever wants to receive. My dad had been killed at an accident at work. I spent the day in shock – unable to really cry, my heart just felt heavy and sad. Friends and family immediately reached out. I think I responded back. It’s all a blur.
Haga clic abajo para leer en Español
I recently watched a movie in which an American soldier was shot in Afghanistan while out on patrol. Only he and his translator survived from their unit. The translator was determined to get the soldier out of hostile territory and back to his base with no concern for his own life. One of the things that struck me in the movie was how well they portrayed the Herculean task that the translator was facing.
Haga clic abajo para leer en Español
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post for Willowdale Women called I’ll Go First. This was my first time publicly sharing the story of how God redeemed me from years of sexual sin and shame.
I never planned to share this story. That piece of my life is one I hoped would stay buried in a deep, dark place for a long time, until the day I was buried in a deep, dark place… But then God stepped into my story.
Haga clic abajo para leer en Español
How great is it that God the Father is God our Father? I’ve taken great encouragement lately from this truth, that “Our Father who art in Heaven” is always available to us for anything from the mundane to the eternally significant. One of my greatest privileges is having an earthly father whose lessons and leadership remain practical in my day-to-day life and show me glimpses of how good our heavenly father is. Even as a 40-year-old who long ago left home and has been married for over eight years, I continue to be grateful for the intentional ways my dad guides me.
Haga clic abajo para leer en Español
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.” Psalm 19:7a NIV
This summer at Willowdale Chapel, we’ve been hearing how various members of our pastoral and teaching team find refreshment…I have spent part of this summer meditating on Psalm 19 in my various travels… Refreshing, restoring, reviving and renewing sound wonderful, but I wondered… How can a law accomplish all that?
When we walked through the door at Willowdale Chapel 20 years ago, we were desperately needing a church home. We had just experienced a difficult six months. We had moved to Pennsylvania excited for this new chapter in our lives, but many of our expectations came crashing down.
Haga clic abajo para leer en Español
