The Election is Over!
So, the election is finally over. I surely won't miss those commercials! Did you go vote? I hope you did! Did you stay up last night to watch the results? I did, too. Maybe your candidate won or maybe they didn't. I'm actually not here to discuss the politics or issues or endorse a person or party, but want to encourage you as a Christian. This has been an interesting time in our history. I don't recall another campaign season quite like this one. In my voting career, I have never been so torn as I was when I stood to cast
The Blood of Jesus
My sister and I were high school students when we had the opportunity to shadow a doctor who was performing a medical procedure. We were thrilled with this chance, but we were not prepared to witness the amount of blood lost from the patient. My stomach felt funny...my sister almost fainted. Blood phobia is fairly common and some people have a natural reflex reaction at the sight of it. It's hard to think of blood as a beautiful thing, isn't it? But... did you know that your red blood cells carry and transport oxygen throughout your body and remove carbon dioxide
Room for Growth
Were you ever the new kid at school? It’s hard enough getting adjusted to new kids, teachers and classes...but when it really hits...is lunch time. WHO DO I SIT WITH?? Now that I’ve traumatized you with a middle school flashback, fast forward with me to a couple of months ago. Our department at work hosts a lunch for anyone celebrating a birthday that particular month. So, in September, I went. Got to my table. And waited. And waited some more. And then, I waited some more. No one else showed up. Usually, there are about 10 people who attend
Pound the Rock
Pound the Rock. "When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before." Pound the Rock. It's the slogan of the San Antonio Spurs. And it describes perseverance perfectly. What are you waiting for? After a three year drought, God told Elijah that rain was coming. 1 Kings 18 tells the
Stop!
Last week, I was in the grocery store with my daughter. We were talking about something and through the course of our conversation, she grew more and more excited until she began screaming. They were happy screams but still screams. I told her to stop screaming, and she looked me dead in the eyes and screamed again. I know that my kids aren't the only ones who do this- I tell them to stop a behavior and they have to do it that one last time- to see if I really mean it or not. It's infuriating. Unfortunately, in our house, this behavior has become a
Praying for the USA
In one week, we will elect the 45th president of the United States. No doubt, your newsfeed has been infiltrated with posts that include criticisms and praises of the upcoming election and the candidates. Likely, it will take some time, even after November 8, before we get to see pictures of our friends on social media again without being interrupted by political talk. How do you get past all the noise and focus on what you're supposed to do in all this? There are three things you can do. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to vote. Your vote counts. Find
One Simple Question
Evangelism is a big word. If you’re around my age, this is probably what you think of: Or maybe this: Churches have gotten pretty creative in how they spread the “good news”... Some get straight to the point: I also think of my friends, David & Liney Chacko with Global Renewal Ministries* who are changing the world through localized training centers, anti-human trafficking and community relief and development. Another friend, James Mathews and his team at Elevate X* are employing a different strategy for evangelizing - using music and sports to reach people who may not be interested in hearing a
Pushing Through the Pain
10 years ago when my daughter was born via c-section, it was the first time I had ever experienced major surgery. During the surgery, although I was awake, the medicine they gave me left me completely numb so that I didn’t feel any pain. My daughter was born on an evening, and the following morning at 8 a.m, the nurse came to my room and said I needed to get out of bed and walk. By then the epidural had worn off, and I was in the worst pain I had every felt in my life. I looked at the
An audience of One
When my grandmother (Ammachi) was in her twenties, she did the unthinkable. She stepped out, all alone, in faith and left her family's traditional church in order to follow Jesus in a way she knew He was calling her to. She was questioned about her decision. "Now you won't even have a proper burial," she was told. Her response: "I am not worried about my burial, I want a better resurrection." I think of her wise words often. It's easy to get caught up with the "What will others say....I don't want to be all alone" way of thinking.
The Floating Axe Head
In 2 Kings 6: 1-5, we read about Elisha and the floating axe head. Elisha and his company of prophets have decided that they are going to build a place for all of them to live together. While they are cutting down a tree, one of the axe heads breaks and falls into the water. The man who was using it cries out "Oh my Lord, it was borrowed"-- I can only imagine that he was sure that he would never see it again. Elisha cuts down a stick, throws the stick into the water and *bam* the axe head
