Who Am I, O Lord God?

Who Am I, O Lord God?

2 Samuel 7:18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? The summer has gone, and autumn is in full swing here in the midwestern United States. The transitional state of the fields […]

Patience in Youth Ministry

Patience in Youth Ministry

Your ministry situation might be different. I remember getting out of the car, so many years ago as a fresh faced girl with a baby and thinking that the added responsibility of my husband to preach and teach, not only to the congregation on Sundays, but also the youth group as well, was a special […]

The End of Winter

The End of Winter

This midwestern girl is no stranger to snow. But my heart does not beat faster at the first sign of snowflakes. I don’t ski. I dread it, this point in winter where everything is still frozen but also somehow slushy and dirty and icy but brown.  So you might have been surprised to see me […]

Super Bowl of Love

Super Bowl of Love

I’m not sure who on a committee, somewhere, decided it was a good idea. How the schedule fell so that the Super Bowl for the NFL fell on the day before Valentine’s Day. It all feels like an oxymoron.  So on the weekend before Valentine’s Day I found myself doing the least romantic thing possible […]

New Year Twinkle Lights

New Year Twinkle Lights

Psalm 31:3-4, 23-24 For you are my rock and my fortress;     and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,     for you are my refuge…. Love the Lord, all you his saints!     The Lord preserves the faithful     but abundantly […]

The Early and the Late Rains

The Early and the Late Rains

James 5:7-8, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”   I took […]

Feeding Us the Bread of Eternal Life

Feeding Us the Bread of Eternal Life

I threw up a prayer in frustration, “Lord, just help me find it!” I couldn’t find my Bible study workbook. I knew that I had the preschooler entertained for a few minutes, and I wanted to sit with a candle and my cup of coffee and dig into my Bible. But I knew I wouldn’t […]

Shining with Hope

Shining with Hope

I wrote this piece back in January, when the COVID-19 crisis seemed far off and was something only occasionally in my newsfeed. But as the deadline for this piece came closer, I realized that while the topics of everyday conversation have changed drastically for most of us, the sentiment is still the same. While we […]

My Faithfully Sure Calling Part 2 

My Faithfully Sure Calling Part 2 

Click on this link to find the first part of My Faithfully Sure Calling published in April 2018. After over a dozen years of being in the same church, I’ve come to know the ins-and-outs of our building and a lot of the congregants. As plenty of you are in similar rural and small-town ministries, […]