We’ve been celebrating the Christmas season, savoring every minute of having our three kids together by baking homemade treats, watching the Star Wars movie, and wrapping presents. As we have, I have been overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude that we had extended time to spend with our girls after a semester of school schedule and after …
I can tell you whether the outfits in the diaper bag are clean or dirty. I can tell you the last time Ben ate and the last time that his diaper was changed, but I couldn’t for the life of me tell you where my work bag was. This is becoming more and more important …
I have to confess that before I met Sam and before our girls started to watch and become fans of the Star Wars canon, I knew very little about Star Wars. I knew the main characters, and I knew I had seen some of the original trilogy, but I had never seen the prequels nor …
Yesterday marked the second year I have been living this life as an ordained minister. I took time to reflect and read the encouragement offered as I took that step two years ago. I took time to reflect on how I had changed as a person and as a pastor, and I took time to …
All is calm. All is bright. We don’t have many Silent Nights around our house right now. They are interrupted with shuffling feet, Willie Nelson playlists, and diaper pulls during nighttime feedings that make it hard to determine whether it is night or day; but in the midst of these noises, there is a peace …
One of the after effects of having a c-section that I wasn’t prepared for was the numbness that has lasted weeks after surgery. I’ve read that some women actually never regain feeling in parts abdomen post-c-section because of nerve damage. It’s a strange sensation to know that you literally can’t feel pain or any sensation, but …
I zipped up the garment bag that held my robe and stoles. Today’s vow exchange service was the last time I would be wearing my robe for at least two months. I was 39 and a half weeks pregnant, and had already arranged for pulpit supply to start on the following Sunday just three Sundays …
At each stage of this journey of pregnancy and preaching, there have been physical adjustments that have altered my sermon preparation. First trimester: How much ginger ale can I consumer before 9 am? Will four or five saltines be the winning number for keeping something on my stomach, but not too much. Second trimester: Is …
This weekend we are celebrating the girls’ fall break. We have gone to Riverbanks Zoo for Boo at the Zoo, and they have also been helping with deliveries of the donations we have received from Fernwood Baptist Church, but mostly we have been preparing for their new brother to come. The girls have both taken …
In my first year of teaching, I experienced something that changed the way I view God, the church, and society. I was teaching second grade in a high poverty school. Our school was 88% free and reduced lunch, the second highest rate of food insecurity in the district. At Christmas, my home church had always …
