By now, you’ve probably seen the new Webb space telescope images recently released from NASA. In one snapshot of glimmering, sparkling specks are entire galaxies that have existed since the Lord spoke them into being. The photos are breathtaking and hard to comprehend from where we sit in our homes on this planet in this […]
Many years ago, I visited a Sunday school class at a church where the conversation revolved around what the Christian life should look like. The consensus seemed to think that soldiering through life without acknowledging struggles or burdening other people was the right and noble way to follow Jesus. Stoically. Quietly. Solitarily. It was the […]
Have you ever tried to move a church? Our church has a unique story that involves a merge between a predominantly white church and a predominantly black church to form a gospel-centered, multiethnic church that is committed to faithful exposition of the Word and incarnational ministry in our community.[1] The merge resulted in the ownership […]
Every Thursday, I water my indoor plants. I’ve got a fiddle-leaf fig tree (a plant well known for its finicky nature and a proclivity to simply die without warning) standing tall and proud by a window with southern exposure. I’ve noticed, though, that this little tree bends itself dramatically toward the window even though it’s […]
When I was growing up, my mom kept a large bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. Every week when she did her grocery shopping, she bought apples, oranges, and bananas to refill the bowl. I remember her polishing each apple individually to make them look appealing. There were no rules around snacking when it […]
I bought a watch last year to measure my steps and heartrate. I’m a generally a little resistant to trends and therefore usually late to them, but I felt like measuring my physical exertion would result in more of it, thus I bought a watch. Even so, I refused to spend more than $25 on […]
Growing up in the church, I remember one of my Sunday school teachers demonstrating the word repentance by walking across the room, stopping abruptly, and turning around to walk back in the other direction. In my young mind, I figured that repentance was something that happened when you first believed in Jesus, and after that, […]
“Church today,” I wrote in my journal early Sunday morning. “I could really use the fellowship. I’m feeling low.” I put down my pen. I hadn’t slept much. It was a relief to know I’d soon be among my church family, distracted from the interior concerns running through my mind. Better than distracted, I knew […]
I have a plastic bin filled with beans hidden in my basement. I packed that bin two years ago when I, like everyone else, worried about food supplies. I’ve borrowed from the bin a little, but if you need rice or dried beans, I’ve got you covered. I also have gallons of water in case […]
We moved in with my grandparents twice during my childhood. The first time, I was five years old, and my mom was in a wheelchair for months after giving birth to my sister. We stayed with my grandparents in their small house in an old Memphis neighborhood for nearly a year, until my mom could […]
