Was it just me or did anyone else feel some incredible discomfort in hearing the lectionary passages this morning? Psalm 52’s “Judgment on the Deceitful,” Amos’s condemning prophecy against those who give little and take much, the weighty responsibility of Colossians 1, the awkwardness of Martha complaining to Jesus in Luke 10? Sometimes it’s easier […]
God Loves to Throw Parties
Most of us don’t set out each day with “ill intentions.” We certainly don’t intend to harm other people and we’re not intentionally trying to walk a few steps farther away from Jesus. But the thing of it is, we’re actually really skilled at managing our image so it appears we’re doing just fine. In […]
Holding Life Loosely
Every one of us has something we care deeply about. There are people in your life you can’t imagine living without, and plans we’re passionate about. Maybe you’re planning for the future and investing a lot of time and effort in orchestrating your dreams. Maybe you have a hobby, a craft, or a sport you […]
Loving Everybody, Always
To follow Jesus is to respond to God’s invitation to love everybody, always. For the past few weeks I have been reading a book with a group of earnest Jesus followers. Everybody, Always by Bob Goff is all about “Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People.” Sounds simple, right? A little […]
Freedom from Anxiety: a new perspective of Psalm 23
This is the sermon transcript from Sunday, October 15, 2017 at Monroe Free Methodist Church. If you’re interested in listening to the audio visit: http://www.monroefmc.com/resources/sermon-audio/ This morning I want to invite you to re-imagine Psalm 23 and how life might change if we actually believed its words. What would happen if we allowed Jesus to shepherd […]
Jesus and the Woman at the Well
In her Lenten Reflections booklet, Ruth Haley Barton says, During Lent we are called to enter more intentionally into prayer, self-examination and repentance for the purpose of restoration and renewal. As painful as it is to be exposed at this level, awakening is evidence of God’s Grace. Using the story of Jesus and this Samaritan woman […]
An Advent People
This morning I have the privilege of ushering you all into the New Year…the new liturgical year, that is. At Monroe Free Methodist Church, Pastor Kevin and I have chosen to follow the Revised Common Lectionary and today is the beginning of Advent, the start of the new Church year. To begin, we’ll spend some time breaking […]
Camp with Middle Schoolers
This week I had the awesome privilege of being the evangelist for the Young Teen Campers at Somerset Beach. I cannot adequately describe what the Holy Spirit did at camp this week. Far beyond anything I asked or imagined, God was on the move, and lives (especially mine) were changed. More than any other year […]
The Dance of Grace & Trust
As my daughter creeps closer and closer to six months old, I get more excited and more freaked out. You see, I had a goal of having her solely breastfed for her first six months. In those early weeks I thought, “there is no way in heck I can survive this for SIX MONTHS.” But a wise […]
Kirsten Grace – Month 3
My dear sweet Kirsten Grace, Happy 3rd Month Birthday! This has been such a fun month with you. When people ask “how’s the baby” I find myself saying, “She is so much fun!” The first few weeks were just about surviving…how to feed you, how to soothe you, how to sleep with one eye open. But […]