By: Lauren Thomas  “We’re in the slow lane,” I heard Gigi say contentedly. We were sitting down to eat at a hole-in-the-wall, Thai restaurant. It was a big party: my family of 5, our best friends’ family of 6, and their parents – affectionately known as Gigi and Papa. Between us, there were 7 children ranging in age from a few months old to 8 years old. Getting all of us seated was a challenge, to say the least. I was overstimulated and feeling way too tightly wound.   But when I heard her words, I melted inside.   It was okay that this was hard, that this was takin ..read more

  By: Donna Bucher Pondering the timid entrance of Spring in these chilly days of April, my mind continues returning to the theme of renewal. Awed and inspired by the resiliency of creation as new life pops up in even the untidiest of gardens. I wonder at spring’s hope for renewing the dry places in my own spiritual garden. A vital component of a mature Christian’s walk with God, the need for spiritual renewal often goes unnoticed. But spring’s hope for renewing the dry places in creation, also invites us into a closer look at the needs of our own spiritual garden. Seasons of life ta ..read more

By: Jenifer Metzger Pastor's wives. The First Lady of the church. The mother of the church. They are special. They have a calling on their lives just as much as their husband, the pastor, does and they need us. I come from a family of pastors. My mom is a lead pastor at her church. My husband has been a children's pastor, an associate pastor, and is now a ministry associate at our church. I have served alongside my husband as children's pastor as well as been a children's pastor myself when he stepped into role of associate pastor. I've also served on some incredible ministry teams with amazin ..read more

 By: Rebekah Hargraves Photo Courtesy of: Noah Buscher "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and ..read more

 By: Joanne Viola   She called this past week. The dearest of friends. Over thirty years of friendship. The mere sound of her voice on the other side of the phone moved me to tears, and joy, and laughter, all at the same time. We don’t talk weekly, at times a month or two can pass before we speak. Yet we always pick up right where we left off as if no time had passed at all. She’s the friend who knows me best. Every detail, all the emotions, and has stuck by in friendship through the years. I recently read this quote again and it has deeply reminded me of the importance of being a ..read more

  By: Paula Short Let’s be honest— Fear, worry, and anxiety are unwelcome guests that tend to show up at the most inconvenient times. Recently, I came across an article suggesting these emotions are actually sins. This got me thinking back to when I was a kid and was told the same thing. It used to really bother me. But here’s the thing— Does the Bible really say fear itself is sinful? Spoiler alert >> I don’t think so. Let’s look at why these emotions are normal and, more importantly, how we can find peace and strength in God even when we’re feeling a little freaked ..read more

 By: Lauren Thomas  The guilt and shame of our pasts can drag us down. For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, there is no condemnation. But sometimes our pasts still call to us, reminding us of what we’ve done, what we’ve said, who we’ve been, what’s been done to us. We know that in Christ, there is no condemnation, but it doesn’t always “feel” that way.    There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1 ESV   Anything we carry around with us from our pasts that weighs us down, we refer to today as baggage. Wh ..read more

  By: Donna Bucher Feeling the shadow drift over my mood at yet another rainy weekend forecast; my thoughts turn back to the messages on my desk. Sorting through the messages, I glanced up at a photo of my two-year old granddaughter in her raincoat, boots, and umbrella. Dancing in the rain, her smile spoke of sheer delight. Somehow, when we grow up, we no longer see the hope held in the renewal of rain. Glancing back at the photo of my granddaughter, I realized no memories of rainy-day fun flooded my mind from my own childhood. Memories of spoiled outings and vacations, however, came ..read more

By: Jenifer Metzger But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44 CSB This week we've been reading in 2 Samuel. We began the book by seeing David's response to the death of Saul and his sons. We know that David and Jonathan, Saul's son, had a close friendship. Jonathan helped David escape Saul attempt on his life on several occasions. So, of course, David mourned the death of his dear friend. However, the Bible tells us that David mourned both Saul and Jonathan. Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and all the men with him did the same. T ..read more

 By: Rebekah Hargraves Photo Courtesy Of:  Frederick Shaw “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” ~1 Peter 5:8 I want to issue a warning to you today and that is this: At this very moment, there is a spiritual war being waged against your marriage! Not merely your friend’s marriage or your neighbor’s marriage or your favorite celebrity’s marriage. No! Yours. And our time together here today is meant to serve as a wake up call for all of us to snap out of our complacency and la ..read more