BLOG––Encouraged by Faith

I listened to a sermon a couple of years ago that encouraged us as believers to ask one or two people in our trusted circle the question,  “What’s it like to BE, on the other side of ME?”It is a great question, isn’t it? During the sermon, the guest speaker...

Have you ever heard the saying, “Wherever you are, BE?" Maybe the saying isn’t grammatically correct BUT, the saying has resonated with me from the first time I heard it.   It’s meant to get our attention and help us to realize that wherever we are placed at a moment...

I’ve been reflecting lately about being fearful. Looking at even the last three to four weeks in our state and country, there would seem to be many things to fear.  From mass shootings, to hate crimes and natural disasters.    Then there are the everyday fears...

Just a little over a month and a half ago, my sense of smell returned for the first time in a year. I pulled the top off a pot of steaming broccoli and opened the oven to remove baked salmon and I ... could ... smell ... them!!!!!!   I was reduced to tears––as I...

Whether someone is a Christian or not, we are capable of doing good things because we are all created in the image of God. So what is the difference between a Christian who does good things and a non-Christian who does good things? The answer may seem simple. It’s Jesus. But what does that...

Last summer, I was at a restaurant picking up a to-go order. I noticed the woman who was ringing up my order was limping. Out of seemingly nowhere, a thought popped into my head, “I should ask if I can pray for her leg.”  “Haha, nope. That’s weird. I’m not...

It’s not supposed to be this way Have you ever sunk into a chair or curled up in bed at the end of a long day and thought to yourself, “It’s not supposed to be this way!”. Or maybe it’s every single time you see the news. You are exhausted and exasperated. You...

Jesus is alive! He was dead, but a little while later, he is alive. “Is it true?” so many ask. Wes reminded us on Sunday that the resurrection was the starting point for the earliest Christians. Nothing else makes sense if you don’t start with the resurrection. John 20:6-9...

The Hope of Resurrection Sunday feels like a soft breeze on a warm day but comes in like a hurricane. One moment changes everything. Jesus goes from being a great teacher to being the Risen Messiah! Of course, he has been that all along, but Sunday proved it to be true. The prophecy of his own...

Throughout this past year anxiety and depression levels have shot up in our country. There seems to be something new to worry about each day from physical health and safety to the emotional weight of racial, political, and spiritual tensions. For many, the weight of the past year only added to...