Church?
For the past couple of weeks I have loved experiencing shared conversations, wrestling truths, laughter so hard it requires some physical expression, thought provoking “hmmm’z”, singing with 1500 strangers, connections fostered through great blog hearts….the list goes on. I have walked away from many of those moments saying, “that was some great church.” This idea of church has my thoughts marinating on what great church is. I could tell you a million different ways I have experience God in “church,: but less then half of those experiences would have to do with being in a church building. In the bible, Jesus describes our

Hope
Hope is a small word that packs a huge punch. Hope plays a larger role in my life than I have been aware of. For the past couple of weeks I have found myself to be easily frustrated, quick to be unedited in my words, and easily discouraged. This is not a fun place to sit in or experience. As I have thought about it, hope, or a lack of hope, seems to be at the root of my issues. I have found that hope is a catalyst to standing firm when all else fails and falls away. Hope can keep one from falling away. Proverbs states, “hope defe

Lessons from a 6-year-old
So much truth and enlightening moments can come from kids. It is so humbling to be reminded of what value and character really looks like from a person still missing his front teeth. Today my co-worker told me a great story about her six-year-old son, named Junior. Now Junior comes and hangs out with us at our office at least one day a week. I must admit, he might be one of my top five favorite kids. Last night Juniors mom had parent teacher conferences at his school. His teacher raved about his abilities in class, but she could not wait to talk about his awesome personality. Teacher: Junior is a very people person kinda kid. All the other

Influence to a younger generation
This week we have talked about different roles in which the weight influence can be seen and heard. We have looked at how the weight of influence should be valued from your closest relationship to the many you know and don’t know. What about in your house? What about those roles that impact a younger generation? There is a great verse in Deuteronomy that states, “18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on you

The closest of influence
The weight of influence is often attributed to people in the public eye or those who desire to be out front. It is easy to attribute influence to those who volunteer to stand in that position. What I have learned is that everyone carries the weight of influence. Proverbs 27:6 states, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Our closest relationships carry the most influence. There are so many verses in the Bible that