New England news & perspectives
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The cocoon or the cross
“We cultivate indifference as a cocoon.” These words from James K.A. Smiths’ book “On the Road with St Augustine” leapt off the page and landed so viscerally that I let out a gasp, closing both the book and my eyes under the piercing accuracy of this one weighty sentence. Regardless of the rest of Smith’s book, this sentence had my attention. My pastor often says that “the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.” I wholeheartedly agree. I see this insidiousness go undetected within myself, and I see it applauded in the world around me, masquerading synonymously as the secular virtue of tolerance.
Read carefully, you might hear yourself singing
Years ago I enjoyed the television show, “Storage Wars”. If you are unfamiliar with the show, people would bid on unclaimed storage units (and all of the contents that these unclaimed units held). Normally these storage units were unclaimed for a reason—they didn’t have anything of particular value in them. But there would be times where unexpected treasures would be uncovered in these long-forgotten storage units and the participants on the show would find that a storage unit they spent $200 to purchase actually contained $30,000 worth of goods.
Strange baggage but confident hope
My wife and I often joke about how different we are when it comes to packing for a trip. Days before we leave she meticulously makes a list of everything that will be needed on the trip, while I start to pack an hour or so before we are supposed to depart. Neither of us understands how the other one operates, but it works for us.
Yet, for as strange as we both think the other one is when it comes to packing, there’s something nestled at the very end of Genesis that would strike both of us (and probably you!) as very odd about what the people of Israel would need to pack and take with them when they leave Egypt in the exodus.
The importance of women’s faith to the Church
Written in a time and culture that devalued women, the Bible is remarkable in the honor it ascribes to the faith of women. For example, this theme is one of the elements we see clearly in the Gospel of Luke. Let’s take a look at what we can learn from the stories the Holy Spirit prompted Luke to record.
Six lessons from the Shunammite woman
One of my favorite Old Testament stories is about a woman without a name. Interestingly, we have more biographical information about her than any other woman in Scripture. We only know her, though, by the name of the town where she lived: Shunem. You may remember the Shunammite woman as the one who offered a room in her home to the prophet Elisha. Her story, found in 2 Kings 4 and 8, is a beautiful example of the Christ-like character qualities we can all cultivate.
Prophesying out of their own hearts
Scrolling through Instagram the other day, I landed on a post that was both startling and encouraging. It was written by a Christian woman I follow and contained forthright words of biblical wisdom targeted to women. In essence, she called out our recent memorials of glass-ceiling-crushers as idolatry.
Leaf lessons
Most of us have favorite routes that take us to and from work, church, and the grocery store. We know when to speed up and slow down, when the road curves, or where traffic backs up. No map app is needed on these trips. But during this season, I am astounded as trees shed leaves and see the new revelation of hidden gems. Structures, scenic views, a helpful business, or just a fun object seem to jump out at me.
The good and bad seasons
Fall is my favorite time of the year. Not only are the leaves ablaze with color, reminding us of God’s creativity, but there is a crispness in the air that seems to make everyone joyful.
Where do you find security?
Autumn leaves dancing in the breeze. An apple pie baking in the oven. The crack of a baseball bat during a Little League game. A freshly bathed baby. Ocean fog rolling in during late afternoon. The ringing bells of the ice cream truck. These sights, smells and sounds stir up joyful memories.
How moving changed my perspective on being “called” to ministry
Before moving to Rhode Island two years ago, I lived most of my life in Florida. Jacksonville is my “hometown,” although I was born in Georgia. It was in Jacksonville that I surrendered my life to Christ and accepted His call to ministry.
Armed with a two-year Bible degree back in 1998, I set off to fulfill my calling. I spent the next 20 years serving in various roles of ministry. It seemed as though the vocational ministry possibilities were abundant while living in Jacksonville. Many of my friends served in part-time or full-time ministry roles. In fact, I was probably in a subculture of Christianity called the “ministry bubble” without even realizing it.
Eating my own crow
Most secular people don’t leave a job for a pay cut – especially a pay cut that totaled 64% of your previous total salary. But when God makes it clear that moving forward with such a large pay cut is the next step, you do it.
Delighting in Christ
Communion with Christ is the sweetest and most valuable treasure of the Christian. It is intimate fellowship with the One who created him and saved him from his sins. It is the abiding in Christ, who is the vine, so that in Him we may bear fruit and so that our desires, affections, will, mind and heart are conformed to Christ, who is the image of God.
Treasures in jars of clay: The secret to pastoring
Yet as beautiful as that morning was, my heart was torn in the darkness of fear over the future, self-doubt, sadness about past experiences and even grief over my own sin. It seemed these feelings had transitioned from being sporadic visitors in my heart to tenants who had unpacked and begun to pay rent.
What’s the refrain of your life?
Have you ever been in front of the congregation during singing? If you have, then you know that in most songs the congregation loves to sing the refrain. In fact, very often the congregation struggles or mumbles through the verses of a song, and then, upon reaching the chorus, they wake up and sing with renewed gusto.
Hold everyone in forgiveness
Can you forgive someone who hasn’t asked for forgiveness? There is a difficult tension in this question. On one hand, we must acknowledge that when someone admits guilt and the debt is graciously released, there is a beauty in that transaction. On the other hand, perhaps some of us have offered forgiveness to an individual or to a group of people who have not apologized, and their lack of accountability has felt a bit unsatisfying.
Voices
When is it that we begin listening to what the world says about us? The world tell us that in order to be happy or “good enough,” we need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, or attend a particular school. Our mindset can quickly change from remembering and receiving that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, to thinking we are just not enough. What is it that we truly see of ourselves when we look in the mirror or listen to that inner voice? Do we see the warrior with the full armor of God and the fruit of the Spirit? If you are honest, your answer is probably “not always.” How is it that we, as children of the King, can get discouraged, and doubt our gifting and our worth?
“Never waste a crisis”
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as shelter-in-place mandates were decreed and churches were scrambling to make sure they stayed firmly connected to one another, a wise friend reminded me of these words by Sir Winston Churchill. His statement, given in my title above, was borne out of World War II, when his nation suffered terror and suffering beyond imagination for those of us who did not live through it. As we survey the loss of life and damage done by the pandemic, his words ring true. And yet, if we are not careful, in the hurry to get back to a normal—new or not—we run the risk of neglecting the lessons taught in this season of trial and heartache. We do so at our own present, and perhaps future, peril.
The poison of deflecting credit while shouldering blame
Everything that could go wrong did. It was bound to happen at least once during COVID-19, and the Sunday before Memorial Day was our day.
Growing through the unknown
We are all experiencing unprecedented times. We may be asking ourselves many questions that we can’t fully answer. But one thing we can be certain of is the sovereignty of our God.
COVID, contentment & the Kohathites
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:3)
That has been my go-to verse in many situations: being a church planter’s wife in New England, mothering three kids to adulthood, navigating difficult relationships. But a global pandemic? Never in a million years would I have guessed it would need to be applied in this challenging and confining time.