Author: John Smith

By Jane Highley July is our anniversary month, and this year is our 11th. It may not be what popular culture considers a “landmark” year. You won’t find a Hallmark card or bling inside a small blue Tiffany box for 11 years of matrimonial bliss. Still, T.J. and I still celebrate as we have done...

By Andrew Colpitts “Door-to-door evangelism”. For some Christians, this might be one of the most frightening phrases to hear. A close second might be “street evangelism”. To knock on a stranger’s door as they are eating dinner or to approach someone walking to their bus stop with the intention of sharing a message that the...

By Melanie Kauffman In 2011, I found myself working at a dog boarding facility. After three years there, I have many, many stories, but one of my favorites is how God brought me wisdom through a border collie mix named Delilah. Delilah was very old: her eyes were cloudy, her fur was dull, and her...

By Anthony Gammage My first memory of racism came when I was about 11 years old at a dinner party with a beloved family member.  As we began to enjoy our meal, an Asian waiter came over to take our order and my family member informed him with all the venom in him that he did...

By Debbie Shope Knowing God.  Really?  How does that work?  God is, after all, God.  And I am, well . . . me . . . a mere mortal.  But I have to admit, the thought of knowing – the One who is immortal, the One who bestows life with a breath, the One who...

By Ellen Kay Barker and Elaine MacQueen Several months ago I (Ellen Kay) began praying and asking God to show me how He might want to use me as I was beginning my journey into retirement. He was burdening my heart for people within our congregation who may need prayer and support during specific times...

By Janae Robinson The Christian life is surely a life marked by paradoxes. From the work of Jesus, we learn that the first are ultimately the last, that the weak actually have great strength, and that the blind are the ones who truly see. Paul writes about the mystery of the Kingdom, proclaiming that in...

By Jane Highley I have a serious question for you: How gritty is your faith? No, that is not a typo. I did mean to say “gritty,” but I’m not referring to sand in your beach bag, flax seed in your oatmeal, or the sugar scrub in your shower. I’m referring to intangible grit: resilience,...

By Charlotte Gleason My semester ends and I feel like a sailor who walked on land after being at sea: my mind still keeps the pace of a busy school year even though my schedule slows to its summer stride.  I depend on these summer months to either care for all I have neglected, or...

Three to four times each year, our congregation informally gathers for an update on how important aspects of our life together are going, usually during the School of Discipleship hour. These “Town Meetings” are, in essence, progress reports. How is God blessing us? Where are we in terms of our vision and goals? Are there...

By Dave Almack Abridged from https://faithlit.wordpress.com/ by permission. I was sitting by my mom’s hospital bedside when she looked at me and said, “God doesn’t make mistakes”. Despite several days in the hospital and lack of sleep, this was her perspective. A few moments after that comment, she looked at me again and said, “Some...

By Ward Shope There is a mythical phase of married life when your children are out of the house on their own and your parents have not yet reached the stage where they need your regular attention. In this phase, the “empty nest” becomes nirvana, where lovebirds can date their spouse with as few (or...