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God, and Real Grace.

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     There is so much to say, and what feels like, so little time. In a season of chaos, uncertainty, and even struggle, God has been teaching me some things about Grace that I really want to share. I hope you can find yourself in this somewhere.    For a person who has always lived a life trying to measure up, and hold a certain image, this season of my life has left those dreams in the dirt. Currently, I feel exposed. I feel like people can see the real me, the bad stuff, the things I don't post on Instagram and fight with everything in me to hide at all cost.    I find myself wondering what others are thinking about me, making up conversations in my head about what they would say, or what they think. Friends, if you are having a conversation in your head with someone, and they don't know about said conversation, that is not good! I am fighting to give people grace, because God has been teaching me a lot about grace. ... GRACE   ...
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That One Time Jesus Said, "BET."

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   You know that moment in your life, where you had to just take a step back and think to yourself, "uhhh, that.... is really just not how I saw that going..."That moment of disbelief but also amazement at what took place before your own eyes?    Like one time I was fishing, and I caught a duck. Yea. A duck. Im not lying and I truly mean, that was a moment where I was so caught off guard I cannot begin to express how amazed I was. The duck lived...I think. Jesus did that all the time.     Jesus was a man who if you followed him, watched him, you would find yourself feeling that sense of amazement and disbelief so often you might begin to expect it, or maybe not. One time Jesus was so on his "I am God, so watch this", stuff, that I think all the people who were with him that day walked away completely changed. Here is what happened: ...    A friend of Jesus got pretty sick, at least sick enough that his sister thought he was going ...
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The Good Samaritan - Why Change Clothes When You Can CHANGE Roads?

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   There he was, a man, beaten and bruised, naked, left for dead on the side of the road. Many men walked by, many "good" men in fact, but only one stopped. Only one man took "pity" and came to the aid of the half dead man. The Good Samaritan. And the good Samaritan clothed him and fed him and housed him; he gave the man his life back. (you can read it below) In reply Jesus said:  “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.   31  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.   32  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33  But a Samaritan,  as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.   34  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the ...
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10 Things I Wish My Married Friends Knew

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   If the title isn't obvious, this is a list of 10 things I (and others) might wish our married friends knew     from the perspective of a person who is single. *single for this list means, not married. You can have a significant other and although you're not "single", you're also not married...so this in many ways can and does still apply.     For the record, this is not my opportunity to bash my married friends or take jabs at anyone. This isn't a list of annoying things married couples do. My hope is that this is a constructive list, for married folks to understand the relationships between them and their single friends more intentionally, and for those who are single to possibly have a place to put thoughts, experiences, even emotions to words.      If nothing else this is a place to talk about a topic that is often misunderstood, overlooked, not looked at all, and even avoided in many spaces. This is a conversation as much as a l...
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Exodus of Church - Why so many young people are choosing to leave

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      ....      In a country founded on Christian values, built by men who identified strongly as men of faith, and a nation known for its religious freedoms, it is hard to tackle the question of why so many young people are choosing to opt out of their forefathers roots, but I think it's important that we do, because it reveals some important things we should all be aware of.      The first question that must be asked, are young adults, ages 18-30 really leaving churches more now than in other times? The answer is pretty clear, and the answer is yes. Research across the country shows a stark decline in church attendance as well as the number of young Americans who self-identify as evangelical or Christian. Nearly all denominations are experiencing a drop of 10% or more in church attendance, with some as high as 20-30%.        Is this normal? Has history shown times of regression such as the one American Christiani...
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Affirming Church - My experience of recently attending a very openly "affirming" Church

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        Maybe you had a chance to read a blog I recently posted in public, and if you did you read all about how I have been, and still am, struggling with my views and ideas of the Church. I wanted to write an update on how my search for answers and a church home is going and I think my experience might surprise you, it definitely surprised me.... * A Confession - I'm going to be really honest here, maybe too honest for a blog, and I need grace!        A few months ago a friend of mine invited me to a Church ( which I won't name publicly ) she had been going to and she knew about how I had been struggling to find a Church home, so when she invited me I knew she was thinking of me and felt this Church could be different. It took me a few weeks before I finally went but before I share my experience once I got there, I want to share my prejudice's and bias before I ever stepped foot in the door. ________________________________...
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"White Privilege" - Why It Matters That We Know

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       Why is it so hard for us (men and women who are white) to embrace and acknowledge the so called term - "White Privilege"?      If we're all honest, it is hard. For some of us, in fact, many of us, it's still something we find incredibly hard to understand and at our worst it's something we will fight against.     So why?    We struggle to grasp and or accept the idea that because of the color of our skin we have privileges that some people don't because it goes against the very notion of what we have been taught as American's. To so many, being called out for your privilege is anti the 'American Dream'.     The American Dream - that anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, age, weight, etc can do anything in this country if they work hard enough, if they do enough, and if they "pick themselves up by their bootstraps."      It sounds so good - If I work hard, I will get what I deserve....
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