Living in the Shadow of the Cross
Posted by Lynton Ellisor in Lent
Driving on the freeway alongside an 18-wheeler makes me extremely nervous. I find myself either staying a safe distance behind the truck or speeding ahead to get in front of it as quickly as possible. But on this one Sunday morning driving to church, I had an experience that made me thank God for a semi-trailer truck. The sun was glaring through the windows of my car, and I could barely see to…
He Is Faithful
Posted by Lauren Benesh in Lent
Because of the physical consequences of three previous c-sections, I was told at my 20-week ultrasound for our fourth baby that there was a chance I would develop a complication. When I left that appointment, I thought I was emotionally fine until I got to my car and realized I was shaking. Before I left the office, the medical personnel had asked whether I had someone to watch my kids if I…
Monday Over Coffee: "Good"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
Gabriel in his pickup and Doug in his BMW arrived at the same parking space in front of the island’s best doughnut shop at the same time. Gabriel generously surrendered the place and in the time it took to circle back around, decided maybe he didn’t really need a coffee after all. Returning to the freeway, driving into a stiff wind as the sun rose, Gabriel instead headed over the bridge toward…
Following Jesus in the Shadow of the Cross
Posted by Bud Lovell in Lent
Bill Tell, National Staff Development Specialist with the Navigators, says it this way: "Don't be fooled into thinking you independently know what is most fulfilling for you. Instead, come on a one-way journey with me and don't let those who criticize you cause you to turn around. Follow me because I want you to be with me, and I want to be with you. And in this relationship of ours, you will…
I Am Not Alone
Posted by Alba Garza in Lent
I never would have imagined…on November 20, 2023, I went in for my annual physical and told my doctor that I found two painful lumps. The next day, I went alone to the hospital for my diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. After the testing, the radiologist confirmed finding four lumps and a swollen lymph node. I cried in the parking garage and felt so devastated. All I could think about was my…
Monday Over Coffee: "Sparks"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
The week before school started, Tricia Powell arranged the desks in her sixth grade classroom into a three-tiered semicircle as was her custom. Next, she arranged her maps and an American history timeline on the wall, then reviewed her outlines and memorized the names of her new students. By the end of the week, she was ready for Monday, the first day of class.
I Believe, Help My Unbelief
Posted by George Gaston in Lent
Diminishing hope became reality for me in 2016. During August of that year, I began immunotherapy treatments for a widely-spread, rapidly-advancing cancer. After all my years of helping people face illnesses and mortality, suddenly I was confronting the inevitable reality of my suffering and death. It was difficult to hear a physician declare “you’ve got stage four metastatic melanoma, and if we…
Good Things
Posted by Linda Brupbacher in Lent
Over the past year, I’ve experienced a type of resurrection. My tremors had become debilitating. I couldn’t write, use utensils to eat, or type on my phone. I couldn’t write my name or read my own handwriting. It had become nearly impossible to use my hands to do almost anything. My head as well as my hands shook. Eating in public was embarrassing. That was before my surgery.
Monday Over Coffee: "Stirred"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
During Lent, Daisy resolved to pray. It wasn’t that she didn’t pray as it was. It was that her mind wandered when she tried. She would lean forward into the day, or her thoughts would fall back into some vital memory. Or she’d get twitchy and reach for her phone. This wasn’t how she wanted to be, so it was for all these reasons that she set out during her lunch hour toward a small church a few…
When the Lost Are Found
Posted by Joshua Bocher in Lent
I lived in Oregon for a year doing college ministry. Late that fall I took a group to Multnomah Falls. We arrived in the afternoon and planned on hiking to the top. The trail is over a mile long and zigzags along steep cliffs. Along the way, the guys in the group, including myself, got tired of having to wait on the girls. We wanted to have more time near the top of the falls, so we split into…
Monday Over Coffee: "The Weather"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
As he exited the idling cab at his terminal, the wind swirled around Edwin Ray like a cattleman’s rope. It had started to sleet too, crystals accumulating on the hard pavement at his feet. With a raft of other travelers, their coats whipping, their umbrellas turning inside out, Edwin moved through the automatic doors, then scanned the bustling space, shaking his head. He’d expected long lines,…
Monday Over Coffee: "A Field of Wheat, Not Tares"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
The wheat grows alongside the tares. The wheat perseveres, Yet so do the tares. One clothed in gold, Producing glowing grace, The other, tangled suffering. They cover the fields of history And line the path of each mad dash, But the Owner knows the real estate: Take heart, This is a field of wheat, Not tares.
Monday Over Coffee: "Prayer for Hope"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
When rescue is impossible, And hope is laid aside, Reveal to us, O God, Another kind of hope. As gentle as a candle’s light, Clear, like seas of glass, In the Trinity’s own choral voice we hear: “Behold...I make all things new.” Let us draw water for each other, Drawing forth this other kind of hope. The kind that rises only When the first is set aside. Amen
Monday Over Coffee: "Prayer for Today"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
God-Who-Weeps-With-Us, Mix our hearts together. Yours with Ours. Let us find hope in the darkness.
Monday Over Coffee: "Unsung"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
Jo was 22 when she married. Her husband, an art dealer by trade, had asked her to wed after speaking with her only twice. He had regaled her on those occasions with stories of his quirky family. His father was a minister; his mother loved being out in nature. He had three charming sisters, a younger brother, and an older brother, a troubled painter whom he supported. Following the marriage, her…
How Do I Say, "I Don't Know?"
Posted by Brad Jernberg in Discipleship
Early in my career I was called to serve as the music minister for Cliff Temple Baptist Church. It was a wonderful church with great people, and it was a formative experience at the beginning of my ministry. However, in my first few months there, things were a little “bumpy.”
Monday Over Coffee: "Meaning"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
She worked the registers at the grocery store until they decided to install the self-checkout kiosks. Now Daphne Gould’s job consisted mostly of helping customers who encountered problems in self-checkout or needed approval to purchase wine or beer. She’d step in to troubleshoot or in the case of the alcohol, ask for an ID, then run her card through for the purchase. It felt like a demotion, but…
How Can I be Present in the Present?
Posted by Matt Walton in Discipleship
The new year is a time when people commit to new goals, new dreams, or new endeavors. We also know that it can take months for a habit to form, to become concrete or automatic in someone’s life. For some people, such new year’s resolutions and the habits required to reach these goals are quite daunting. Not for me! I love goals. I am a thoroughly goal-oriented person. I love pursuing long,…
Monday Over Coffee: "Bravery"
Posted by Greg Funderburk in Monday Over Coffee
Eddie was in the third grade when his mother’s job required a sudden move across the country between Christmas and New Year’s Day. “It can’t be helped,” she told him as gently as she could. She apologized, referring to something she called “our future,” which Eddie did his best to pretend to understand.
How Can I Pause to be Present?
Posted by Alyssa Carter in Discipleship
Something that is hard for me to admit is how much I really enjoy being around others. I have even joked in the past that I am Ariel because, “I wanna be where the people are…” (and yes, please read this like you are singing along so this song is stuck in your head too!) But that is only because I also really enjoy the quiet and reading a good book with a delicious coffee.
