The Witness of Grace & Generosity“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I [...]Read More
Lent Week 3: Fostering Intimacy with Christ
Hope in the AshesTwo weeks ago, I found myself standing in my bathroom looking in the mirror. I couldn’t take my eyes off of my forehead.Emblazoned on my head was a dark, ashen cross; a reminder of my frailty and limitations. A visual to cue me in to the brokenness of the world, lest I forget.It had [...]Read More
Lent Week 2: Fostering Intimacy With Christ
Lord Lead Me in the Way of Repentance As we focus on repentance, we remember that in Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. There he spent 40 days and 40 nights and was tested by the devil. I find it interesting that the Holy Spirit is the person leading Jesus. Somehow, [...]Read More
Lent: Fostering Intimacy with Christ
Setting Your IntentionLent is a special time. As Christians, it’s a special time to engage The Living God through intentional times of prayer, fasting, contemplation, meditation, worship and other disciplines that foster intimacy with Christ.Lent provides an opportunity to intentionally fast (give [...]Read More
Remember. Rejoice. Release.
What do we need to release this season?How can I prepare myself for the arrival of Jesus when the Christmas season can bring about some unpleasant feelings? The Christmas season can be a time of trouble and worry for many people. It can be a hectic season, a rough reality, and our hearts may be [...]Read More
Embracing Advent: Preparing Our Hearts for a Meaningful Christmas Celebration
The lights are up. The stores are bursting with tinsel, decorative trees and gifts galore. All around the world, a great "to-do" is made about Christmas. But just what are we really celebrating? The coming of Christ is undoubtedly one of the most monumental events in history; however, [...]Read More
Holding onto Hope
I’ve been thinking a lot about the first Advent and the early years of Jesus’ childhood. I wonder what Mary was thinking as she brought her son into the world, so far from home. Instead of nesting she had to flee to Bethlehem. So much for planning a cozy home birth. And yet, she held [...]Read More
Building Community through Storytelling
Our Chicago Local Network has been gathering this past year, centered on fostering deeper relationships through focused circle conversations. After planning the 2018 National Conference in our city, we felt the urge to get a quarterly network connection time started. We wanted to create deeper [...]Read More