Month: July 2021
The Sweetness of Slowing Down

The Sweetness of Slowing Down

The Sweetness of Slowing Downglanced at the clock while beating the eggs. Everything was on schedule for our summer brunch. The oven was pre-heated and dry ingredients sifted. I just needed to add the buttermilk, applesauce, and honey. I would set...

Quieting the Busy Mind

Quieting the Busy Mind

Quieting the Busy Mind So far in this series, the articles have covered why rest is important, what type of rest suits you best, and how to distinguish your worth from the things that rest keeps you from completing. But how do we actively practice restorative rest...

LPKids Experience July 25

LPKids Experience July 25

Our Elementary friends finish the month with something Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39. The church in Rome needed some encouragement, and Paul delivered. He wrote, Nothing at all can ever separate us from God’s love. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done...

The Dark Night

The Dark Night

Following Jesus on the path towards spiritual health sometimes leads us up mountaintops. Here, God's presence is a tangible experience, and activities like prayer, scripture reading, and worship are fulfilling. However, as we continue to follow Jesus, we will...

Enjoy the Silence

Enjoy the Silence

Enjoy the Silenceost summers we vacation at the beach with my entire family. That’s 23 people in one house. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, it’s unpredictable, it’s fun. I have so many good memories with my wife and my kids and with my family as a whole...

LPKids Experience July 18

LPKids Experience July 18

Our K-5 kids look to Ephesians 6:10-17 and see that as Paul wraps up the end of his letter, he focuses our attention on where we can find confidence. Paul encourages the believers to allow God to make them strong. We don’t have to face life on our own. God offers us...

Branching In

Branching In

Spiritual health is impossible apart from discipleship. We can hardly say that, as Christians, we are spiritually healthy if we are not following the way of Jesus. The question is how do we follow Jesus in a healthy way? It is very easy for discipleship to become...

What We Do Versus What We Are Worth

What We Do Versus What We Are Worth

What We Do Versus What We Are Worth Recently, I found myself sitting across from my boss in a meeting to discuss my goals and projects for the upcoming quarter. “Before we get started, how are you doing?” she asked kindly, looking into my eyes. I hesitated a moment....

LPKids Experience July 11

LPKids Experience July 11

This week our K-5 friends head to Matthew 14:22-33. Peter and the rest of the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee when they noticed a figure walking on the water’s surface. When they finally realize that the figure is Jesus, Peter called out and asked Jesus to...

Knowing Yourself and Your God

Knowing Yourself and Your God

Getting to know God ranks high on the list of life’s most meaningful quests. God has revealed Himself to us. He is knowable. And we can grow to know Him in deeper and deeper ways. But our knowledge of God is always connected to the knowledge of ourselves. As we get to...

Grueling But Glorious

Grueling But Glorious

Grueling But Gloriousast year, my husband hiked a portion of New Hampshire Appalachian Trail called the Pemi Loop. The hike took two days to complete and is described as “31.5 glorious but grueling miles.” True to its description, my husband came...

LPKids Experience July 4

LPKids Experience July 4

This month our Elementary friends continue our journey to finding our confidence in Jesus.  We will start with an incredible example found in Daniel 3. Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego had their faith put to the test when they chose to obey God rather than bow down to...

Read the Bible

Read the Bible

We live in an age of information overload, and the amount of information increases every day. Yet the most important information ever written is contained in one book--the Bible. The words in the Bible, God's words, give us life--spiritual life, eternal life. Jesus...

Plans For a Slower Pace

Plans For a Slower Pace

Plans For a Slower Paceefore we even became parents, my husband and I dreamed of a life where he would bring home the bacon, and I would quit my job as a teacher to raise however many children God gave us. Before we knew it, there were two little...