I had a hard time at church yesterday. I was feeling a lot of discomfort and even pain, and the morning had already been an exhausting one by the time we arrived. There were also some other barriers to my ability to enter into worship, and I found myself standing in the back, behind where… Continue reading Outside looking in…
Category: Church
Holy Week
Our first year living here, there was a homicide on our street on Easter Sunday. I remember sitting on our little second story porch watching detectives work the crime scene, and the coroner arrive to remove the body. The victim was shot and killed while sitting in his car, and no one we spoke with… Continue reading Holy Week
Whose minister?
I always appreciate the things that William Willimon has to say, be they in his books, sermons, or now on his blog. In fact, of all the people that Doug has the opportunity to correspond with and meet in his position at Fuller, it was Willimon who I got most excited about (he is coming… Continue reading Whose minister?
The cost of a half-embrace
As I have mentioned here already, I am currently restricted from picking up my two children due to recovery from abdominal surgery. When I first received this mandate, my primary concern was logistical: how will we do meals and naps and how will we go outside to play? Those logistics remain challenging, but what has… Continue reading The cost of a half-embrace
What youth need
I have had a lot of conversations recently with people around issues of ministering to youth and how that can be done most effectively. While in my hospital bed, Doug and I listened to a recording of Chap Clark’s inaugural lecture at Fuller Seminary where he brilliantly assesses the state of youth ministry in the… Continue reading What youth need
Small graces
-our neighbors across the street and friends from down the street who joined us last night for an impromptu In ‘n Out run for “crunchy lunch” (hamburgers and fries) and airplane watching next to LAX -our good friend who babysat for me this morning so Doug and I could go to the dentist without trying… Continue reading Small graces
Get your Margarita somewhere else
Our big prayer request going into the hearing on Monday was that God would move in a powerful way before the hearing even took place. I realized on Monday how slow I can be to believe that God will actually choose to answer prayers like that. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Pablo’s legal… Continue reading Get your Margarita somewhere else
Slingshots and liquor stores
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at our sister church in Pasadena. It is always wonderful to be with these extraordinary people who have made our mission here a significant part of their own mission as a church. I am always blessed when I have the chance to be with them. I shared with… Continue reading Slingshots and liquor stores
Joseph: the “good” brother
I usually let Mercy pick out which books she would like me to read to her when I tuck her in for her afternoon nap. Today it was the story of Joseph, or “The Egypt Story” as she called it. The book is one of a set we were given that includes the story of… Continue reading Joseph: the “good” brother
License to sell
Last night we had out first gathering for weekly prayer for our street. It was great to come together around the purpose of lifting our neighbors and our neighborhood up in prayer, and I am hopeful for how we will see God work in response. We prayed for specific families, for specific buildings, for peace… Continue reading License to sell