Unveiled Graces

Today, as I glanced through the hashtags of Twitter, I noticed the anger within the posts. Hearts are crying out for change and revolution. Many Christians implore action based on Christ's response to the moneychangers in the Court of the Gentiles at the temple. I read their pleas and heard their pain. I watched the marches on television yet wondered, "how does solidarity promote change?" As I reflected, read, and prayed, I remembered what most motivates change. Looking back on the passage of Jesus at the temple, I am reminded of several things. First Jesus was angry. The vendors had made the Court of the Gentiles an unfair market place. This outer courtyard was the only place where non-Jews could go to worship and commune with the One True God. Yet, Jewish merchants profited by turning it to a place where they converted secular coins into the Jewish currency necessary to pay the Temple tax, making them no better than tax collectors. Also required was...

This post was originally written in 2015.  Yet, I felt it was appropriate in this time of uncertainty.. Over the last several months, I have seen my fair share of darkness, watching people struggle with illness, conflict, job loss, death, and other “storms” that swell in life. When I was a kid, I used to always say, “that's not fair,” to which my dad would reply, “well, baby, life's not fair.” The human response to pain and suffering comes in many forms. We can pacify our pain, deny it exists, distract the issue, or project our feelings on others, just to name a few. Some coping strategies can be healthy, (such as gardening or journaling) and others destructive (excessive alcohol consumption, lashing out at others). When thinking on how to deal with dark times, I am reminded of the song, “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie . The child, being in what seems like a hopeless living situation, looks at her life from the perspective that no matter what problems...

Three weeks ago, two Mormon girls knocked on my door and asked if I would like to watch a video about Easter.  I agreed.  After the video, I invited them inside to warm themselves from the cold.  We sat down and talked about life and faith.  At the end of the conversation, I asked if I could pray for them.  Before they left, they asked if they could come back next week and read Scripture with me.  I had told them that I had studied the New Testament in seminary. Last week, we read John 1 together.  We discussed how Jesus came to earth for the world in order to justify us for our sins.  I talked about the notions of truth, grace and freedom.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship.  The girls asked if they could come back the following week and discuss John 2.  I asked them if it would be ok if I made them lunch and they agreed. Today we met for the third week.  This time, we had all studied John 2 beforehand.  We d...

This past week, in our family devotional, one of the daily Scriptures was 1 Thessalonians 5:11, which states, " Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. " Over Christmas break, my darling children found this verse slightly difficult to live out to each other.  As a family, we discussed ways in which we could uplift each other and make our family stronger. The following morning, I awoke to screams and tears.  "This is not what the Bible means when it talks about encouraging one another," I groaned to my elementary-aged bandits. The day continued with a struggle for peace. As the week progressed, I experienced my own frustration with others in my Christian family.  In those moments, I realized that it is so much easier to go for the jugular than to respond in kindness and humility.  In our flesh, we want to "win" an argument rather than understand the person's point of view.  We try to justify the r...

How to Live Through a Storm As Irma continued to creep near, a weight bore through my soul.   From the current weather, no one would suspect a storm was brewing.   My twin sister resides on the bay in St. Petersburg.   While her family is safely nestled with my parents, most of their worldly goods lie vulnerable to the hurricane’s wrath.   A cyclone of such magnitude has not targeted the Tampa Bay area in almost one hundred years.   It seems that recently, our world has suffered an increasing number of life storms, whether they be meteorological or metaphorical.   We clean up from one disaster only to turn on the news to learn of another.   How do we find hope in the storm? This evening, God helped show me a glimmer of His grace. My church decided to act and make cleaning kits for those affected by Irma.   I gathered my children and we discussed how many kits to make as a family.   I told them that each kit had a shipping ...

Things you cannot get away with as an adult (but you secretly want to do): Go trick-or-treating (without a child) Eat a Ring-Pop while on your finger or any other piece of candy jewelry for that matter Carry a stuffed animal around Jump in a bounce house Eat Bugles off your fingers like they are your nails Swing high on a swing set Twirl in a meadow and pretend you are Maria in the Sound of Music Jump is puddles when it’s raining Jump on a trampoline Say whatever comes to your mind Wear mismatched clothes because it’s fun Chase an ice cream truck Catch fireflies Scream at a scary movie Run when you must go to the restroom I would love for you to add your own in the comment section! ~CW