If you are interested in having Cortney come speak or lead a Bible study at your church or women's gathering, please contact her at cortney.whiting@gmail.com.
Over the last several days, I have enjoyed nothing more than enjoying watching my children simply be children. As they grow older, I know these days of childhood are fleeting. They still enjoy playing in the hose, exploring outdoors, and using their imagination. The live life unhindered by the worries of the day. Not long ago, my parents found an old box of childhood memories. In there, were drawings, doodles, and even writings I had crafted in my youth. As I sifted through the pages, part of me longed for the simplicity of days past. I used to hike down to a brook in the woods and sit for hours, watching the tadpoles swim and listening to the birds sing. I rode my bike in the neighborhood until suppertime, without a care in the world. Jesus calls us to live freely and to live without anxiety as many of us did when we were children. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." In a time whe...
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 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...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete