My childhood Sunday School teachers told me Jesus loves me, and I took them at their word. I was baptized at ten-years old, never wondering if the grass was greener anywhere else.

I was barely 22 when I walked into my first graduate-level seminary class: Gospels at 8am. I imagined falling more in love with Jesus, plain and simple. My professor had another objective…

When my childhood home went up in flames, we spent our first "homeless" nights fed, clothed and sheltered by families from my church youth group...

When I said, "There's a boy who needs a mom in South Africa. He can't come here, so I'm moving there..." my American church said, "We'll help, and we'll come to you if you can't come to us."

I did a ridiculous thing. I ordered a walking pad to use for five days and return. I can explain. (A walking pad is a treadmill without handles to slide under a desk and walk while you work.)

My husband went out of town for EIGHT days. Our two youngest sons only attend school a few hours in the morning and struggled with Dad being away….

My husband and I like to walk along the oceanside promenade after dinner dates. We were awe-struck one evening by luminescent waves. The ocean was glowing!

We were witnessing bioluminescence, a natural phenomenon of living things producing light through a chemical reaction. The ocean glowed as microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates shone light from within themselves, much like the fireflies of my childhood.

I love learning. Educated perspective often allows us to move forward. In my Marriage and Family Therapy Masters program, the brokenness within the inner-city Los Angeles families I served was harrowing. Once I learned to see the systems behind them and apply the intricacies of development and other critical layers, I could see hope. I felt honored to step into the trenches with hurting families and help them heal.

But my research-loving brain has hit overload lately. Too many tabs are open.

Lately, I've felt like all that I have just isn't enough for some big, hard things. But I already know what to do... Remember. This isn't the first time I've not been able to see the way. Today, I'm remembering how God showed up in November 2014, when I wrote this story from a rural village.

More than 30 countries around the world are celebrating Valentine's Day today. Much of humanity holds its breath on the 14th of February (and every other day) for our greatest pursuit: to love and be loved.

My husband pursued me ten Februaries ago in the most un-Valentine's sort of way. In fact, I call it "the business meeting" when we recount our love story.

We called last week "our turning point or breaking point". An autoimmune disorder building in our five-year old's system is wreaking havoc, exacerbating existing autism-related complications. We were losing sleep, and our son woke before 4am, requiring more than we had to give. The worst of us collided as we each found our end points.

I was up late recently, rattled by the twists and turns of parenting a child with special needs. A teething baby demanded comfort just as I started to settle. One hour of sleep later, it was time for a new day to start! There was a redeeming moment in the nauseatingly caffeinated day that followed. All three kids were in the car, and my four-year old was practicing the Bible verse we were learning. My teenager said…

The dramatic story of a paralyzed man being lowered before Jesus in Mark 2:1-5 always makes me wonder. The crowd was too big to get to Jesus, so his friends just went through the roof. I wonder how the man on the mat felt. He was fully exposed, could do nothing for himself, and the text never said anything about his faith. Did he believe? Was he afraid? What would Jesus say when he got down there? What would happen if He said no? It was a lot easier for his friends to lower him than raise him.

I laid next to my 2-year-old son last night and tried to read bedtime stories. He interrupted every word I said, unable to withhold his enthusiasm. He chattered and grinned, while bobbing a pacifier in his mouth like a cigar. I stopped and savored the moment, completely consumed with love for him.

For an instant, I felt like I was on the outside looking into something extraordinary. Love for my son was pulsing through me, despite his remarkable defiance and destruction that day. I spend days cleaning mess after mess, doing unseen and unappreciated tasks, and exchanging my needs for his. And last night, as that powerful love cascaded over me, I realized that I am the one truly experiencing God's love.

Recently, a friend asked for prayer as her intense workload was impacting her physically, mentally, and relationally. Soon after, on knees wobbling with insecurity, I shared a huge need and prayer request for our family. My overworked, exhausted friend replied immediately, suddenly overjoyed that God had allowed her project to "go off the rails" and require significant overtime. To her, his meant she could be a contributor to our family's big need.

It's 2025! May God bless you as you walk with Him and worship Him this year! I am beginning the year with grateful reflection. I will be sharing some of my favorite call to worships from the past during the month of January. Today's was originally sent on January 7, 2022.

It seems like modern society is more sensitive to accessibility than ever before. Smartphones come with features to support visual and hearing impairments. There are laws for structures and hiring to give every person an opportunity to access life in the fullest way possible.

We make decisions in our family to help our autistic son maintain access himself and important relationships. Even Christmas is accommodated so he can stay fully-engaged and our other children can enjoy him, each other and the reason for the holiday throughout the entire day.

John 3 tells of a Jewish leader coming to Jesus in the covering of the night. Baffled Nicodemus has the education and qualification behind his name to be considered an expert. Yet he humbly seeks Jesus, sure that this man of miracles has a more authentic power than him.

Jesus responds, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:3, 6)

I’m working on the edits for the Friday Call to Worship to become a book! It’s been more encouraging than I could have imagined to go back through the past years, walking week by week with the me who didn’t know a pandemic or special needs parenting was coming. I’m preaching to myself and, once again, in awe that God stays the same while I wobble through the weeks.

We are giving the e-book version of “Called to Worship” as a gift to our friends contributing to our fundraiser…

Our five-year old son has been talking about his end of year school concert for months. I took my seat in the concert hall this week, shouldering months of subconscious dread. His preschool is for children with special needs. I feared the toll performance pressure would take on the kids, overstimulation, and unlimited unknowns. I was overcome with the sheer possibility of our son feeling like he was physically unable to do something he really wanted to do, a familiar kind of torment.

Five years ago, I stepped into our front garden with a baby strapped to my chest. Rented tables with homemade placemats were set for 60. We served an American Thanksgiving dinner to our South African guests, choosing to give thanks while we didn't know our family's next steps. My husband and I relished in a garden full of laughter and warmth that day, never pausing to even taste the meal.

We ate leftover pumpkin pie in our garage late that night. It was a delicious and sacred moment, our own Thanksgiving faith-building feast when we didn't know what tomorrow held.

David is crowned king of all Israel in 2 Samuel 5, 22 long years after he was annointed future king. He ascended to the highest heights as a giant slaying, princess-marrying hero, and scraped rock bottom as a hated refugee, clipping a king's coat in a cave while he relived himself. (💩 happens in the Bible too! See 1 Samuel 24.)

A familiar enemy mobilized to capture David when he became king….

My American heart beats for turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie when the calendar turns to November. America's Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for more than the food... but the food sure is good.

Thanksgiving dates back to 1621. One hundred Pilgrims set sail from England one year before seeking religious freedom. Winter came quickly and tragically, and half of the new colonists perished.