Have you ever known "Smash Into A Wall Grace"? It's a real thing. Chris and I have learned over the years to think differently when life starts feeling upside down. We do a double-take when a perfectly life-giving routine suddenly feels like repeated toe-stubbing... or bull-dozing.

We are all leaders of something or someone. Even if it is something as simple as leading yourself. We are also all being lead by something. Wether we know it or not there is something in us all that leads us. Addiction, desire, hurt, fear, the pursuit of fulfillment. When you think about it that way, we might as well lean in to a leadership lesson from Jesus and learn a few things!

Has the weight of the world ever kept you up at night? I'm pregnant while raising a toddler and a teenager - the perfect combination to need sleep and to lose it! I've tearfully prayed through many nights this week for my children and the world they are inheriting. The darkness seems to shout louder and louder with confusion and temptation coming from every direction. But God is not surprised at the world He is entrusting our children to. He is not lacking in wisdom, compassion, or omnipotent love.

Chris told “the other side” of the infamous story of Judas the betrayer this week. It opened my eyes and made me think. I am the queen of creating expectations and agendas, so this one his me hard!

We all have an agenda. Life almost never follows that agenda. What happens when we put our agenda up against God’s agenda?

Yesterday, we had a "How the heck do you parent a teenager!?!" day. It was normal, non-extreme growing up stuff that leaves a mom awake through the night wondering if she's single-handedly ruined his life. My emotions are exponential right now thanks to pregnancy hormones, so Chris had to be the sole adult and handle the situation with grace and wisdom. He nailed it. He's an awesome dad, and Lifa is an incredible young man.

It's earlier than "they" say we should share the news. But this is what we do. We share life as it happens, and we go through the lows and highs together. We use this space to stay connected to friends and family all over the world, and we want to share the news!

I’'ve always loved tables and what happens at them. There's nothing better than spreading out a beautiful table cloth and sharing a meal with loved ones.
While my husband and I were having the conversation that led us to building God's Church, I saw a picture in my mind of a white flag flying. Black, bold letters spelled out "The Table" on the flag. Over a year later, I got another picture when we visited Cape Town…

Our relationship with prayer reflects our understanding of our relationship with Jesus. But do we really know Jesus? If we could understand more about Jesus then how would that change how we pray. Does prayer really do any good? Well, that depends on how well you know Jesus.

I texted a friend at the end of a peaceful Sunday to ask how I could pray for her. We were both looking at the week ahead with bulging eyes at the tasks laid out before us. We decided to spend the first five minutes of every day this week listening to a worship song and offering our day, tasks and plans to God as a spiritual act of worship.

This is the one where Chris admits throwing me in front of a bee to save himself. Note: I DID get stung.

This message also goes right to the heart of fear and speaks powerfully, boldly and in ways that might really help you or someone you know.

I finally feel like myself again after spending a few weeks under the weather. It feels incredible! When I finally started to come out of the haze, I remembered I had let go of a precious habit. I have prayed with at least one friend every week for years…

Chris shared two angles of one story this week. Context changes everything in life - relationships, news, finances, everything. But especially when it comes to Jesus. With Jesus, the context is always love. It’s always about Him pursuing a relationship with you. Chris taught a powerful truth this week that Jesus will do anything, including make us uncomfotable or inconvenience us to get a platform to speak to our hearts. He wants to fill your empty nets, but the way He does it is often different than what we expect!

I was sick this week with a head cold that left me foggy during the day and sleepless at night. I rarely made it to my treasured morning quiet time with the Lord before the day got going. My teenage son had a hard day in the midst of it. Two hard things happened to him on the same day, one of them requiring a tough conversation between us.

I was bummed to be too sick to make it to Chris and I’s normal Tuesday night Facebook live stream this week. I was VERY happy, however, to be able to still gather with the church virtually on Thursday night to pray together… though I coughed through it!

We had much to pray about this week as some of our beloved church members are really battling with Covid. Their small groups showed up, and we prayed with passion. And God has started moving!

Here’s a message from Chris about this weeks’s sermon. It was great!

Am I good enough for Jesus? Am I good enough for the Church? Am I good enough for you? It’s hard to accept where you stand with Jesus unless you really know Him. I truly believe that if you know just a little bit more about the love of Jesus you will be able to answer these tough questions. Yes you are good enough and I can tell you why.

Hurricane Ike devastated the Gulf Coast of Texas in September 2008. Three years prior, I lost the home I grew up in as a result of Hurricane Rita in the same area. The destruction of Hurricane Ike was record-breaking. I was immediately hired as a crisis counselor with firsthand experience in this unexpected kind of loss. I worked with first responders, school children and staff, churches, addicts, business owners, emergency services, homeless men and women, and everyone in between.

I got live on Facebook on Thursday nights for “Southpoint Prays”. It’s a short, but powerful time for us to gather virtually and pray. This week, I got fired up about who Jesus is and the power in His Name and His Church while we gathered. If you have a moment, join in here. Send me a message with your prayer requests!

Chris told the story of the capital-c Church this week at church. He even dared to ask, “Does the Church still work?” “Is the Church still hope for the world?” “Is it all that Jesus said it would be?” They are questions I’ve asked in hardest moments of life away from my family in the name of that Church.

It was a warm winter's day today, so Benjamin and I sought a shady afternoon adventure. Lifa has started rugby practice at school again, and I wanted to keep Benjamin distracted with nature rather than despair. I drove to a park in the first Cape Town neighborhood we lived in.

Have you ever known your thought life was out of control but didn't know how to change it? Recently, I felt betrayed by my own binging brain. Lies, confusion, worry, frustration - you name it, I gorged on it. I knew exactly what was happening. I could look outside of myself and see God's hand on me, yet my state of mind was wrought with negativity.