If you were to journey down the street or into the subway station with me in downtown Brooklyn, you might notice men collecting bottles and cans to redeem for nickels at the recycling center. Or you might see the ladies selling mangos, hour upon hour. These women purchase mangos in bulk, stand at a makeshift cart, peel and put mangos into sandwich bags to sell … Continue reading Mango Moments
For several hours we stood awaiting the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan. The crowds pressed in as the anticipation grew. As the tree lit up regaled in glorious colors, the music began. “Joy to the World” was sung triumphantly! The tears ran down my face as the Gospel was proclaimed before thousands of people and countless others on … Continue reading Advent Series: Joy to the World
By Katie Haas One of the ultimate joys of working with college students is watching them fall in love, counseling them while dating and watching them commit to marriage. In a world of broken sexuality where our students are bombarded with mixed messages it’s a privilege to joyously uphold God’s design for marriage, embracing it as one of God’s best gifts. I love to do … Continue reading The Ministry of Weddings
Well, it happened. My oldest turned on the Christmas music a few days ago and songs of the season started up full blast in my kitchen. And I’m one of those people who instead of smiling and humming along, winces. Christmas is a difficult holiday for me. Songs, movies, commercials – they all paint idyllic pictures of happy families gathered around beautifully decorated tables having … Continue reading When Holidays are Hard
By Anonymous “My child has special needs.” Those can be hard words to say as a mom, and confusing words to hear as a friend. I don’t want my daughter (who I’ll call “V”) defined by her special needs. As a friend, I’m not always sure how to respond when someone tells me about their child’s needs. Here are 2 things I’ve learned over the … Continue reading Special Needs Kids and Ministry
By Lindy Black “Am I loved? Does someone see me? Do I matter? Am I safe?” Shauna Niequist’s words in her new book, Present over Perfect, could be my own as she describes the “cavernous ache” we all experience deep in our hearts. The Gospel throughout the Scripture answers with power and certainty – YES, in Christ Jesus! But until recently, I had not tapped … Continue reading Preaching the Gospel to Myself Every Day
My elementary school playground was on the corner of a very busy intersection. Like most playgrounds, it had a climbing apparatus and swings, a blacktop to play hopscotch and four square, and a kickball field all located in the center of a protective 12-foot fence. There was safety and fun in the center of the playground. Yet, there was a handful of kids who would … Continue reading The Funnel – A Helpful Illustration on Purity
I’ve heard the role of a stay at home mom described as stringing beads. Each day you get out your string and put on beads—one for meals, another for clean-up, reading storybooks, doctoring boo-boos, dishes, diaper changes, tidying-up, laundry, sweeping, and so on. At the end of the day you look down and realize all the beads have slipped right off your string and tomorrow … Continue reading Planning “Refreshers” into Your Day
This past week I worked on gluing together a gingerbread train for our family gingerbread house display. The icing jammed in my plastic bag, the sides of the train kept falling off, and I found myself getting grumpy. This was a moment meant for celebration and memories– Christmas music was playing, and all my family was around me happily working on their creations– and I … Continue reading Responding to Clumpy Icing
This message was originally shared by Katie Haas at Katie Hubbard’s memorial. What an honor to stand before all of you who have been blessed to know and love Katie Hubbard and share her tremendous impact on my life. When Norm asked me to share about the ways Katie has impacted my ministry and my parenting, I wanted to start to make a list of how … Continue reading On Katie
