Luke 4:16-30 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The…
I was asked to write a guest post for the blog called “Ministry and Motherhood“. I was told to just write whatever I was feeling. It was posted one day before my son was born. You can read it below or on the original website, here. — My call to the Church has been just as…
Mark 9:14-29 14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I…
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the…
Language is great. It’s powerful. It’s how we communicate to one another. But language, at times, is also confusing. In English, the word “church” can be misunderstood. When talking about the church, exactly to what is one referring? The building? The activities? The people? Something bigger? Church has commonly been defined in two ways, distinguished…
Tonight my church held its quarterly “Celebrate Life” service – where we dedicate babies, do baptisms, and recognize new church members. Along with the adults, several kids were baptized, and some teenagers performed the ritual as well. It made me think about my time as a youth minister. I was asked a lot of questions….
It’s an important question. Who was Jesus? We all answer this question for ourselves. Is he someone we should reject? Someone we should know about and not pay attention to? Or someone who deserves our life’s devotion? I’ve chosen the latter. I went to seminary and learned a lot of big words about Jesus and God…
This month I was invited to preach at my dear friend Kyndall Rae Rothaus’s church. Grateful for the opportunity, I got to share a sermon at Covenant Baptist Church in San Antonio while she was away on a retreat. Their church uses the lectionary, and so I preached from Matthew 16:21-28. You may listen to the…
This year I had the fantastic opportunity of working at Explore Austin, a nonprofit that serves teenagers in East Austin through Leadership, Mentoring, and Adventure. For four months I was their office manager, and during that time I was sent on one of their Summer Wilderness Trips in the Hill Country. When I got back, I wrote…
I drink green smoothies. Everyday or every other day, you can bet that I’m throwing a ton of vegetables into a blender and whipping up a green concoction. People usually wrinkle their noses at me when they see it. I’ll be honest. I drink them because they’re good for me. Not because they taste wonderful….
I moved to Austin and two weeks later it was SXSW. * SXSW? Don’t know what South by Southwest is? Also known as “South by” for those who don’t want to finish saying the long name, it is a music festival, film festival, and interactive festival all wrapped up into a two-week experience that draws…
Phuc and Paula Luu know how to host a dinner party. They have made it onto my blog several times for their delicious food and fun times. The following is part of a dinner menu that is definitely worth sharing. The lamb recipe is simple and tasty – and it impresses guests! The side dish…
You have to love Groupon. I do. I get on Groupon’s website, and not only do I find excellent deals, I also find a multitude of ideas for dates and outings with friends. Kayaking trip? Yes, please! Painting with a Twist discount? Fun! There are also a bunch of practical services offered for a discount…
My friends Molly and Patrick Lockwood are the epitome of thrift. They are Christian musicians who reside in Nashville. For the past four years they lived “in community” – in a large 2,500 square-foot house with anywhere from six to eleven total people. This economical way of living taught them many lessons about patience and…
February is Martha Stearns Marshall month. It’s the month that the Baptist Women in Ministry organization especially encourages congregations to invite women to preach at a Sunday worship service. Not only does it give an opportunity for many women to preach, but it also gives the congregation a chance to raise their awareness and appreciation…
It’s not fun to eat alone. When I went to college, I moved far from home to a school where I knew no one. Freshmen were required to buy a cafeteria meal plan, and I made a personal vow: Never eat alone. The result was that I had to be bold. If my classmates or…
Want to know what it takes to sell your house the first day it goes on the market? Would it thrill you to get three offers on that first day? How would you feel if two of those offers were with cash? And if one of those cash offers said they would forego getting an…
Surrender! The pirate God yells To frantic me On my little canoe With nothing but closed fists for protection Against the towering boat above. My hopes to reach my dreams, An island paradise, dashed With my boat sinking, insufficient to get me there Sinking from every self-doubt I poked through it Surrender! He calls…
We must join in the praise of God. When I read Psalm 148, that’s the main message I hear, and so that is what I talked about for my sermon at Grace Baptist Church in Round Rock, Texas. My good friend, Aurelia Pratt, is one of the pastors at Grace, and she invited me to…
My experience in English class in high school made me wary of poetry. We had to study poetry in order to take the AP English exam, and the way we talked about it in class confounded me. Basically, we read old poetry that didn’t make a lot of sense to me and we were required…
My in-laws’ party appetizer of choice this past month was so simple but tasty I had to share it. We had it three times in the course of a week, and I still haven’t tired of it. If you are looking for an extra item to serve at your New Year’s Eve party, consider Cream…
Just a few years ago I didn’t know I could preach. I didn’t know I would be allowed and it didn’t matter anyway because I didn’t think I had any gift for it. But I am and I do. Thanks to God, and thanks to Truett Seminary. On December 3 I was awarded the Robert…
Our friend, Phuc Luu, recently taught us how to cook crab. Crabs are usually a special treat because they are fairly expensive to buy at the restaurant. Making them at home cuts the cost down quite a bit. But having never personally seen how they were cooked, we have never tried. Turns out it is…
Sometimes family and cultural traditions trump Jesus on Christmas. It shouldn’t happen. But it does. I don’t want that to be my story. I am always going to enjoy visiting family, watching Christmas movies, looking at lights, eating loads of food, giving presents, and playing games. No doubt. God likes those things, too. But I…
Today I graduated from Truett Seminary. It took me three and a half years as a full-time student to earn a Master of Divinity degree. Fifteen of us walked across the stage for this December graduation, accepting the diploma from Baylor president Ken Starr, shaking Dean Garland’s hand, and sitting down to wonder … what…
Transitions are a whirlwind. In the last month, I have learned, seen, and experienced an overwhelming number of things that I want to share here on this blog. But as you well know, the experiencing of so much sometimes prevents the sharing of it. Do your relationships suffer when life gets hectic? When life gets…
Rice and beans are staple foods among most people groups around the world. The different varieties and various flavorings make them versatile side dishes. Financial planner Dave Ramsey jokes about how the only foods you get to eat when you’re working to get out of debt are rice and beans, beans and rice. But if…
Hey college and graduate students! Finals are fast approaching. And I have a word of warning for your grandmothers. Tell them to take care. Did you know that there is a sudden increase of deaths among students’ relatives at the end of the semester? After years of observation, many professors will attest to this. One…
I am tired. For the past three months I have been working towards the goal of putting our house on the market, and I am finally there. After all the repairs and staging over these months, today I scrubbed the house up and down so the realtor could take photos and post them online. By…
Everyone has a sphere of influence. All of us are leaders – or, at least, potential leaders. Here is a key to becoming a better leader: leading others well begins with leading yourself well. How do you lead yourself? You make it a priority to continue growing. Recently I heard a speaker give his…