MomminginMinistry

Christmas letters seem to be going out of fashion a little. I used to love writing them. Maybe before facebook. Also before I had much to write about. The irony of the Christmas letter is often that the more life there is to write about the less time there is to do it. And sometimes they're braggy, which is a whole other irony because...why? I think what I love about them though is the purpose of truly just connecting with others and also creating space for self-reflection. If, despite my best of intentions, this begins to seem anything other than authentic, please close your eyes and picture that big pile of dishes that I'm trying to pretend isn't in my sink. And also know that my kids might have been throwing blocks at each other AND drinking soda today. You're welcome. For me, 2018 can be summed up in the title of my blog. It all boiled down to momming and ministry. I began the year with my very first trip to Florida for Children's Pastor's Conference. I ...

I’ve been thinking a lot about church. Not just church as in the building I drive to four times a week with the 1970’s paneling in the hallway and the funky white rocks on the roof. I’m not even sure that I’m talking entirely about the “church proper”, the “holy catholic church” which unites all who claim the Nicene creed. I have this immense yearning in recent months to understand, what exactly is the church? What was it supposed to be? Is it what it was supposed to be? In my almost-non-existent free time I downloaded Francis Chan’s Letters to the Church to give me something to occupy my mind while I wash dishes or put crayons away in the resource room next to my office. It. Completely. Wrecked. Me. For days it as all I could think or talk about. Chan opened chapter one with “Imagine you find yourself stranded on a deserted island with nothing but a copy of the Bible. You have no experience with Christianity whatsoever, and all you know about the Church will come from your readi...