MomminginMinistry

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and, I am persuaded now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5 In June 2012 I grabbed Anne Lamott's book, Traveling Mercies  off of my shelf to take on the long road trip up the California coast to say goodbye to my dear friend, Jina, as we spread her ashes in Yosemite. I had no idea that Anne's book would forever shape my memories of this trip.  Anne had come to her faith in God as an adult, and without all the prep work of flannel graphs, and Awana's or Caravans, without a purity-culture youth group or Focus on the Family radio dramas and Amish Romance novels. So, she cusses a little. And she says some irreverent things at times. But she offers this very honest un-airbrushed account of her faith journey that I find delightful and endearing. Despite her nonreligious childhood, she recounts some of those seeds planted early on that us Nazarenes refer to as prevenient grace. ...

My Table Nazarene Church congregation started off this new year by kicking off the six-week study on Practicing the Way  by John Mark Comer. It's all about spiritual formation and how we're shaped by the tiny things we choose to fill our minds and our time with. Clearing space to hear God more clearly and embracing the spiritual disciplines not as goals themselves so much as gifts that assist us on the journey as we are transformed into the image of Christ. There’s this one New Year’s Resolution I feel like I’ve read a lot this week. Stop People Pleasing. It’s been in videos, memes, posts…you know the list. And I roll the words over in my mouth and try them on for size in my mind. My aim is to be a disciple of Christ. The word Christian literally means “little Christ”, so I want to mirror him. Is “Stop People Pleasing” compatible with this? Yes and No. I think this phrase translates differently for different people. It could mean: Stop striving for people’s applause...

  I decided to lean into the whole 12 days of Christmas this year. In case you are an American and a white evangelical, especially non-denominational, Baptist or Nazarene, I might have to explain that Christmas starts on December 25th and the celebration continues for twelve days, culminating with the celebration of the arrival of the wisemen for Epiphany on January 6th. Not to be confused with the other January 6th. In some parts of the world people eat this yummy, round cake shaped like a crown called Rosca de Reyes. Sometimes there's presents. And then you may take down the Christmas decorations.  Real Talk: I've only really known all this for about thirty-six months. Some years I have fought back the chaos of the Christmas season, demanding an immediate return to order following Christmas Day. Dry cookies are thrown in the trash can, tree ornaments start coming down, new toys find their new homes, and trunks are hauled in from the garage. Not this year. This year I just di...