Category: Life Lessons – Experience
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Patience: Waiting with Trust
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” – Psalm 37:7 Patience is one of the hardest fruits of the Spirit to practice. We live in a world that values speed, instant answers, and quick results. Yet God’s Spirit calls us to a different pace—the holy rhythm of waiting, trusting, and resting in…
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The Strength of Joy
When I read Nehemiah 8:10 — “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” — I am reminded that joy is not something fragile or fleeting. It is a gift from God, a deep well that never runs dry, even when life feels heavy. There are days when sorrow or worry…
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Walking My Spiritual Path: From Dualism to Harmony, Silence, and Love
I grew up with a strong sense of dualism—the sacred and the profane, heaven and hell, saved and lost. In the Free Will Baptist Church, I was taught the Arminian way, yet it still carried the weight of a worldview where humanity was seen as sinful and bound for judgment. Though I did not embrace…
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Understanding God’s Diverse Creation
I need to confess something that I wrestle with inside myself. I struggle with fully accepting people whose sexuality is different from my own—especially those who are transgender, bisexual, or questioning. These identities are hard for me to understand, and at times I find myself pulling back rather than leaning in. It isn’t anger or…
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Order in Mind, Life, and Dress
When I was a freshman at Free Will Baptist Bible College (now Welch College), Dr. Judy Simpson, my English professor, taught me a lesson that has never left me. She graded our essays not only on grammar but on our ability to organize our thoughts around a theme. She often reminded us, “A messy mind…
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A Prophetic Cry for Our Time
The world is on fire. Ukraine bleeds. Gaza and Israel groan. Nations rage while leaders cling to power. At home, extremism poisons hearts and fear divides neighbors. God is not silent. The Spirit still cries out: “What you do to the least of these, you do to Me.” Every child buried, every refugee displaced, every…
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Empathy Is Not a Sin: A Biblical Response
In recent years, a curious argument has emerged in certain Christian circles: that empathy itself may be a kind of sin. Voices like Allie Beth Stuckey, Joe Rigney, Pete Hegseth, and J. D. Vance warn that empathy can cloud our judgment, compromise our convictions, and even lead us into affirming sin. They argue that empathy…
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Truth and Brightness: Telling the Whole Story of America
Recently, President Trump criticized the Smithsonian museums for putting “too much emphasis” on slavery and not enough on the brightness of America. His words made me pause, because they touch on something I’ve wrestled with for a long time. When I was in school, we were never really taught the full ugliness of slavery or…
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Becoming a Bridge Builder in Springfield, Missouri
In a time when America feels increasingly divided, it’s tempting to think that the only choices are to take sides or to withdraw altogether. But I believe there is another path—one that we can walk right here in Springfield, Missouri. It’s the path of being a bridge builder. At its heart, bridge building means working…
