Baggage… it’s really important when you’re going somewhere to have the things needed for that trip at hand and ready to use. Baggage doesn’t sound good, though, if it’s referring to something I’m bringing from my past that is harmful into the present. Even...
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10“You, Holy Spirit, are a whisper. A frequency so humble that our city noise would drown You out but for desperately longing hearts.” Strahan Coleman...
In early October the staff and I were able to spend the day at the McElroy residence to spend some intentional time in the Word, in prayer and in the presence of God’s creation. If you have not been to the McElroy property, it always feels like you are on a retreat. It is covered in trees...
Some years ago, back in Africa, Nigeria, I became a Christian at twelve, accepting and confessing Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. From the moment I did that, I knew that something in me was no longer the same, and a significant change had occurred deep inside me. I was a seventh grader...
First, I give thanks and glory to our Lord that makes everything possible through his loving grace and thanks to GPBC for the privilege of contributing again to this blog. This time around I would like to share about what GPBC and the Lord have taught me in my Christian faith. I think what is...
The possibility of transformation is the essence of hope. Psychologist Aaron Beck says that the single belief most toxic to a relationship, be it a marriage or a friendship, is the belief that the other person cannot change. John Ortberg, in his book The Life You’ve Always Wanted...
I was raised in southeast Idaho in a stable Mormon home. At age 19, I left home to serve a two-year Mormon mission in northern Japan. I held multiple positions of leadership in the Mormon church both before and after my return. At the age of 30, questioning the Mormon faith (and God...
With children returning to school and our landscape aflame with a bright palette of changing colors; fall is upon us. Our lives consist of different seasons! Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” (NRSV) Solomon...
I think we can all relate to stories, so I thought it would be helpful to share with you a story about how a Stephen Minister so wonderfully and personally provided a reminder of God’s presence in the midst of someone’s painful circumstances. We’ve seen this happen over and...
The Bible holds stories that are difficult for us to digest either because, in our eyes, they are too gory, too unkind, too harsh or simply too annoying that God was ok with that!In Genesis, there’s the story of the forbidden fruit and Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Why God would...