“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” – Psalm 13:5-6

Many of you know that in May Pastor Stan had a brain tumor removed, then in June found out it was a stage 4 glioblastoma.  Like many people in our church family I felt many different emotions, and wrote about them here… and here… and yet again here.  In August he returned back to our church to work part-time, and it was really exciting.  It was so refreshing … Read the rest

For those who don’t know, I work part-time at Sonrise Church – three days a week while the kids are in school.  It’s a really amazing job and I’m so blessed by it.  Today in our staff meeting we talked about who is in your circle of influence.  I think we came to: your circle of influence is anyone you come in contact with, and the depth of your influence depends on the depth of your relationship.  But everywhere you go, in everything you do, you have the opportunity to show someone what you value.  Do you value people?  Your … Read the rest

Chad and I are starting a study on Acts together, and something I read the other day stood out to me as though it was the first time I ever read it (I do love that about the Bible).  In Acts 5, the Sanhedrin is bringing various apostles before them at various times, threatening them to stop teaching in the name of Jesus.  Then they send the apostles out, and a Pharisee named Gamaliel sort of takes a breath, and remembers that this has happened before – someone starts teaching things they don’t like, they kill them, and their followers … Read the rest

Just stay with me on this one…

I love to pray the way David does in the Psalms.  He pours his heart out in the most honest, raw way I’ve ever seen.  He sometimes doubts and questions God’s timing.  Then he says the most important word: but.  He’s honest with God about how he’s feeling (He knows how we’re feeling anyway, so why not be honest about it), then stops, and relies once again on his faith and trust in the God that he knows and loves.  He’s not being fake, he’s not just saying what he thinks God … Read the rest

I didn’t know there was going to be a Part 2…

After I wrote what turned out to be Part 1, I went to bed and just laid there.  I laid there and I started talking to God.  It wasn’t like a formal, “Dear Lord” kind of a prayer, I just started talking to Him.  I told Him how I really wanted to do something for the Bucks, but I didn’t know what.  There was nothing I could do.  At least not today.  And I hated that.  I hated that I couldn’t do anything.  I hated that I couldn’t hug … Read the rest

My pastor, my friend, my boss, had a brain tumor removed two weeks ago.  The next day he was emailing, making phone calls, on Facebook, it was amazing.  Miraculous even.  He was better than before having the surgery.  Then today happened.  He and his family got news that the tumor was stage 4 cancer.  Cancer.  Quite possibly my most hated word.  It’s been 8 1/2 years since my life was bruised by that word and I would have been perfectly happy to never hear it again.  Tonight I got another bruise, along with the hundreds, possibly thousands of … Read the rest