I sit down with a heavy sigh, trying to understand my mood. My head is full—full of the looming list of responsibilities that seem never-ending. Full of past mistakes and current disappointments. My thoughts wander over to the funeral I attended in the morning. My friend was a good man. He lived a full life. I am envious of him. He’s home. He’s finished the race and crossed the finish line. He gets to be with Jesus every single day. In person. No more sorrow. No mo

Phony faith denies reality and ignores the problem.  Real faith denies the problem a place of influence.

When the curtain closes on our life, that’s it. Done. Drop the mic and walk off the stage. There is no rewind.

Finding answers can be tough. Blessedly, God is very good at helping us find them, and He provides us a roadmap to wise solutions in the book of Proverbs. There are some real jewels in there! I've learned to pay close attention to the If/Then statements, as in "if" you do this, "then" this will be your outcome. The first step for each of us is very clearly laid out in the book's beginning: LISTEN. Man, that can be hard for me!  I get so caught up in the demands on my time

by BARBARA LOWNSBURY Not only is this one of my most popular posts, but it seems especially helpful to me in the midst of COVID-19. I would love to hear what you think! What do you do when you’re facing a major decision, or you’re at a crossroads in your life? When that curve ball you weren’t expecting hits you squarely in the face, demanding immediate attention? Those types of moments are some of the most challenging spaces we face, and answers can feel difficult to come by

by BARB LOWNSBURY What breaks us from our faith? I think it’s very similar to what breaks us in any relationship we’re in. We have unexpressed expectations that aren’t met, or expressed expectations that aren’t met in our timing or with the answer we want. When we face intense pressures financially and emotionally, we walk away. But here’s the crucial difference between our human relationships and God: God never makes mistakes, and his answers to our questions always work. Al

I am going through a growth season, a time where many things are changing simultaneously; many ideas and learning points are coming into my view.  Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share a little bit about what I’m learning and how it might be of value to you.  I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts! #1: I Have Blind Spots Okay.  So that one is not entirely new.  We all know we have blind spots.  I teach about looking for and seeing your own personal blind spots.  But I’m

By SARAH DAVIS Shame has a way of spreading through the soul like mold spreads through a house. Shame is different than guilt. It isn’t just feeling remorse or regret about an event in your life, like when our internal moral compass tells us we are in the wrong and indicates a course correction should take place. Shame is the feeling that you are bad and that there is something inherently wrong with you. My husband encountered a recent disaster on the job site of a large and

By BARBARA LOWNSBURY Leadership is a heavy mantle that sometimes we wear too lightly.  While I never want my role as a leader to feel overwhelming, Two scriptures immediately come to mind.  The first, by the Apostle Paul, comes after a long, long list of his sufferings for Christ.  He wraps it up in 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 by saying, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?  Who is led into si