Why We Serve

Welcome to day 16 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life. You can find an index of every post in this series here. Y'all, I love a good cupcake. It's hard for me to pass by a cupcake store when I'm out and about. There's something special about having my own fully decorated little cake. My favorite cupcake of all time is the wedding cake cupcake at Gigi's. It is beautiful and smells incredible and, oh my word, it tastes amazing. There is only one problem with this little piece of ... [Read More]

Service: the best gift

Welcome to day 15 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life.  You can find an index of every post in this series here. Last night I was teaching from the first eight verses of John 12. It's the account of Mary of Bethany pouring the perfume on Jesus' feet.  Verse 3 says, The house was filled with fragrance of the perfume. I shared with my class that we find the idea of a pleasing aroma to God woven into Scripture from Genesis through Revelation. One of the important truths I wanted to ... [Read More]

Giving Generously of Yourself

Welcome to day 14 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life. You can find an index of every post in this series here. Today we're wrapping up our conversation about generosity in a counter cultural life. Our world is greedy. We know that, we see it every day. But I think it can be easy for us to miss the ways we are greedy, the areas of our lives where we are the hoarders. We can be very stingy with our resources like time and money. But hopefully, you've seen through the past two posts ... [Read More]

Giving Generously of Your Resources

Welcome to day 13 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life.  You can find an index of every post here. Generous: (of a person) showing a readiness to give more of something, as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected; showing kindness toward others; (of a thing) larger or more plentiful than is usual or necessary. Earlier this year, a friend handed me an envelope. She smiled and said, "I just want you to have this." She gave me a hug and walked away. As I peeked into ... [Read More]

Generosity in a Hoarder’s World

Welcome to day 12 of STAND OUT: 7 traits of a counter cultural life. You can find every post indexed here. Have you ever watched that show on TLC about hoarders? Y'all, it honestly freaks me out a little bit. I see all those piles and piles of stuff and I can begin to feel a little claustrophobic. I wonder how those people got to that point. In my research about hoarding I learned this definition: Hoarding is the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their ... [Read More]

Sunday Meditations || Colossians 3:17

Welcome to this week's Sunday meditation! This week's prayer is based on Colossians 3:17. Father, we know we need Your wisdom as we pursue this counter cultural life. Give us the courage and desire to commit fully to the people and opportunities you give us. Help us not to give up too quickly. In all we do, may we be faithful to give You glory.  Teach us to be thankful, ever aware of the magnitude of Your love and care for us. When the days are long, open our eyes to Your presence. When we ... [Read More]