Hot Tea and the Holy Spirit

Growing up, I thought all Christians were best friends.  I knew my church was Presbyterian and that it was much more fun than the Episcopal one I went to with a friend once after a Saturday sleepover. I knew my brother's preschool was Church of Christ and that their playground had the best slide. I knew my babysitter went to a Freewill Baptist college that deemed Amy Grant too much like progressive rock and therefore not suitable for auditory consumption. I knew my grandparents attended a Methodist church near the mall with the best bookstore.  I had heard of all these denominations and others but never thought too much about them. They were all Christian , and that's what mattered.  As I entered high school I began to get the sense that denominational divides might denote doctrinal differences. I discovered words like Calvinism and predestination, but I was okay with the tension in these topics. My Christian high school was nondenominational, and so was I.  When my ...

As I write today, I am on day 4 of a fast.  Now, the Bible says fasts should be done in secret: When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18, NIV So why am I declaring my fast to the world? I tell you of my fast not to boast, but to confess.  Every January my church encourages congregational participation in 21 days of prayer and fasting, and every January, I can't wait to start.  This is because annually, by year's end, my family tends to be in need of a massive reset.  Inevitably, by December our choices in food, the things we spend our time on, and the ways we treat each other have gone off t...

This Thanksgiving I went to the beach with my family to scatter my mom's ashes.  It was hard, and I hate that she is gone, but it was one of the best and purest Thanksgivings of my life.  Often the substance of the holiday is choked out by preparations and pleasantries, feasting and football--all the good things that stand in the way of the great. This year that was not the case. This year we pieced together a meal of store-bought ham and pies, boxed macaroni and cheese, and frozen chicken nuggets. My aunt made a salad and baked some sweet potatoes, and my stepsister baked homemade chocolate-chip cookies. It was filling and festive and tasty and more than enough. We welcomed nine kids and ten adults into the living room and balcony of a small condo, and somehow there was the perfect amount of space for belly-laughing, fellowshipping, and filling our bellies. There was no wine, no adult-beverage to be seen, and somehow I didn't miss it.  I can't speak for everyone there, b...

From magazines to memes, secular to spiritual, the topic of self-care has been trending for years. As far as I can tell, there are two primary reasons for the obsession: 1) Marketing. Advertisers know that people are tired, stressed, stretched thin, taking on more than we probably should, and trying to look good while doing so. They know that we are all basically waiting for someone to say, "Treat yo self; You deserve it!"  And they know that if they can convince us that treating ourselves is actually necessary for the greater good, then we might just take them up on it. Pedicures so I can be a better mom? Heck yes.  2) Necessity. The truth is, we should be taking care of ourselves. Like any gift from God, our bodies and our minds are both a privilege and a responsibility to steward to the best of our ability. But what does self-care actually mean for a Christian? Here's one way to look at it: Self- care : putting your needs above other people's wants. Self ish : put...

"Jesus wept."  ( John 11:35 ) I don't think it's any accident that this is the only two-word sentence in the Bible, making it the tome's shortest and therefore securing its spot as a prime piece of Bible trivia that even non-Christians might know.  I think God wanted this sentence to stand out so that we would take note. He wanted us to know that is was there. The context of the verse is this: Jesus was very good friends with two sisters and their brother. While Jesus was in a different town, He received a message from the sisters that their brother was very sick. Jesus declared right away that the sickness would not end in death, but by the time He got to their town, His friend had been dead for four days.  When the sisters and some of their friends came out to meet Him, they were weeping. Jesus was moved to tears, and He wept with them.  Then Jesus shocked everyone by going to His friend's tomb and commanding him to come out, and that once-reeking corpse, al...

When tragedy takes over the national news, Facebook lights up with the offering of prayer.  This response angers some. Many are quick to ridicule the prayerful as cowardly and feckless, calling for action over prayer. If prayers worked, they say, we wouldn't have these problems.  What's a Christian to do? PRAY. Do not believe for one second that prayer is synonymous with inactivity. Prayer is where we start.  We must pray for the families of those involved. We must pray for our own families. We must pray for our country and for the world. We must ask for comfort and for the peace that passes all understanding, but we must not stop there.  We must earnestly ask God how we can affect change. Maybe that means making sacrifices. Maybe that means we reevaluate our stances on things. Maybe that means we makes some calls and take some stands. I'm not here to tell you what that means. I'm here to tell you to pray about it.  Really, legitimately pray.  Don't just sa...

"Be the joyful one," I tell myself as I amble from the locker room to the childcare-pickup at my gym. These four words have become my mantra for this 50-yard journey past the fittest of the fit. It began one day when I could feel the comparison monster coming out to play and my insecurities rising. I felt like a champ during my workout, but as I progressed past the impressively muscled, zero-percent-bodyfat contingent of the gym, my strut subsided to a shuffle.  As I caught my confidence and countenance shift, I considered my insecurities. Why was I affected like this? The answer, I believe, lies in identity.  I am a relatively fit person. Nutrition, wellness, and physical activity are very important to me . . . but so is dessert. And couch-potatoing. Suffice it to say that while a lot of the people on this particular fitness floor look like they are prepping for a Baywatch-era Sports Illustrated cover shoot, I do not. And yet, fitness is part of an identity I have always att...