Crash of Blessings As we focus our hearts on Thanksgiving, we turn our thoughts to our many blessings. “Now we thank we all our God, With hearts and hands and voices…” [Martin Rinkart, Methodist Hymn] But this story dwells on a recent even in my life where a morning of gratitude turned into a moment of despair. I was running very late for the 6:00 a.m. start time for my job at Sky Harbor. Working the Information Desk at

What is Humility? To me, humility means recognizing that we are not always right—and being at peace with that reality. Webster defines humility as “the quality or state of not thinking you are better than another person.” We may possess a great deal of knowledge, but others may hold different perspectives or experiences that are equally valuable. As a teacher, I’ve seen how two instructors can explain the same concept in different ways. A student might finally grasp an

Butterflies I was barefoot, in my PJs and sweeping the porch.  My broom was worn and bent and flipping dusty bits of things around my ankles.  My thoughts were tossing around with mere bits and pieces of things as well in the warmth of the morning sun.  So the first tiny tickle I felt on my arm barely caught my attention as I (literally) shook it off. But then it returned.  And there was a second fluttery sensation.  And

Letting Go: The Path to Spiritual Freedom One of the hardest lessons in the Christian life is learning to let go — to release our grip on control, possessions, expectations, and even certain relationships or outcomes. Yet, this act of surrender is at the very heart of the Gospel. Jesus calls us not to cling, but to trust: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” — Luke 9:23

If Jesus Came to My Door(Revelation 3:20: Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.)If Jesus came to my front door and knocked, he would have to wait while I shooed the old barking rescue chihuahuas into the bedroom. Then he would have to pause another moment while I attempted to hold back the slightly younger

Connecting with Your Christian Community Getting involved in a small group or bible study can help enrich our lives as Christians and develop our faith. For some, joining a small group can seem intimidating, time consuming, or simply not important compared to other obligations. Life is busy with our families, careers, and the lengthy list of tasks we are responsible for. Committing to a small group may often fall at the bottom of one’s list of priorities for a

I recently read a book called The Let Them Theory.  It is not a Christian book, so it was an unusual read for me.  I tend to read books about God, Jesus, the Church, heroes of the faith, and theology.  I never read novels or murder mysteries.  This was a nice change of pace for me. The author of the book is a woman named Mel Robbins.  The book has been on the New York Times best seller list for

A Reflection on the Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25–37 Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is not merely a story of kindness; it is a radical call to reorient our hearts and lives around the command to love. When a lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus points him to the law: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself.” But then the lawyer, seeking to

Biblical Courage in Every Season 1.  Courage in God's Presence Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Deuteronomy 20:1 – “When you

Formed by the Gospel, Not by Political Ideology In our world today where political ideologies often shape the loudest voices and social media clouds the lines between truth and opinion, it is vital for Christians to stop and ask a foundational question: Where do my beliefs and values originate?  Are they fashioned primarily by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or are they shaped by the agendas of political parties, ideologies or cultural influences?  Do we look more to CNN,

Reflection on the Gift of Pentecost Every year one of the greatest Church celebrations is that of Pentecost. It is considered the birthday of the Church and what we have come to know as authentic worship. We strive to do it up big with some fun. We ask people to wear red shirts, we sing some of the greatest worship songs, and in the end, as the tradition goes, we shoot off confetti cannons so that we feel the

Pentecost: The Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit Pentecost marks the moment when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, transforming them from fearful followers into bold witnesses of Christ.  Acts 2 describes how a mighty wind filled the room, and tongues of fire rested on each of them, enabling them to speak in various languages. This event fulfilled Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you

The Ascension of Jesus: A Reflection "Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God." Luke 24:50-53 The Ascension of Jesus is not just about His departure from earth; it is about His exaltation and His ongoing presence

HOPE I can’t imagine living my life without it. I wake up in the morning hoping I have a great day, by the grace of God. I think hope is what gets us out of bed each day.  Hope for our future, hope for our planet, hope for peace and hope for our families. Some families’ hope unfortunately, is about life and death. One of my grandson’s basketball teammates always seemed so sad.  Come to find out that his

Love conquers fear I wanted to write this reflection around the idea “Love conquers fear”. In the scariest and most fearful experiences of our lives, we question God: his motives for our lives, his existence, and we beg for the pain to stop. When we don’t get an immediate response to our prayers, we question our faith, our relationships, our purpose for life. My scariest and most fearful experience in life was watching my dad struggle through his last couple

As I sit here and think about what I want to write this reflection, I am thinking about some of the bumps in the road for me this past year.  Each of us in one way or another has had to face them.  Has it been a fun or enjoyable journey?  To be honest, I have got to say “no way, Jose.” Don’t get me wrong. It has not all been pain and the knocking me on my rear-end bad kind of way.  I

Holiday Dinners and Red Jell-O My family is small, so we try to celebrate every occasion with great warmth, but not a lot of formality. My sister Buffy and I grew up with holiday traditions steeped in the shining of silver and the endless hours of ironing linens and sharpening carving knives. Then many years ago, she and I found ourselves in Arizona, and we were glad to create new traditions. Fortunately, we married men who are happy if

In my most recent reflection, I wrote about my Joy podcast. It is now finished; and I am so grateful for being called to that experience, which allowed me to stretch my comfort zone. The guests in all 12 episodes shared their wonderful insights about joy and how they experience it. Now it is time (God’s perfect timing) to take those gems of wisdom that were shared and to apply them. Drawing on the collective wisdom that was shared

The word “Easter” has an interesting background. Some people say it comes from the word “east” meaning sunrise.  Some say the name comes from the Roman goddess of the dawn.  And others say the word Easter comes from the Germanic goddess whose feast was celebrated at the spring equinox.  No matter where the word comes from, for us today, it means the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Here we are, in 2025, and we are ready to celebrate

Preparing for Holy Week Holy Week is a sacred time in the Christian calendar when believers reflect on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s an opportunity to deepen our relationship with Him and to re-center our lives on the hope and redemption He offers. Holy Week dates back to the earliest days of the Church. By the 4th century, Christians were commemorating the events of Jesus’ final days through distinct liturgies and practices. Each day of

The Gift of Salvation is Open to EveryoneThe book of Jonah was written at a time of upheaval and distress for the people of Isreal.The Assyrian Empire had captured half of Isreal. The prophet was directed by God to preach repentance to his enemies. This is the only time in the scriptures that a prophet is instructed to prophecy to a country other than Isreal (city of Ninevah) to repent and turn to God.The story has many themes that are

Lent is a solemn season of 40 days, beginning on Ash Wednesday and leading up to Easter Sunday, during which Christians prepare their hearts through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Rooted in Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, Lent is a time of repentance, self-examination, and spiritual renewal, calling believers to turn away from sin and grow closer to God. It is a season of deep reflection on Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, inviting the faithful to embrace

There are so many things I could reflect on, but choosing just one or two is nearly impossible. God has done so much in my life, and I have countless reasons to be thankful. Growing up, I was blessed to be raised by godly grandparents who led me to the church early on. As a teenager, I was forbidden from attending church by a family member, but as an adult, I found my way back—thanks to my Taekwondo family,

As Lent starts, many of us have had conversations about what we are giving up during this season. I want to challenge your perspective on this topic. You may be thinking to yourself right now, how can she do this? Here’s how. When I think about Lent, I don’t think about what I am giving up. I think about what God gave up for us. How can I honor God’s sacrifice during this season and throughout the year? During

It must be great to have a street named after you! In front of the state capital, you can drive down Rose Mofford Way.  In our area, you can drive on Dobson Road, which is named after the family who used to own the land on which the street was built.  Who wouldn’t want to take an afternoon drive down Dale Lane?  I would love it! Well, let me invite you to take a life changing drive down, “Jesus Way”.