Holding on to Good

This last year and a half has been challenging to say the least. And there’s no end in sight. The world is upside down, emotions are high, and uncertainty is the only thing we can expect. I know I’m not the only one who gets anxious reading the latest headlines, so I thought a shift…

Even When

I have always believed America is the greatest nation on earth. Lately, though, the more I see, the less I trust. I grew up in the post-Civil Rights, post- Vietnam war era of the eighties and nineties. I remember learning in elementary school about Soviet Russia and the USSR, the Berlin wall, poverty and dictatorships…

Gentleness

I long to be gentle. As long as I’m still cleared for quick comebacks. And dad jokes. Once I ended a joke about the unsteady composition of a rocking chair with “cane just wasn’t able.” I know. It wasn’t funny then, either. I’m here all night! Tip your waiters and waitresses! Back to being gentle….

Are You Good?

What image comes to mind when you think of the word “good”? Is it a delicious meal and great conversation with the people you love? Is it taking in a beautiful sunrise with that first cup of coffee in your hand? Is it that dream vacation, or watching your little one sleep so peacefully in…

Kind (ish)

Do you ever have a “well, duh!” moment? I just did as I mentally scrolled through the different fruits of the Spirit. It occurred to me halfway through writing on the nine virtues that all are attributes of God himself, and the Holy Spirit enables us to become more like Christ and less like ourselves…

Wait for It…

This is how I explain the concept of patience to a six year old: “Patience is waiting with a good attitude.” Works for adults, too. Patience is the fourth fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5, verses 22 and 23. I know we often think of patience as not losing it in day…

Love and Other Four Letter Words

If you surveyed one million people and asked them to define “love”, you’d probably get thousands of different answers. Love is a hard concept to pin down. It can be romantic or familial (but not both, people). It can suggest fluttery butterflies or a deep bond of friendship. It could be the contentedness of a…

Are you Fruity?

For anyone who has placed their faith in Jesus: Galatians 5:16-26 NLT[16] So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. [17] The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us…

Me-ology and the Churld

If you are a Christian, and your pastor is preaching anything other than what’s in the Bible, it’s time to find a new church. Today. I recently heard of a local pastor who refuses to officiate any weddings at all because he’s too afraid to stand on Biblical principles and say “no” to marrying couples…

Queen Angetifah

One of my friends used to call me a 40 year old black woman (I was 25) because I wore big hoop earrings and drove around in my Mitsubishi Galant grooving to Al Green and Johnny Taylor and Curtis Mayfield (sorry, just reminiscing here). I loved the music. I still do but I mostly listen…