“This Christmas consider Christ.” Those are lyrics to a song that has stuck with me this Christmas season. They stood out to me because I realized how easy it is for me to consider many things other than Christ. I consider what gift to get for a family member, what cookies I show make, how…
Author: Emma
5 Ways to Keep Your Joy
The third candle on the advent wreath is a different color than the other three. This week the candle is pink, to symbolize our joy. In the olden days the fast would now be over and everyone entered the holiday mood. Now a days some people are already tired of the holiday mood. I think…
Prepare Before You are Like this Blog Post
This week was the week of finals for many of us in college. Final projects, final papers, final exams. In the advent calendar this is the week where you light the second candle. The candle of Bethlehem, Preparation, or Peace. Micah, the prophet, foretold Bethlehem as the birth place of the coming Messiah. The little…
Seasonal Considerations
We reached that season of year again. That season where the weather turns colder and the schedule turns busier. That season where everyone is going shopping and having concerts and parties. That season where decorations are made of green and red and houses are adorned in lights. That season where people give more readily and…
The Death of Real-Life Conversations and “Well Done Good and Faithful Servant”
Yesterday, I read an article about a photographer who is documenting the death of real-life conversations. He does not own a smart phone but takes his camera with him almost everywhere and captures life as he goes. In a photo series he titled Death of a Conversation, he captures people connecting with their devices when…
A Want or a Wish?
The other day, I was involved in a conversation about people growing in the Lord. A few lines of the conversation went something like this: Other person: “They want to grow in the Lord.” me: “I think they wish to. I don’t think they actually want to.” There is a big difference between wishing to…
A Location Crisis
I walked into the bathroom stall. Suddenly, my brain was in a whirl. I was in Mexico again. There sitting next to the toilet was a trashcan. I can see you right now, scratching your head going, “a trashcan?” That’s important enough to write about? You may not have noticed but in public American bathrooms,…
The Rest of the Story
Saturday morning found us back on the road. We drove a few hours to an orphanage. There we helped out with installing some clotheslines and painting the laundry room. We also put on some children’s programs for the orphans. Many of the orphans are handicapped, yet so many of them were constantly smiling. It was…
The Game Telephone in Real Life
Have you ever played the game telephone? That is what working clinics in Mexico felt like. We were out in jungle villages where there is little medical knowledge and most the people still speak their native dialectics. Most of our team did not even speak Spanish. We would say something, one of our amazing translators…
A Mindset Tip for Great Work
There I was cleaning a window and thinking about cleaning. I think about cleaning a lot these days. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I clean at a high school. Anyways, I was there cleaning and trying to decided which side of the window a streak was on. I was tempted…