Impacted By Grace

Photo credts: https://www.agrocares.com/en/news/magnesium/ In this current contagious climate, it can be easy to become bored and stagnant in our current situations. It is easy to let ourselves slip into laziness as we lounge about our living rooms. After all, the quarantine keeps us intentionally closed off from the world. Alongside this lag in activity we can allow our spiritual lives to become lax if we are not careful. Our dull routines can run together, allowing us to fall behind on the duties that should regularly fill our time. It is important to keep active in this time of forced inactivity, both physically and spiritually. Thankfully, there are many ways to keep our spiritual lives safely proactive. While churches may have temporarily shuttered their doors, there are still several ways to remain connected to the church body. Most churches are broadcasting their services onto their websites or social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. Many of these even includ...

“It means no worries For the rest of your days It's our problem-free philosophy Hakuna Matata!” – The Lion King With all this self-isolation business my husband and I have been watching a lot more movies than we normally do. And we love movies so that’s saying a lot! Hey it’s 2:00 and I’m finished with work, should we watch a movie? It’s 11:00pm, but is that too late to start a movie? Just woke up…can we watch a movie?  I’ve always found something comforting in watching movies. For two hours you can shut out the world and laugh, cry, sing, or solve a mystery. And now, more than ever, I find myself wanting to shut out the outside world as much as I can. Everything feels negative recently, don’t you think? You can’t even check Facebook without things getting overwhelming.  And what do we do when things get overwhelming? Turn to Disney! Or…is that just me?  Those animated Disney movies are just the best! And what Disney movie is com...

Station of the Cross, Station 5 "Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross," Church of the Holy Trinity, Germunden am Main, Germany In most Holy Week celebrations we are often like the disciples who fall asleep when Jesus prayed.  Honestly I can’t blame them for sleeping, for if the disciples were anything like my dad after a big holiday meal it really was inevitable that they’d take a nap! But this Holy Week experience is very different from years past for I now empathize with Jesus like I never have before.  I am restless and unable to sleep, fretting like a deer in the headlights about my inability to do anything about what I see coming my way.  Furthermore, I know I am not alone in feeling abandoned by the people I love.  Social distancing in a pandemic will do that to you.  I too have doubts about God’s plan for me.  Where is God in all of this suffering? Can I also cry out with Christ: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” (Mat...

Why do bad things happen to good people? It ’s a question we ask a lot… maybe now more than ever. Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Or have you wondered why good things happen to bad people? I know you have, because this is a question people have always been asking. Think of stories like The Great Gatsby, where Daisy ’s husband Tom is this terrible guy who good things always happen to. He has a mistress in the city and he still ends up with Daisy in the end. Or what about shows like Friends, and the time when Ross and Rachel were on a break and, depending on whose side you’re on, Ross cheats on Rachel with the girl at the copy store. And every time I watch it I think, “Rachel is such a good person why would he do that to her?”  We are always asking why good things happen to bad people or why bad things happen to good people.  There ’s a group of people who come to mind that thought this exact same thing, the Israelites. We hear about the I...