Impacted By Grace

For some reason I feel like the debate on when to decorate for Christmas has been bigger and louder this year than ever before. It has been all over Facebook, I heard a debate about it on the radio, and it was even talked about on the news! People seem very opinionated about whether or not you decorate for Christmas on November 1 or after Thanksgiving. The fear of decorating too early is that either Thanksgiving will get forgotten or that people will get tired of Christmas before December even starts. Those that want to decorate early say they have waited as long as they can and they love Christmas so much that they want a little more of it. My thought is: Why not start early? And here is why: Christmas is the one time of the year where I feel like Christians get a free pass to be a little extra outspoken about being a Christian. Everywhere you look, Christ is being celebrated even if it is unintentional. You can say Christmas has become too commercialize and Christ ...

Mindfulness is popular term going around in our culture today. Knowing exactly what mindfulness is and how to use it can be confusing. Mindfulness is important because it can help calm us down and ground us as we face our day-to-day, busy lives. Mindfulness can help with things such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Life can be messy and chaotic, and when it is, the biggest thing we can gift ourselves with is 5 minutes of silence and peace. Today I will share with you what mindfulness is and ways to incorporate it in your lives. The Three Ingredients of Mindfulness First off, I reference Diane Gehart when talking about mindfulness. Incorporating it into our lives is SUPER hard. It sounds easy initially, but when putting it into action, it can be a different story. Three major ingredients for achieving mindfulness include: Intentionality Attention to present experience Grace and compassion There are many ways to do mindfulness, but it has to include those 3 ingredien...

12th-13th century Mosaic depicting Jesus walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33.  The Cathedral of Monreale, Sicily. The story of Jesus walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33 is one of my favorite Bible stories. A few years ago I was in a Biblical Interpretation class and I was ecstatic because my group and I had the opportunity to teach this story.  When it was my turn to present I began by explaining how faith in the context of this story meant trusting the words of Jesus when Peter’s mind told him otherwise.  Sometimes people fear having doubt or bury their feelings and concerns about God under hollow statements of faith.  But having doubt is a natural thing and it is wrong to repress doubt and hide it under the rug.  You might think that odd that I say that, but the reality is while Peter may have been many things, he was not stupid.  He was an experienced sailor and fisherman who knew what would happen if he got out of the boat during a storm....

With only a few days into October I’m sure you’ve seen some quote like this shared by a friend or follower on social media. You know, one of those basic girls that shares this quote while she drinks her pumpkin spice latté, wearing furry boots and flannel. While I may only be doing one of those things now, and will most likely use this quote as an Instagram caption in the days to come, I think the quote above reminds us about something important as Christians.  At Generations of Grace on Wednesday nights our different small groups have been studying the Overcomer Bible study that goes along with the Overcomer movie. One Wednesday night a few weeks ago, in the women’s class we began discussing what our lives were like before and after encountering Christ. And everyone’s “after story” included some kind of change.  That’s what happens when Christ becomes a part of your life. You change how you see the world, how you think, how you act, and what you say because y...

There is currently an epidemic of loneliness among adults in the United States. A study published by Cigna found that 46% of adults report persistent feelings of loneliness either “sometimes” or “always.” Young adults are the hardest hit, followed by the elderly. Only around half of Americans report having meaningful in-person social interactions on a daily basis.  This situation leaves me pondering friendship and the question: What is a friend? A lot of people would agree on some level of definition that involves “someone you hangout with” or “spend time with” or even a flowery “do life with *twinkle* *twinkle*.” However, many can also agree that there is a difference between the kind of friend whose company one simply enjoys and a “real” friend.  So, then, what is a “real” friend? Many articles online list various traits one should look for in finding a "real" friend or for being one. Even more articles list ways, in click-baited fashion, that you can divine...

Image Credit: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Media Resources     As some of you may or may not know, September is Suicide Awareness Prevention Month. Most of you probably know someone or know of someone who has attempted or completed suicide. In 2017, an estimated 1,400,000 people attempted suicide according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. As a counselor, that number is all too real. I want to share with you all warning signs, what to do, and what not to do with someone with suicidal ideation. The definition of suicidal ideation is a person who has thoughts, intentions, a plan, and/or the means to commit suicide. What you need to know: Asking about suicide does not increase a person’s chances of committing suicide. It actually could help save his/her life.  Suicidal ideation can affect anyone regardless of his or her background.  Typically, people do not commit suicide out of t...