Have you ever felt you weren’t enough? Enough for your parents, enough for your spouse, enough for your friends, even enough for God or yourself? The longing to be enough can often lead us to search for our worth and value in achievements or in relationships. The...
What does it mean that we are the bride of Christ? It means that others are essential to our faith. It means that we aren’t fully who we were intended to be on our own. It also means that we are loved. We are chosen. We are sanctified. The fact that we are the...
“I don’t believe any differently than you do. I believe in God. I pray to Jesus. I just don’t see the use of church.” My friend was struggling and looking for help. Although he was in my office looking for guidance from me as a pastor, he didn’t see what use the...
I am... a woman. I am... a daughter. I am... a wife. I am... a mother. Although these titles are good in and of themselves, they cannot compare to my ultimate identity as a child of God. So why then do I still sometimes have an identity crisis?...
A spoken word to you from Valerie L. McMahon Broken, Battered. Used, Abused. Abandoned, Neglected. Accused, Rejected. Our stories are filled with pages that hold pain and carry shame. But, friend, listen to the Master Story Writer who knows you and calls you by name....
During quarantine, I have been spending a lot of time with my kids. In the blink of an eye, I had to figure out how to activate the super powers of my kid's teachers. All while working to launch a ministry, be a playmate, encourager, and single handedly taking on the...
I had only been to a church a handful of times in my life. I knew the name of Jesus from seeing His name on signs; advertisements and occasionally when other people would talk about Him. That is all that I knew of Him. Until, I had an encounter with His...
Standing in his doorway, I see the feet that I used to hold in my hand dangling off the end of his bed. Those soft cheeks that used to snuggle in the crook of my neck now have remnants of a five o’clock shadow. I remember him riding his red tricycle down the driveway,...
I know you guys already know what verse I am obviously starting out with this week… “The Lord is an Avenger in all these things…” 1 Thessalonians 4:6b ESV Just kidding! But ironically we ARE talking about freedom… totally not planned though. ...