​Three powerful words you can speak into your adult kids. I am not a parent, but I know that when my parents said those words to me I didn't even know I needed to hear that, but I did! Advice is good, but encouragement is even better. 

I was convicted when a youth group student decided not to participate in communion. I don't know his intensions, but it showed me he took this time with the Lord seriously. Here are three ways we can prepare our hearts before taking communion. 

Do you have conflict in your life?  If you have any type of a relationship with another person you probably have. When was the last time you went back to the Bible to resolve your conflict? This is what my friend essentially told me. Go back to the Bible. Use the Bible as a tool during conflict. Not to prove your point, but to bring about resolution. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training inrighteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every goodwork.” - 2 Timothy 3:16. What a great reminder!

​I fell in love with this quote from C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity: "All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that 'God is love.' But they seem not to notice that the words 'God is love' have no real meaning unless God contains at least two Persons. Love is something that one person has for another person. If God was a single person, then before the world was made, he was not love." 

This statement proves what we believe. John 4:8 says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."  And John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

The next time someone says "God is love", you can share this statement proving there is a God and His name is Jesus, Messiah. 

​I know I probably shouldn't compare marriage to a gym membership, but the analogy works so well! Have you been roped into a gym membership contract? I know I have. Before I let that happen, I looked around. I asked the right questions, like is there a spin class? Afterwards, I signed the papers. When you date, ask questions. Get to know the other person. Be careful to commit before signing the contract. Dating is NOT marriage. Dating this way will take the pressure off dating and put the emphasis on marriage. More on this week's episode.

Living in isolation was not an option for Rey with the kinds of friends she surrounded herself with. Rey is a character from the newest Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker. I have seen every Star Wars movie and this new one was no exception. Rey and her friends learned that the best way to fight evil is together. Just like the newest Star Wars film, fighting evil together, is a theme in the Bible. God desires us to live in community, because just like Rey finds out, we need eachother. When I feel like doing this spirtual journey on my own, I recite Galations 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Surround yourself with those who know Christ, because living in isolation is not an option for the Christ follower. 

​My dad taught me about flowers and why we sometimes need to prune them. Flowers and our lives have something in common – they sometimes need to be pruned. John 15:2 “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

​God is good. From the very beginning. Because it is a new year, I wanted to share what I have been learning in the first few chapters of the book of Genesis. In Chapter 2 I realized God gave Adam the good news before the bad news.

​I watched the movie about Mr. Roger's life called, Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. I was so inspired to be like Mr. Rogers I wanted to wear Kedds and sweaters and learn to play the piano! However, those three things are not what was inspiring about his life. What was inspiring was how he loved his neighbor. The Bible talks about how we should live this way. It's not just the shoes and the sweater that inspires, it's how we love our neighbor.

​My pastor started preaching in Genesis 14 months ago and we are still in Genesis. I think this is the first time I’ve actually heard some of these stories over the pulpit. One example is the story of Judah. Yes, the guy who’s great great great a few times over great-grandson was Jesus. It was his idea to sell Joseph into slavery. It was also his idea to send away his daughter-in-law… Something horrible happened in that relationship just read the story of Tamar. It gets messy. His life is a good example that God can work with our messy lives and give us a fresh start - if we own our sin. Just read Genesis.