Don’t Swim in a Green Pool
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV) Do you remember the green pool? During the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the normally clear water in the diving pool turned a brilliant grass green. Theories range from rain and lack of wind to the addition of hydrogen peroxide, but either way the color means there’s not enough chlorine to kill the bad stuff in the water. You don’t have to be a chemist or pool expert to know you don’t want to swim in that. When we moved to Florida, our boys were ecstatic that our new house has its own...
Read MoreA Season of Waiting
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19 NIV) Something happened this past November that hadn’t occurred since 2011. That’s right, the Michigan Wolverines football team finally beat Ohio State, snapping an 8-game losing streak (with 2020 canceled for a COVID outbreak) and handing seven-year coach Jim Harbaugh his first victory over the Buckeyes. To be honest, we didn’t expect it to take that long. When the Wolverines hired Harbaugh, he was an alumnus with success as player and coach at both the college and NFL levels. He did win a lot...
Read MoreTaking Care of the Temple
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? 1 Corinthians 6:19a NIV (Abigail, our beloved former blog editor and so much more, now lives in Florida.) When I was in my early 20s, I could go out until 2AM on a weeknight and still get to work by 9 the next morning. By the time I turned 30, I realized I had to be responsible, but as long as I kept to a reasonable schedule, my body was fine. Now that I’m almost 40(!) and have gone through two pregnancies, my body is starting to break down even when I’ve been responsible. My bad...
Read MoreWhat If It’s Not a Character Problem?
“…your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8b NIV) I have a really short temper, which got a lot shorter after our second baby was born. I would yell or cry for no reason, hide in the bathroom to be alone, fantasize about running away. When even my incredibly patient husband said one day, “I don’t know how much longer I can live like this,” I knew something had to change. I began going to weekly counseling. I reduced my job to part-time, then quit altogether. I hired help with cleaning and cooking at various times. I changed my birth control. Things improved, but I...
Read MoreIn Joy and Sorrow
I first wrote this blog post in 2008, but I thought it related to a lot of what the church family is experiencing this week. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15 NIV) There’s a great line in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. After Hermione has explained all the conflicted emotions of another character to Harry, their friend Ron says, “One person can’t feel all that at once, they’d explode.” Hermione retorts with a snarky comment, but I rather sympathize with Ron. What are we supposed to do when our feelings are at such great variance within us?...
Read MoreA Letter of Love
Dear Creekside Family, Matthew, Jacob and I have moved to North Bend to be closer to our family. It is with heavy and light hearts all at the same time that we share this news with you all. Creekside has been our home for six years, from the first Sunday we visited. We’re not that far away, but it’s realistic to acknowledge that we will want to join a church community out in North Bend, whether at Cascade or elsewhere. We’ve done life with you all for quite a while now. We’ve watched your teenagers grow and blossom as we led Youth Group for a time, and you trusted us to fly across the...
Read MoreThe Power of Positive Thinking
I’ve heard that mention of “the Universe” is becoming more common in fiction and non-fiction books alike—as in, asking “the Universe” for something or “the Universe” giving you what you need. People who don’t like to believe in God still feel the need God put in us for a guiding presence, and if they can’t name it God, they will name it something else. Similarly, you’ve probably heard of the book or movie The Secret, which is based on the so-called “law of attraction”: the idea that thinking positive thoughts will bring positive things into a person’s life. It was widely panned but wildly...
Read MoreGroupthink, Meaning, and Unity
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22-23 NIV) One of the most intriguing and distressing phenomena of the last four years has been the disunity of the church when it comes to secular political power. I don’t mean voting for different candidates; sincere Christians have always cast votes across the political spectrum. What I’ve noticed happening more often and more loudly than...
Read MoreThe Character of the King
The small group I’m in recently finished reading 1 and 2 Kings. The text repeatedly evaluates kings for whether they do “right” or “evil in the eyes of the Lord.” In Israel, bad kings are “following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit” (1 Kings 15:34 NIV), while in Judah, a king either does or doesn’t follow God “as his father David had done” (1 Kings 15:11 NIV). Eventually, bad kings led both nations into such egregious sin that God allowed them to be conquered. The Bible doesn’t shy away from telling us the mistakes good kings made—David is...
Read MoreHow to Make a Difference
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’” (Luke 10:8-9 NIV) I used to be less like a news junkie and more like a news ostrich, hiding and hoping no one would see me. Then along came Facebook, and later Twitter. I find myself reading a lot more about news and politics than I used to because I want to know what my friends are reading. But now, the more I read, the more I feel angry at injustice and helpless to change anything. Why does political debate get me so riled up? In part I have...
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