If there are two words that I am trying to achieve day after day, they are productive and efficient. Mercy! In healthcare, that is what is ingrained in order to achieve maximum profit. As a mom, occupational therapist, cook, wife, and chauffeur, that is how I get everything done in a day. So, when I came across this verse in Deuteronomy, it just didn't sit well with me: "W...

by Gary Dyksterhouse John 17:14-16I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Hebrews 12:14-15Strive for peace with everyone, and for the peace...

by Ian Kayser Last month I had the privilege of finishing my ordination trials. This means that next month (November 6) I will be ordained as a pastor in the PCA. I am super excited about this because it is a huge honor for me. Along with that, I am coming to terms with the responsibility. The process took me a little more than a year. To give you an idea of what ordinat...

I'm a cat person. Always have been and always will be. I really just love animals in general and choose to "adopt-not-shop". I headed home for Christmas a few years ago, a recent victim of company-wide layoffs from my first job, when my sweet Mom encouraged me to adopt a cat to have in my apartment. I'm not always a fan of her free advice, but this I could get on board wit...

by Amy Coleman This is a continuation of Lee and Amy Coleman's adoption story. Click the following to read the earlier posts: Parts 1 2, Part 3, Part 4. THE STORY, pt. 5: A Picture That Moved Mountains Adoption is an interesting thing. One part that I found myself very conflicted over was the waiting children pages on the internet. I wasn't aware of how the "waiting ch...

by John Patridge I recently saw a movie entitled Bad Moms. The main character, Amy Mitchell, is a mother of two with a fulltime job and a lazy husband. Amy is over-worked, overwhelmed and tired of being perfect. She attends every PTA meeting and every sporting event all while trying to get her children to eat healthy. Most of the things Amy does, she does to impress other...

Today in my Algebra 1 class, I got so frustrated with a student who is a habitual behavior problem in my class. Every day I have to tell this student to stop talking to his friends, to start doing his work, and to stop turning around (he sits in the front of the class). It's the turning around that really gets me. I'll just stop teaching and stare at him, waiting for him t...

As we said Sunday, when we open our mouths to sing and give God praise, we are never alone. It doesn't matter if we are in a worship service, at home doing laundry, or driving in our car, when we sing to God, we never sing a solo. We always sing a duet because Jesus is singing with us! Hebrews calls us to respond to the greatness of God's saving power in our lives by conti...

"He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Psalm 91:4 NIV We often speak about our lives in terms of seasons, and much as the summer is shifting into fall, my life is in a "season" of change as well. When I was younger, I was not a fan of change. I didn't like the idea of things being ...

by Amy Coleman This is a continuation of Lee and Amy Coleman's adoption story. Click the following to read the earlier posts: Parts 1 2, Part 3. THE STORY, pt. 4: The Process We want one, yep, just one. Baby. One. Ok, maybe two if said baby has a very young older sibling. But mostly just one. And did I mention baby? One? That is where our thought processes immediately ...