Are you a people-pleaser? Do you work hard to make people like you, or at least to avoid people not liking you? (Before you think I’m being judgmental, understand that I’m more guilty of this than anyone.)...
January 1st of 2010 was a good day. It was going to be “our year.” The previous two years had been difficult for a host of reasons, but the most emotionally wrenching parts were a desire to have a second child and the grieving of...
This weekend over 1,000 people will walk in and out of the doors of the TD Convention Center in Greenville. From dentists, to volunteers, to patients, Dental Access Day is a three day project that will bring together individuals from every walk of life. This,...
For at least a month, store aisles have been stocked with yellow boxes of crayons, rulers and scissors in every color, and backpacks in every shape and size. Family calendars are becoming more structured; the unavoidable is happening. Once again, it's time for school. ...
We just had a team return from Nicaragua. Through our partnerships with local schools and churches, the team worked in classrooms, hosted a medical clinic, and did pastoral training. Read about Jake's experience on the team:...
Recently my husband and I were asked a question by someone we had just met. We paused for a minute and looked at each other as we pondered whether we should give the neatly-packaged answer or the honest answer. We chose the honest answer, even...
When your job is engaging people and culture it can be easy to think you’re an expert. For the past 5 years, my job, on some level, has consisted of engaging people and cultures intentionally and with the goal of gospel-centered restoration....
Orphans and vulnerable children are a devastating product of the broken world in which we live .Because of sin and the fall of man, children throughout the world experience abuse and corruption everyday. People recognize this issue and realize a practical way to help is through...
Our family has moved more times than I ever thought we would. The first couple of times were cross-town moves to homes better suited to our growing family. But then we moved to Allendale, SC in 2011, and then back to Greenville in 2014....
This is a weekend that marks the halfway point of our summer and also a major turning point in our nation's history. Our celebrations may vary across families and regions. And yet, even in the diversity of this weekend, a unity built on our shared...
My experience in Allendale was refreshing. It wasn’t refreshing in the sense that it was relaxing or easy going. We were running around in 100 degree weather and those of us involved behind the scenes were continually focusing our attention on the many moving parts...
This summer, 14 teens will be working with Mill Community Ministries learning entrepreneurship and life skills through project based learning. Mill Community Ministries is a collection of social entrepreneurs working to develop communities for success in Greenville, South Carolina. ...
In today's world, we are intentional about a lot of things. We are constantly making decisions to move our agenda forward in our fast-paced society. This affects how we dress, how we save, the particular kind of coffee we drink, and the non-GMO organic potatoes...
The Espinosa family moved to Allendale, SC in 2011 to live and work in the community as an extension of Grace Church. After returning to Greenville last summer, Joey and his family have engaged their new community here, but the transition has been bittersweet. Caring...
The restoration of all things. When you say it aloud, it seems big, grand, and unattainable. Instead of a banner to hold over the people of God, it more often feels like the disillusioned claim of a disconnected minority. Anyone who is tuned in to this...
Ketchup, milk, and laundry detergent. These three things may appear to be just your normal household staples. However, for my husband and I, the quantity of these three item have greatly increased on our weekly shopping list over the past month. This change happened as we welcomed...
Foster care. Sometimes, that first step can seem like the hardest one. The paperwork, regulations, and requirements may seem like more than you can handle. This post is for those who are feeling nudged- for those who are starting to see God move them to...
Because of what we believe about Christ, our energy and strength should be intentionally directed towards others in a multitude of ways. Often, the ways that we can do this are much closer than we realize; they are hidden in our strengths, our experiences, our...
Until just a few years ago, I heard very little about foster care. My husband and I were ignorant about the need and knew very few people who were or had been foster parents. It was nowhere on our radar....
Throughout the years, I have had several opportunities to travel overseas and to participate in "mission work". Those opportunities to engage in ministry within a different culture have brought immeasurable amounts of growth to my personal walk, and, Lord willing, have helped to bring life-change...
Reports of death are everywhere these days. It seems as if everyday there is a fresh report of some group attacking another. We often find ourselves so disheartened by these reports that we avoid turning on the news altogether. We sigh and excuse ourselves by...
Felista Wangui is a gentle, unassuming college freshman at Garissa University in eastern Kenya. On first appearance, she is such a quiet young woman that she seems frail and easily intimidated. But when she speaks, she projects an inner strength that commands respect....
I still remember the first day I heard his story. As I read, I sat at my desk and cried. His story and photos stirred something in me, and I found myself longing to somehow help him....
In just a few short weeks, thousands of volunteers from across the Upstate will join together to serve their communities. As a church, we want the individuals and groups of our body to be key contributors to this community event....
Living in Kenya, I've experienced varying levels of homesickness. My feelings towards home have felt a bit like a roller coaster- with moments of exhilarating excitement in my new surroundings, times when my stomach drops suddenly and feelings of loneliness and longing rush me downward,...