I’m the kind of person that gets to the theater early, not so I can snag the best seat, but so I can watch all the previews for upcoming movies, especially when they’re as captivating as the trailer for Magnolia. I love movie trailers!...
In Genesis we read how God eloquently created all things, from the air, water, sea, moon, stars, ocean, and animals. However, on the sixth day he made something far more unique than anything else prior. He crafted something with far more distinction than the birds...
Ahhh, springtime. The time for warm weather, new life, and bathing suit season. Questions like, “do I really need a second helping of dinner? Or are one-pieces finally back in style?” begin to invade my mind....
Mutual Benefit. In the context of mission, those words often sound, at the least, misplaced, and at the most, very selfish. I mean, when speaking of mission, our service comes from a place of selfless love and a desire to serve as our loving and...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1734CDSWDg4&feature=youtu.be[/youtube] We laugh at these Saturday Night Live sketches because we can all relate to being made to look and feel like a fool because of a lack of knowledge, resources, or understanding. We all want Nick Burns to fail because he is so arrogant and...
Recently, “feel good” service projects—almost synonymous with the social work done by evangelical churches—have come under fire, and not without reason. Without sufficient relationship, honesty, and intentionality many of these good deeds hurt the people we’re trying to serve. It is mostly likely that the...
If you had asked me seven years ago if I was concerned about my body image, I would have lied and told you “no.” I was healthy, fit, and reasonably satisfied with the results when I compared myself to other women. I received regular compliments...
“We’re so glad you’re here! We’ve been praying for older women.” … Attending my first Grace women’s retreat, I looked around the table. Clearly, I was the oldest one there. She was speaking to me!...
What does it mean to engage culture holistically? Perhaps a little girl from Louisiana named Hushpuppy could help us arrive at an answer. Take a look at this trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA6FFnjvvmg[/youtube] “The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If...
My husband plays the violin. It’s old and beautiful. It’s been a long time since he pulled it out, but he did a few weeks ago. ...
Culturally Engaged is the “externally focused” branch of Grace Church. It is the core value that compels us to move outside the walls of our church to be a blessing in our communities, our city, our region, and around the world. While we believe it...
This year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film came in the form of Austrian writer and director Michael Haneke’s “Amour.” As suggested by its title, the film raises questions regarding the true nature of love. It tells the story of an elderly French couple, Anne...
Trapped. Disgusted. Hate. Discouraged. Frustrated. Frumpy. These are all words women have used in a recent survey to describe how they feel about their bodies. ...
How can one meaningfully come alongside those who don’t have access to healthy food and are undernourished? Would you be surprised to learn that in 2013 an answer could be gleaning?...
Owning another’s cause. This is the essence of partnering. The giving of oneself, sacrificially and through relationship, to promote and support the dreams, goals, and causes of someone else....
The ability to bring forth and nurture life is one of the great blessings of women. Yet, this encompasses much more than physical life giving....
Guest column: Avoid 'toxic charity' when you give to others Written by Reid Lehman View Article on Greenville News GUEST COLUMN Reid Lehman has been president and CEO of Miracle Hill Ministries, a network of shelters across the Upstate for 27 years. For more information go to www.MiracleHill.org. A foundational...
On this day millions of people will flock to cathedrals and churches the world over to have a sign of the cross drawn in ash on their foreheads. This action is done in commemoration of the first day of Lent, the forty-day journey through death and...
To be an ezer naturally implies relationship. We invite, nurture, and partner with others. We do not ezer in isolation. Relationships require intentionality, particularly when we are engaging people outside our normal sphere of influence....
If your church no longer existed, would it be missed? Phrased another way,“Is your church essential in the community?” Is the body of believers that make up the local church so involved, so essential in the community that for them to leave would be a...
I was just about to leave my apartment to run an errand as The Avett Brothers’ “Tear Down the House” serenaded me from my computer’s speakers. A few lyrics caught my attention: “I remember crying over you And I don’t mean like a couple of tears and...
Today is the day that Keith and Lori Doster, along with their two daughters, Sarah and Emory, have been anticipating for months. Unless an ice storm can deter them, they will be leaving Greenville en route to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas to...
A woman struggles with spending too much money. She is an out-of-control shopaholic and it is wrecking her family’s financial health as she keeps going deeper and deeper in to consumer debt. Her husband has asked her to stop spending many times but...
Carrie was a hot-headed mom who yelled at her kids when they didn’t behave just as she wanted them to; then she became angry at herself for being angry with them....
“I’m throwing a neighborhood party next week. Who should I invite? Definitely the Smiths, the Williams, and the Goldmans; they are so much fun! Just my neighbors who I really like and know well. What about that new lady from up...