How Are You Doing Really

Hey Everybody,

Back in 2018, Believers hosted an event called, A Night for Light – Real-talk about Depression. The event was very well attended which indicated that there was a need to talk openly about mental health struggles. That night we had a doctor talk about the medical aspects of depression, a counselor discuss emotional and mental health from a therapeutic perspective, and then I spoke, shedding light on the spiritual aspects of mental health. It was such a great night…a night intended to START the conversation on such important topics.

Did you catch WHEN we had that event? 2018. A full two years before the pandemic. All the experts tell us that since 2020 the mental health crisis in our nation has only accelerated. Just this week, I received an email detailing some grim statistics. According to the CDC, nearly half of all adults will experience mental illness in their lifetime. Below are five startling facts from the National Institute of Mental Health that shed some light on what people are experiencing today… Read More

That Was Big

 

Last week was Big Day at Believers. We launched our new series First Love, a study of the New Testament letter of Ephesians. It was a great start to a new series and BeGroup semester. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here!

The goal of Big Day is to connect as many people as possible to Jesus and a community of faith. We had a goal of connecting 20 First Time Guests that day and while we didn’t quite have that many people identify as First Time Guests, we did have a 10% increase in overall attendance, which is amazing!

Before Big Day, we released a video where I said I would take the “Paqui One Chip Challenge,” if you guys rose to the occasion. And since you did…Doug and I documented our experience. If you haven’t already seen it, you can find it on Believers’ social channels.

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Find Rest

Hey, y’all!

I was somehow allowed to write for the outlet again, so here goes! We are about to enter the fall, which always seems to be a busy season. Vacations are ending, school is back in session, shopping increases as holidays approach, and on and on. Or maybe you’re reading this and are thinking, “I never don’t have a busy season!” Wherever you’re at, I can bet that some of you, if not all, are tired in some way. Personally, I’ve been spiritually worn out and in a dry season. Maybe you can relate. I want to briefly share about our gentle and lowly Savior, where we can find rest. Read More

Penny for your thoughts?

Hey everyone!

This weekend, many of us will be gathering with family and friends to honor the memories of all those who gave their lives to fight for our freedoms. I think it’s important to look back on what God has done, and what we have lost, and find gratitude for what we have.

BUT how do we keep the celebrations going when it seems like our liberties are being stripped away every time we look around us. Right now we are mourning the tragedies of lives taken unjustly and too soon. We have witnessed hurt people hurting people and I can’t help but think, “Is this the freedom people have given their lives for?”. Read More

I want to be whole!

Hey everybody,

Ask me how I’m doing, and chances are really good that I will respond by saying, “Mostly good.”

The response seems to catch people by surprise. I guess most people are expecting to hear a, “doing good” or some other standard reply. So, when they hear “mostly good” I will often have people say, “Mostly good? That’s interesting.” I will then add a little clarification. “Mostly good, meaning there is room for improvement in at least two areas of my life.”
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It’s Friday… but Sunday is coming!!!

Hey everybody,

It’s finally here, Easter weekend! We have so much good stuff going on this weekend, and I hope you do too. Saturday from 6pm-8pm, we welcome our community to the Great Easter Egg Drop. Food Trucks, inflatables, and of course, the Glow in the Dark Easter Egg Hunt. It’s going to be so much fun.
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Don’t get caught with your pants down!

Hey everyone,

Have you ever accidentally streaked in front of hundreds of people?

A friend of mine who played high school basketball told me a great story about a time when he accidentally streaked in front of hundreds of people. He was not normally one of the starting players, but someone had gotten injured and he was going to be in the starting lineup for the game. Read More

“Good morning, I love you!”

 

One of my closest friends lives far away from me, so one of the main ways we stay in touch is through the Marco Polo app. We send each other videos – some of them are short, silly, and fun, others are longer, heartfelt, and serious. In one of this past week’s videos, she shared how she’s been going into work (she’s a substitute teacher) intentional about saying, “Good morning, I love you!” to her co-workers; while walking the halls, telling students, “It’s great to see you today, I love you!”; as she passes by their custodial team, “Guys, thanks for all you do, I love you!” Now, if you know this friend of mine, none of this would come as a surprise to you. However, what stood out to me, was that she wrapped up the story saying, “The best part is, everyone is catching on! They’re even starting to beat me to it!!”  
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The Great Resignation and the Church

 

Hey everyone,

You would have to live in a cave to have not heard about “the Great Resignation” which refers to the 33 million Americans who have quit their jobs since the Spring of 2021. I just read an article today that suggested that instead of calling it the great resignation it should be called “the Great Reshuffle” because half of those who quit during this time made career changes.

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How long do you need?

Hey everybody,

Have you ever gotten stuck in traffic and become super frazzled and then gotten home and you shout at your kids and kick your dog?

Okay, maybe you didn’t kick the dog, but you get what I’m saying. You get frazzled by a day of work or the commute and then the next thing in your day is negatively impacted because of it. Read More