By Mike Vandermause We used to call them “gut busters.” Every Monday and Wednesday during my four-year tenure as a University of Wisconsin middle distance runner, we would get put through the ringer in practice. The grueling workouts devised by our coach were difficult, even...
By Troy Murphy This week I took on the task of repainting one of the bedrooms in our home. I started by sanding the walls and filling all the holes with spackle. As I inspected I kept finding more work to do. I considered fixing a whole section by removing the drywall. I talked myself out of...
By Bobby Buffington Have you ever tried to walk two large dogs at the same time? I remember as a kid at my cabin taking two of our family dogs for a walk. As a result of their weight and strength, and my eight-year-old physique, it was probably more accurate to say that they took me for a...
By Tricia Murphy Day 19 had some very personal challenges for me. You see, I don’t like conflict. I get that pit in my stomach and it feels like I might puke, if I had to be honest. I usually see the conflict as a barrier to the friendship so I usually manage to figure out a different way...
By Kim Sechler Do you remember the TV show “Cheers”? The show made its debut in 1982 and became one of the most popular situation comedies. I didn’t watch very many episodes, but the characters and the nature of their interactions remind me of what the church could be...
By Bobby Coverston I have always struggled with some of the terms we throw around in the church. Terms like “fellowship,, “member,” and “spiritual family.” I struggle with them because they imply commitment that makes me a little uncomfortable. But I also...
By Marilyn Bazett-Jones In my NIV Bible, there are 686 references to love. Do you think that is a hint that love matters a lot to God? It impressed me to read that the Ten Commandments are all about relationship: four about God, six about relationship with others. Of course! It makes...
By Mike Vandermause It will be 44 years in May that I became part of God’s family. I grew up believing I had to earn God’s favor by doing good works and engaging in religious acts of piety. But as an eighth grader, in the spring of 1972, I learned for the first time that the...
By Troy Murphy It is in the dark that we recognize the light. Isaiah 8:17 (The Voice) says: As for me, I will wait for the Eternal, even though He feels absent, even though He has hidden His face from the family of Jacob. I will put all hope in Him. When I was young I went through...
By Kristin Ashley Stillness. It is so hard for me to just be still. I realize that my nature is to rush, move, and to battle distraction. I realize that in my busyness I rob myself of true and deep relationship with those around me. More importantly, I am convicted that I may rob myself...
