Philippians 4:13: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Strength. When we think of this word, we often associate it with someone who is physically strong. Who has immense physical abilities. Who amazes us with their physical prowess. Actually, strength comes in many different ways. Maybe the person who actually is strong is the most unassuming person you might think of. Maybe the strong people in our world are those who have to work harder to accomplish s

I consider myself a very fortunate person. I have a variety of friends. People I can lean upon when a day is difficult. Hard. When I’m feeling beat up and just need a cheerleader. I call them my tribe. People who will listen. Give advice if appropriate. Encourage me. Be there for me. These are my people. My tribe. We all need a tribe, whether we willingly admit it or not.

I found it in a garden. Trimmed away from a bush, ready to be disposed of. Who knew it would become my favorite souvenir from the Holy Lands. A clipped bit of a thorny bush, heaped in a pile with other thorny clippings, ready to be hauled off. It’s a seemingly insignificant little bit of thorns and yet to me, it’s an important part of Holy Week.

We grieve what we love. It’s that simple and that difficult. If we do not love something, we may be bummed or disappointed. When we grieve the loss of something deeply meaningful? It’s excruciating pain. We wonder if it is possible to keep going. When we allow ourselves to experience the deepest love we can imagine, we are opening up ourselves for the most hurtful pain and suffering. We can’t have intense love without potentially exposing ourselves to the most hurtful pa

In the last 48-hours, I have been lazy, spent too much time scrolling on my phone, withheld information from Hubby Rick and thought about things that should have me run right out of town. I have spoken negatively about someone else, told white lies, gossiped and portrayed myself more highly than I ought. I have withheld forgiveness, wanted to draw attention to myself unnecessarily and avoided helping someone that I had the opportunity to assist. I am not a perfect Christi