We weren't sure if our neighbors would show up for our neighborhood open house last night or not because the weather has been icy and cold. But they did come! Our first guest was the attorney who closed on our house for us. He and his wife live two doors down from us and it was great to see them again. They came to the door and as soon as they walked in another lady showed up ... Read More »
Cussing PK’s
Meeting new people and getting to know your neighbors is a great ministry opportunity but it can also be a risky thing. You just don’t know how different your neighbors are or how different their values are. Yet we are called to love those around us and to show Christ to them….and how can you really do that without getting to know people. This week I was reminded of this risk ... Read More »
Back Row Pew Experience
I laughed a little as I sat on the second to back row with an unexpected friend who came to church on Sunday. I overheard an older woman behind me say to her husband; in what she thought was a hushed whisper: “Is the preacher wearing a vest? Is that a vest he’s wearing?” I resisted the urge to turn around and join in the conversation about the preacher’s clothes. Ha! I just ... Read More »
Ministry of the Playground
Being at home with small children is a wonderful privilege and provides such awesome platforms for ministry. Sometimes it’s easy to get so family focused that we forget about our neighbors and other families in our community. We use the excuse that “our kids are our ministry” and we stick our heads in the family sandbox and never give a second thought to other families that ... Read More »
Faces of Ministry – Part One
Ministry is a beautiful catalyst in which God uses his followers to show the world who He is. Wikipedia defines ministry as: activity by Christians to spread or express their faith. There are misconceptions that ministry primarily takes place in the church and by church people like preachers, priests and paid leaders. This is so far from the truth and design of God. And the ... Read More »
Faces of Ministry – Part Two
Another hidden aspect of ministry is allowing others to minister to us. I think this is just as much a vital part of ministry as ministering to others. In many ways it’s harder to let others reach out to us, encourage us, and offer words of wisdom. It feels much better to be the one who can offer than to receive for some reason. But something beautiful happens when we don’t ... Read More »
An open letter to our church
Dear Church Family, It was just three years ago that we pulled in to our new little town with all our belongings on those U-haul trucks. You remember the ones. Ya’ll sent a huge tractor trailer truck from NC for us and we all thought that would suffice but it actually took a few more U-hauls (hey, a girl has got to have a few pairs of black shoes). This meant a few more U-hauls ... Read More »
Not-so-holy laughter
Oh boy, I got in trouble at church the other Sunday morning. For laughing too hard. As in shake the entire pew laughing. I simply couldn't control my laughter. Here's how it went down....I hadn't seen Randy that morning until I walked into church and sat down. I noticed Randy's hair looked different and he confirmed this observation quickly by saying, "Oh Melody, look at my ... Read More »