Growing up in Chicago, “going to the beach” meant driving to the nearest shore of Lake Michigan on a hot day. We got passes for a local park district-run park a few summers, when my sisters and I were older, preferring the sand to the hot concrete of the local pool, the fresh water to … Continue reading
By Pastor Sara Wolbrecht To set up your time together as a family, open your Bible to Matthew 14:13-21. Also, cue up your computer or phone to this video version of Jesus feeding the 5000. There may be an advertisement prior to the video. Watch the ad and then pause the video so it is … Continue reading
~ Julia Roller It’s currently the era of the poop joke at our house. With two boys, I knew this day would come, and it is most definitely here. My four-year-old son’s current favorite phrase is “pooped in your/his/her/its pants” and he finds a way to work this into any conversation—as a question, a retort … Continue reading
by Pastor Sara Wolbrecht As I type this, the countdown is t-minus three days until my family moves from the San Francisco Bay Area north to reunite with our extended family on the Eastside of Seattle, as I begin serving a new congregation as their pastor. For my husband and me we have so many … Continue reading
—Chris Lenshyn Scripture: Psalm 119:129-136 (NRSV) 129 Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. 130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. 131With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments. 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward … Continue reading
~ Andrew Gale Have you ever asked for something and received more than you expected? I have often had the experience in my life to have asked for something and not received it, though I won’t answer whether my petition was fair in the first place. Sometimes I have asked for things, prayed even(!), and … Continue reading
—Traci Smith One of the number one questions I hear when I talk about how to incorporate faith practices into daily life is “I would love to do that… if only we had the time.” My answer is always “I think you do have the time, you just don’t know it.” For one, there are … Continue reading
—Dena Douglas Hobbs Scripture: Matthew 13:31-33 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the … Continue reading
Lee Hull Moses photo by Matt Clingan We passed a weird milestone a few months ago: My son got his own frequent flier account number. He’d turned two a few weeks earlier, so when we were booking our flights to see my in-laws and realized he was now required to pay full fare, we signed … Continue reading
~by Matt Clingan About 8 months ago I dabbled in anger. It had been a very long time since I let myself be un-throttled in the power of justified rage. It was a rich, frothy, self-righteous wrath. It bubbled over my cup of indignation like a beer in the hands of an alcoholic. I was … Continue reading
Practicing Families 