First Aiders: Here when you need us

This past week some of the staff and congregation members participated in a 2-day training to be a Mental Health First Aider. The training was conducted by the Kellin Foundation, an amazing organization here in Greensboro. We know that mental health challenges are on...

Saying good-bye

“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I’ve never met anyone who liked to say goodbye. Good riddance, maybe, but not goodbye. Many avoid goodbyes and just disappear without a word. But goodbyes are important....

Jury duty, God’s summons

As I write this, I am sitting in the jury assembly room, just back from our lunch break. So far, I’ve not been called to serve. So far, I’ve been sitting, waiting, and working. It is quiet. There is coffee and wi-fi. All in all, not a bad way to spend the day, other...

Reaching toward the sunlight

We meet as a staff to pray on Wednesdays, praying through the congregation’s prayer concerns and lifting your praises. It is beautiful to see the places where you all have sensed God’s presence throughout the week. Oftentimes, the beauty of creation is mentioned –...

Addressing a major problem

Has there ever been a time in your life when you wondered where your next meal would come from? Did you ever have to make a choice between filling a prescription or buying food? Did you ever have to skip a meal so that your child could eat? Most of us don’t know what...

Backyard blessings

Recently Grant and I had the pleasure of an informal, last-minute dinner with friends in our backyard. It was one of those evenings when the temperature was just right, a slight breeze, the sun beginning to set. The friends who joined us are the young Ukrainian couple...

Mama-moods and God-moods

On Wednesday I called home to check on my husband and our 3-month-old.  “He’s been alright, but a bit fussy – he’s in a ‘mama-mood.’ ” We have begun using that term, ‘mama-mood’ when nothing will quite calm our little one except for me coming home. Sometimes his...

What happens after Easter?

Today is Easter Monday. Traditionally a day of celebration (and rest for pastors and church staff everywhere) that began in the 15th century. Different Christian traditions celebrate this day in a variety of ways. In the 19th century the Easter Parade tradition...

Reflecting on the reliance of children

Every 3 hours. That is how frequently a newborn eats in the early days of life, sometimes even every 2 hours. If you have a child or have known someone who does, you might remember those early days. Those nighttime feedings feel long and endless. While I sat there one...

Reaching out to Covenant

Friends, Once again we are reeling in the wake of a tragic school shooting, this time in a church school affiliated with our PCA siblings in Christ. We know how close the bonds between a congregation and the school within its walls are and therefore we weep with those...