All Things New

Oklahoma City. April 19, 1995. 9:02 AM. 168 people killed, hundreds more injured, and thousands affected in one of the worst domestic terrorist attacks in history.  It's hard to believe that this Sunday marks 20 years since that moment. I wasn't even quite 5 years old at the time, and though I lived in Oklahoma, I didn't live near OKC. Obviously, there's not much I remember from that specific day. More than anything, I remember absorbing the feelings of those around me -- shock, sadness, anger. Even at that age, I think I realized that something terribly evil had happened.  Through the years, and especially each April, I have found myself researching the events of that day. Poring over news articles and videos. Searching for survivor accounts. Stumbling upon photos in disbelief. Visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial . I've been engrossed in the story again this year. For me, and I would assume for most Oklahomans of my generation, the bombing can often se...

Today is my last day as a staff member at Redeemer Church . Whoa…that’s a strange thing to write! For the past three and half years or so, I have been employed as the administrative assistant. It has not exactly been what I expected, but then again, most things in life aren’t. I am not surprised by how much I enjoyed my job; however, I am a little surprised by how much I learned. So, in typical blog-post fashion, here are the top 5 things I learned by being in administration at Redeemer. 1) Being in an admin position teaches you to appreciate the little things. I’ve always known that there is a lot of work that goes unnoticed to help churches operate smoothly, but I never knew just how much until I myself was working behind-the-scenes. Especially after Redeemer made the move to Roosevelt where we have to set up each week, I have seen how much time and energy people put into something they believe in. So many people are faithful in the small things that often go unnoticed in order to ca...

To be honest, I’m feeling overwhelmed today. At first, that seems a bit absurd to say. My life is going pretty well. I have started a new job that I enjoy, my friendships are stronger than ever, and I’ve had a lot of fun opportunities lately. Plus, it’s a beautiful, sunny day in Oklahoma. But even (especially) on the sunny days, there are still shadows. I am constantly being confronted by brokenness, pain, and suffering. There are so many horrors in the world. ISIS is on a murderous rampage. I can’t stop thinking about the flight in which 150 people plummeted to their deaths in the French Alps. Young women and girls are being trafficked as sex slaves. People are dying from war, hunger, and natural disasters. Then there are the things that hit closer to home: Violent and unpredictable storms threatening already-ravaged communities. The huge issue of racism that’s just beginning to be dealt with at my alma mater. Broken families and broken homes, many existing under a facade of happines...