All Things New

Many of you reading this know that I attend (and work at)  Redeemer Church  in Norman, Oklahoma. We have some big things coming up in the life of our church – on August 17, we are “relaunching” into a new location! In an attempt to follow God’s guidance for our congregation and be good stewards of the gospel to our community, we are going to begin meeting at Roosevelt Elementary on Sunday mornings. We are excited about what God is doing and how He is proving to be faithful! Today was our last service at our current location. We had a time of celebration and remembrance of what God has done through our church in the last five years. Here is an “enhanced” version of the testimony I shared this morning of what Redeemer has meant to me.

Singleness can be a tricky topic for a single person like myself to discuss. There is always the fear that people will perceive your opinions as simply you whining or feeling sorry for yourself for not being in a relationship. However, I think it is a conversation that absolutely needs to be started. For that reason, I decided to conduct a “research project” about singles & their views of the church. If nothing else, please realize that these are real quotes from real singles in the church. This is what they would like to say to you. This is not an accusatory post; rather, it is attempting to be an honest and exploratory post. For this project, I interviewed several singles of various ages from various churches by asking them 5-7 questions. I then drew my own general conclusions based on those responses. Find the conclusions below, complete with examples and quotes from these interviews. *Please note that I acknowledge that this is not completely representative for every...

*Reproduction of an article I wrote for Redeemer Church 's weekly newsletter. (By the way, if you are anywhere near the Norman, OK area, you should definitely check out Redeemer.) I love naps.   I’m not talking 10-minute snoozes in the recliner or half an hour cat naps on the couch. I’m talking full-on, Sunday afternoon, post-lunch, 3-hour, out-like-a-light, puddles-of-drool-on-your- pillow kind of naps.   However, as much as I love naps, I rarely allow myself the privilege. When I do nap, I usually wake up feeling guilty, even though my body and mind needed the rest.   Why? Because I’m a doer. I like productivity. I like to get things accomplished, and often I feel that I need to get things accomplished. I don’t like to waste time, and that’s what happens when you nap. There’s laundry to take out of the dryer. The floor needs to be mopped. There are bills waiting to be paid. And none of that happens while I’m konked out.   ...

If you didn't see the Video Music Awards on MTV this weekend, you really didn't miss much (other than a glorious NSYNC reunion... but that's for another place and time). But you probably haven't missed hearing about Miley Cyrus' vulgar "performance". There have been loads of opinions offered on her wild, televised, highly-publicized VMA antics, so I figured I'd add my voice to the mix. I've read that Miley's performance exhibited gender inequality. Many people are arguing the unfairness of young women feeling the need to put themselves on display sexually in order to gain attention. It has been said that because all the attention of the aftermath of the performance has been focused on Miley rather than her just-as-raunchy male counterpart Robin Thicke, it proves that women have not yet gained the equality they desire. I've read that Miley's performance exhibited racism. It has been pointed out that Miley is trying to portray ...

" We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time. It's miserable and magical..."  -22 by Taylor Swift Say what you will about T-Swift, but if you were 22 when this song was released, it automatically became your JAM. It's just flat-out relatable. She demonstrates the spectrum of emotion that often accompanies young adulthood. Seriously, we are all OVER the place sometimes. But today, I am 23 . (Unfortunately, I've yet to find any cool songs about this age...what a disappointment...) I don't yet know how it will compare to 22. But before I move onward on this journey called life (nice cliche, eh?), I think the year of 22 was good enough to celebrate with some highlights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I was 22, I was a student. I began my final semester as an OU undergraduate. Four months and several papers later, I walked across the stage and received my diploma...

Today, a friend asked, "So, how do you feel right now?"  Where to begin.... Overwhelmed.  Inspired.  Skeptical.  Really old & really young. (How is that even possible?) Like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough but still know nothing. Grateful for wise counsel.  Wondering how to sort through possibilities. Scared. Anxious. Excited. Breathless. Desperately wanting to trust God in every moment. Basically,  I'm a ridiculous mess of "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW, GOD?"  At times I feel like I have the whole world at my feet, that there are endless possibilities in my life, and that I am FREE. Other times I feel that I'm stuck in a rut, that I will be paralyzed by options, and that there's no real direction in my life.  While there are a few times that I get a radiant glimpse of His brilliance and understand that God is working out the details of my life, most of the time, I just don't know which way is ...