I did not go to church Sunday . . . but I did church. We observed Serving Sunday at The Bridge Church in Reno. There were no formal worship services. Worship was expressed through hundreds of acts of kindness and service throughout the greater Reno/Sparks area to nearly 20 nonprofit organizations or schools. Some delivered cookies and candy to children at the Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission. One man spent the whole prior day making bundles of cookies to hand out. Some took worship

Need a confidence builder? I had absolutely no confidence as a young person. I didn’t try out for the high school choir, because you had to stand in front of people. I didn’t apply to be an exchange student, because you had to travel abroad. Even though I had a journalism degree, I didn’t apply for a job at a newspaper when we were first married, because I figured everyone else was better than I was. Even when I began to sing solos at my church, I had to stand behind a formid

It’s interesting to me that the prophet Jeremiah must have been a young man when God called him to be his spokesman. This was not a call Jeremiah wanted. In fact, he said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” God’s response was gentle and reassuring. Essentially, he said: – “You can speak to anyone, no matter the age.” – “I will give you the words to say.” – “Don’t be afraid of anyone–I will be with you and will protect you.” Perhaps the

I was beginning to shake. It was cold lying on that gurney in the bowels of the Reno hospital surgical facility. Within minutes I was headed for back surgery, and while my husband, Craig, was with me, fear of what could happen settled over me like icy winter frost. “Would you like a warm blanket?” I nodded as the nurse wrapped me in warmth. But inside, I was still a bundle of nerves. I closed my eyes and prayed. And then I heard, “There you are.” It was Pastor Ron. Our pastor

It’s so interesting to read the book of Job and watch the interaction among Job and his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. When they heard of Job’s great trials and suffering (the Bible says “evil”), they went quickly to him to show him sympathy and comfort him. When they saw him, they grieved greatly and sat with him for seven days and seven nights–none of them saying a word “for they saw that his suffering was very great.” That’s exactly what we should do when a friend o

Where are your comfort zone places? The same meal at the same restaurant? The same doctor? The same daily routines? I like my comfort zones. You know what to expect, right? However, sometimes those zones aren’t really places of comfort. Your comfort foods might actually begin to make you feel uncomfortable as you gain weight and begin to have health problems. A job might become unbearable or simply unchallenging. A relationship might become toxic . . . and perhaps it always w

I never felt special. I wasn’t the smartest kid in the class–there were always others smarter than I. I wasn’t the most athletic. The one swim contest I entered I got third . . . out of three. I also never thought I was attractive. Enough said. To matter in this world, I took on leadership roles to earn others’ respect. In my senior year in high school I ran for and won SIX offices, including senior class secretary (of a class of 406) and newspaper editor. I thought I’d make

I always believed in God–Father, Son, and Spirit. I was raised in the church and could recite prayers. But I didn’t know I could have a PERSONAL relationship with HIM until I was in college. My faith became REAL when I heard that word for the first time: PERSONAL. And I embraced that kind of faith right then and there. You’ve seen those FB videos of color blind people putting on special glasses and seeing color for the firs time, right? My new faith was like that: I saw peopl