Christian preachers must always ensure that whatever topic they preach about always comes back to love. This even applies when speaking about very difficult subjects such as sin, where the preacher has an obligation to all that are listening to call out sin as sin. The famous saying “love the sinner, hate the sin” is famous for a reason. A preachers job is to love. However, if a preacher does not correct a sinner and call out sin as sin, is he showing love? Would it be an expression of love to ignore or hide from a subject that may have eternal consequences to those who need to hear his message? Inversely, would it be effective to preach to the sinner with anger, hate and vitriol? Would such preaching reach a sinner and compel them to change their behavior?

The message of love is one of patience, kindness, and long suffering. The message of love is not one of envy or boasting, it is not a message of pride, nor is it self-seeking, angry or resentful. A message of love always rejoices in the truth, it always protects, always trusts, and always is a message of hope. The message of love always perseveres and will never fail. Love is not just a concept that Jesus talked about. It is THE message that Jesus lived and died for us to hear, learn and live. There is no harder endeavor than to truly love your enemy in this way. A preacher must consider that his audience may often be like minded members of his congregation, however, there are others with varying opinions, feelings and thoughts. If he is to persuade those that hear his message, including his enemies, he must always preach love.

The relationship between science and theology has long been a source of tension, often leading to misunderstandings that alienate believers and skeptics alike. On one side, scientific discoveries are viewed by some as undermining the authority of scripture. On the other side, theological traditions can appear rigid, resisting the insights offered by modern knowledge. This article seeks to bridge that gap, not by forcing the Bible to conform to scientific theories or vice versa, but by exploring how these two seemingly disparate realms can harmonize through a shared framework of complexity, order, and design.

At the heart of this work lies the desire to reconcile the ancient wisdom of scripture with the scientific discoveries of the modern world. Through contemplation, deep study, and prayer, I began to realize that the Genesis creation narrative offers more than a simplistic story of origins. It presents an intricate portrait of order emerging from chaos—something that resonates deeply with both religious and scientific worldviews. What emerged from these reflections was a new way of thinking: what if God, as described in the Bible, is not only the Creator but also a Supreme Architect, designing creation with the precision and foresight of a programmer writing complex code?

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One Sunday, I visited a prophet. I was skeptical. He did not seem like he was anything great. I was in my early twenties and my father was pastoring a church in Tucson, Arizona. We were invited by this prophet to his home. He said he had a word from the Lord for our family. I was not impressed by the small living room that had rows of chairs lined up. I was not impressed with the complete lack of music. I was not impressed by the location or the people who met in this bad side of town. I was not impressed that there was no children’s ministry, no Sunday School and I was equally unimpressed by this man who called himself a prophet. It is my instinctive response to scoff with disbelief when people make such proclamations. I was just completely annoyed to be in attendance at all. As the service wore on, and “The prophet” took the microphone, I was wishing I was anywhere but here. I’ve met enough self proclaimed prophets and had heard so many prophesies that I just impatiently shifted in my seat trying to “will” this whole thing over with. Little did I know, that this man’s words would set my destiny in motion in spite of my disbelief. That day, he took my hands and began to prophesy that I would use these hands to grasp the Sword of Truth to decipher the Word for those who would hear. He prophesied that my husband and I would minister together. At the time, I was married to my first husband and I scoffed at the very idea of him doing any kind of ministering at all. I did go home and write this event in my diary. I did not know that before the decade was out, my first husband would leave me and the church. I would eventually remarry and this man and I would pray together, serve together, speak together, start businesses and churches together. It was meant to be, We WOULD minister together. Continue reading →

For as long as I have been a Christian, the debate on the integrity of leadership has been heated and divisive. I have seen both sides. People who demand integrity in leadership and people who set the wrong standards when they take on the mantle of leadership. We admire men/women who step up and show characteristics that are bold, daring, that exude fortitude and strength. The sad part is when we think of leaders we don’t really want to see their humanity. We want the “man/woman” but somehow our acceptance of the message must be negotiated by how perfect they are. We want to see the David who killed Goliath, not the David who slept with Bathsheba. As my Husband, Chris so clearly stated to me “Do we now throw out the book of Psalms because an adulterer wrote it?” We want the Peter who stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached boldly to strangers that were challenging the initiation of the new covenant not the Peter who was rebuked by Paul for playing politics with the Gentile believers ( Galatians 2:11-14).

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I was reading someone’s post today and it reminded me of a childhood experience I had. This is a story for all those who have been broken and pieced back together. My mother was always a very active woman and it was a rare occasion that my mother was not busy cleaning, cooking, baking, praying or doing something in the church. On one occasion,  she and I went to someone’s home and as the adults were busy doing what adults do, I slowly meandered around the home and came across a glass case of cups and saucers. I wasn’t that much into child tea parties but I was intrigued by how many tea cups were all in this one case. My imagination was captivated by all the people an adult tea party would have and I thought of what it would look like with each of these cups  full of tea or coffee. I could see the cakes, cookies, small salads or sandwiches that these cups and saucers would accompany. I am intrigued by taste and so my imagination went soaring and I enjoyed the thought of all the fun it would be to taste these delightful treats. This beautiful case had captured my childhood imagination and I could see myself sitting at a  beautiful table in a garden eating all the goodies and sipping the tea.

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Can there be anything more beautiful than surrender? Like a maiden to her lover, like a knight who pledges his life in loyal submission. It’s a careless abandon that has no self preservation. The plunge into the unknown. To dive into waters to face whatever is beneath because this is truly living. As we walk through the streets of our concrete jungles and hear the constant barrage and buzz of frivolous voices that reveal shallow relationships based on greed and self indulgence, we search to give ourselves to a true cause. It may consume us whole but at least in the end, for a moment, who we are and what we did, mattered.

I want to surrender to an incorruptible hero who will unshackle my heart of it’s dead,  stone casing. I want it raw and broken. I want to feel beyond this life into the universe. I want it to echo beyond a conceivable scope because the passion is so great and so intense that it radiates to the place time is irrelevant. I want Him to free me from the confines and prisons of the physical and material. To be emblazoned like a banner with words of passion that are etched across me like the sky. To have the word of His mouth that can slay all that exists before it, to fill me and bleed out with the force of light bursting from a star. I am besotted and overtaken. My soul breathes and shutters the wind of life because it cannot contain it and I want to surrender even as it consumes every part of me again and again. I don’t want anything in this life more than I want Him. Let it fall, let it all fall because the prince of this world has no hold, nothing of value, nothing irreplaceable, nothing that does not rot and fade away. He plays at love but he will never be a true contender for my complete and total surrender.

My grandmother was not a preacher. She did not like to speak in public and although she was friendly, she was shy around strangers. She was legally blind with only 20% vision in one eye. With all those encumbrances my grandmother was a preacher maker. She gave spiritual birth to four pastors and three teachers. Their ministries have given spiritual birth to countless numbers, supported homeless missions and food banks, prison ministries, counseling to those who are in troubled circumstance, provided healing for the spiritually and physically abused and started children’s centers for the low income with financial aid for the single parent, the families who cannot find employment and even those whose incomes exceed the opportunity for help from government programs but cannot afford it on their own income. If a little old blind lady can have that kind of impact, what excuse will we have when we stand before our maker?

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Having spent my life in leadership, for the first time in my life I find myself somewhat at peace being on a sabbatical from all the responsibilities leadership piles on. I am no longer a business owner with employees, a pastor, a music director, a worship leader, a community leader or a piano teacher. During this time of rest, I see myself and my own failures being replayed in the leaders around me. The angst that accompanies this viewpoint is similar to watching a sporting event and seeing a big “fail” on the field. It may be easy for spectators to criticize, but having been “in the game” it is also part empathy for me. There is nothing as all-consuming, or exhausting as leadership. Leaders will always have my empathy and sincere appreciation. Even still, it is disheartening to see any leader fail. Because of this, with much love and appreciation I write this article.

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I grew up in a very conservative Pentecostal home. We lived by many rules called “standards”. The hope was that these rules would instill some kind of deep spirituality in our children. As my generation grew up, many of the children who lived among so many rules could only see “the rules” and not the spirituality that the rules were meant to inspire. There were a small number that found the rules to to be a “fence of security” from a world they could not embrace but feared and they became the next generation of the modern day Pentecostal. There were also a group of survivors that fell victim to the “unyielding law” of the rules where injustice was found in the immediate forgiveness of the passive personalities that readily apologized and conformed while those who questioned for better understanding were never given a place of acceptance at all. Continue reading →

Humble Beginnings

Jesus of Nazareth, who would later become known as Jesus Christ, had humble beginnings. He was born in a small village in the Roman-occupied land of Palestine to a poor carpenter and his wife. Despite his humble circumstances, Jesus was destined for greatness. From the moment of conception, He was seen as a special and unique individual, the son of God. Angels announced his birth to shepherds, and wise men brought him gifts fit for a king, yet still he was born in a stable in a tiny town near Jerusalem. Humble beginnings for the most influential figure who ever lived. Continue reading →