The Choice is Yours
In middle school, our Vice Principal always closed the morning announcements with this quote: “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.”I thought of this as a check on my attitude—that regardless of what happened in my day, I had a choice in how I viewed my circumstances, how I reacted, and whether I…
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Grieving With Hope
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Note that this verse does not…
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Living in the Light of Light
Let the Light infuse your life. Like most modern technology, my phone contains features to make my life more convenient. One of those handy features is adaptive brightness. My phone automatically senses the ambient light around it and adjusts the screen’s brightness to match. This unsung feature spares my eyes from encountering blinding light in…
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Strengthened by Hardship
This week marks the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Regardless of how one views him politically, it is impossible not to recognize that everything his political opponents did to try to derail his run for office only seemed to make him stronger. From the former president being tried by Congress as a private citizen, to…
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A Decade of God’s Grace
This past weekend, we celebrated GraceWay’s 10-year anniversary, reminiscing over God’s abundant provision over the last decade. One of my best friends first invited me to GraceWay in June 2015 after meeting Pastor Brad on Capitol Hill. We had both just graduated college and were interning in DC for the summer. I’ll never forget that…
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Satisfied
Each year I go through the same exercise. I look back over the course of the previous year and think about the highlights and lowlights: the fun times with family and friends; the stressful and overwhelming times; the goals I accomplished; the goals I failed to meet; the answered prayers; the unanswered prayers, and so…
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Pronouns Matter
Isaiah 53:5-6 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity…
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Christmas Countdown
Watch for Christ’s Coming All right, all right, I’ll admit it: I talk to my TV. Yes, I know the characters can’t hear me. Yes, I know it’s pointless. But sometimes I can’t help but gasp in disbelief or comment when a character misses something that’s so painfully obvious from my comfortable point of view…
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Oil and Water
We’ve all heard the expression, “oil and water don’t mix.” Most of us have probably seen, at some point, oil floating on the surface of water, perhaps in an elementary school science experiment or on images of horrific oil spills on the earth’s oceans. It is true that the density of oil and water are…
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Failure Isn’t Final: The True Story Behind ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
Hands down, the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of my top five favorite films. Featuring the iconic Jimmy Stewart, the movie portrays the main character George Bailey who runs Bailey Brothers Building and Loan. After his Uncle Billy loses an $8,000 deposit on Christmas Eve of 1945, George realizes criminal charges are…
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