DISCOVER DEEPER THAN LUKEWARM

Entertainment disciples us more than the church does. We are comfortable but fruitless. We are inspired by 30-second reels and cute Bible verses. Our patterns stay the same; there is no progression in our faith or walk with Jesus. Our hearts are deeply influenced by culture. Purity culture is seen as toxic or even unattainable. We sing worship on Sunday morning and intoxicate ourselves on Sunday afternoon. Suggesting that sin and mental health can sometimes be correlated is t

Something that has intrigued me since becoming a mom is the idea of generational Christian families. Henry and I would both consider ourselves “first-generation” Christians, not because our families lacked religion, but because what we grew up with was more cultural than rooted in genuine faith. After having kids of my own, I started wondering: how does a family become one where generation after generation is walking with the Lord? It’s a beautiful vision: children who love C

It’s my sinful nature to want to be accepted by everyone. I also see this trait in my daughter, the stereotypical eldest child trait: a people pleaser. Did I make her this way? That’s a blog post for another day. Seeing this trait mirrored in a tiny human I love with my whole heart is sobering. She’s the kind of child who is like a chameleon, wanting to please others, eager to fit in with her surroundings, and naturally conflict-avoidant. Depending on who she’s with, her pers

Understanding the Struggle with Legalism Growing up in a legalistic religion is a lot easier than most people would think. Rules are simple. They provide a clear indication of right and wrong. Leaving this community felt freeing but also confusing. There was so much spiritual warfare happening inside of me after I officially left the Mennonite church. I had to figure out who I was in Christ and what it truly looked like to follow Him. When I left the church, I didn’t realize

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my source of joy. Feeling joy while feeling sad sounds contradictory. A wonderful pastor once said that the world is a fallen place, and sometimes it falls on us. It can feel this way in our relationships, families, health, and our jobs. In all of these things, we can find brief blimps of happiness like promotions, a new relationship, setting gym records, or the birth of a child. But just as quickly as these exhilarating things happen, the

Imagine needing God like the way an infant in the womb is dependent on its mother, through its umbilical cord. Now imagine this infant only being fed a handful of Sundays throughout the year. For a brief 5 minutes here and there everyday, when you remember. Our lifeline is God. We need Him, our hearts and our souls crave Him, and this hunger will leave a burning hole that we fill with things that don’t matter. With things that will ultimately destroy us. Life can become this

It’s hard to know exactly where to start my story without dragging out my testimony, but to give the full picture, I need to begin with my childhood. I was born into a Mexican Mennonite family on March 23 rd ,1997. I had four older siblings who were all quite a bit older than me, and eventually two more after me. My parents took my little brother and me to church only a handful of times a year. At this church (the Old Colony Mennonite Church), I always felt like an outsider.

My thoughts, my feelings and not feelings. It’s hard to know where to begin or what to write about. I’ll start heavy and cringe to some...

I didn’t realize how different I’d feel after being almost full term with my third baby vs my first. In so many ways, I wish I could turn...

I have recently been reflecting on vanity. This is something that I’ve thought about a lot; I also feel convicted about this in many...

Choosing our influencers carefully We are surrounded by influencers. They offer wisdom on financial freedom, weight loss, food,...

Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart… What steals joy quicker than anything else? From my experience its comparison or rather, the last...

Is wanting to look pretty ok? Is it okay to be trendy? How much money is too much money to spend? What about working out, and by working...

I had three visions while I was driving home after having some “me” time. And by “me” time I mean I went grocery shopping without the kids. In my first vision there was no covid-19 and the world was a dark place. People were depressed but too ashamed to talk about it. People were spending beyond their means and racking up more debt than a year’s salary. People were so busy they no longer had time to stop, slow down and smell the roses... To be thankful. People were so busy th

What a difference it makes waking up before the kids are up to read and feed my soul! It took some trial and error figuring out when and...