Church | TLG Christian News

Inside Out (2015)

19/06/2015 0 Comment

Take a deep dive into your own head. Do an archaeological dig. Work your way all the way to the center. What do you find?

Core memories. Foundational impressions. The moments that made you.

Me? Mine are almost all related to creativity:

– Reading books — fairy tales and fantasy, mostly.
– Writing and illustrating my own fantasy stories with crayons, and then learning how to type out the words with my index finger on a typewriter.
– Drawing pictures on church bulletins during church while my mom softly shushed me.
– Opening presents on Christmas morning at my grandparents’ house, and discovering that my grandfather has built me my very own puppet stage.
– Hanging out with my dad while he read theology books and graded high school students’ papers all evening.
– Playing basketball in the backyard all by myself, inventing new variations on the game, and pretending to be every player on opposing teams as I acted out whole games.
– Watching Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on the bi..

Mourn With Those Who Mourn

18/06/2015 0 Comment

In memory of Clementa Carlos Pinckney (1973-2015), Democrat, South Carolina Senate; senior pastor of Mother Emanuel A.M.E. [African Methodist Episcopal] Church; martyred with eight of his congregation while they studied scriptures and prayed together in the church.
You can read much more about Pastor Pinckney and his church here.

It was one year ago this month that shots rang out on our campus at Seattle Pacific. And the community responded by gathering in grief, in support, in prayer, and, when the truth was learned, in grace and love toward the antagonist. I was blessed, and taught, by their response.
Today, those of us on campus are gathering in SPU’s prayer chapel to pray for our grieving neighbors at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and for the troubled heart of the suspect in custody.

Elsewhere — specifically, online, from angry responders (a wide range, including suit-and-tie white guys) — I’m already seeing waves of rage and hate directed at the shooter.

I unde..

Are doubts a sign of a weak faith?

28/05/2015 0 Comment

I’m a believer—a Christian. I’m a “lifer” and an insider. I was born into a Christian home. I have Christian parents. I’ve gone to church all my life.

I’m also a doubter.

Over the years I’ve had many troubling questions: How do I know God exists? Can I be sure Christianity is right? How can there be an all-loving and all-powerful God when there is so much evil in the world? Can I really trust that the Bible is true?

For most of my life I’ve walked in a place of doubt-plagued faith. And while ..

Art by Faith

08/05/2015 0 Comment

For we live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Growing up on my grandparents' farm, I was too busy playing outside with my sibling and cousins, chasing butterflies or climbing trees to worry very much about my poor eyesight. I was born with a progressive eye disease known as Retinitis Pigmentosa. As a child, I didn't understand that much about it and my family didn't make a big deal of it. Thankfully I was allowed the freedom to have fun in my childhood.

My best friend&#0..

Finding Happiness?

02/05/2015 0 Comment

During my twenties, I was a bridesmaid in several weddings. Unfortunately, most of those couples are now divorced. It will come as no surprise to you that each of them stated they were unhappy and they were getting a divorce in order to find happiness. After all, happiness is the American birthright, right?

The United States Declaration of Independence says, in part, the following:We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with..

“Help, I’m Insecure”

02/04/2015 0 Comment

**(Before we start reading, I was actually writing a chapter in my new book, “The Runaway Bride” and I titled the chapter “The Insecure Bride.” I felt led by the Lord to share a snippet of the chapter with you. Note that this isn't the entire chapter, but you can find the rest of it on June 5, 2015 on this site when it goes live! :))**

One of satans biggest weapons is doubt. Satan loves for us to question who we are and how we measure up to others (Ephesians 2:1-2; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Samuel ..

“Trusting God Through the Hard Times”

24/03/2015 0 Comment

I know that its hard to trust God at times. I know that you have your good days and then you have some really rough days where you're like.. Lord, how long before.. this or that?I've learned that I can't focus on “this or that” or what I think I'm lacking. My focus must be on the Lord alone because if I ain't content with just Him, then He won't bring things into my life so that I can make those things my idols. Philippians 4:11-13 New Living Translation (NLT) Not t..

“When It Feels Like God Abandoned You”

11/03/2015 0 Comment

This area has just been heavy on my heart so I wanted to remind those of you who are going through some hard times that God has not forgotten about you.

Yes, you.

In the world of social media, technology and TV, it's so easy to glamorize what everybody else is doing while thinking, Lord, have you forgotten about me? Have you abandoned me?

No, God hasn't abandoned you. But, He is disciplining you. And you have a choice. You can either press through this test and mature in your walk wit..

MCFARLAND USA: An Interview with Legendary Coach Jim White

20/02/2015 0 Comment

Do you like sports movies? I cry every time I watch Field of Dreams. The rousing underdog stories of Rudy or The Rookie almost feel too good to be true. The cynic in us may resist, but once you actually meet Jimmy, the guy who sank the winning shot in Hoosiers, your perspective shifts. These aren’t just tall tales, manufactured by Hollywood. These can be modest, “everyday” heroes who challenge us to practice, to press on, to never give up.

I recently met Jim White, the legendary cross-country c..

“Help Me, I Can’t Stop Procrastinating”

10/02/2015 0 Comment

So, if you're in a season where you feel super sluggish, kinda lazy and you feel like doing nothing, I can relate. Being now 18 weeks pregnant, I have had my days where I only want to lay in the bed for the entire day. But even before I was pregnant, I had my seasons where I struggled in this area. It's almost like, it's on my checklist to take care of this but I just got too busy throughout the day to get to it or by the time I got home, I had zero energy to accomplish that task…