Just 5 minutes ago, my doorbell rang. I waited for a little bit (surely it was just the UPS guy again) but eventually decided to go check. It was my neighbor, Anna, from El Salvador, who moved here last year and has become a good friend. We gave each other a nice, long hug because we hadn't seen each other for almost the whole winter. With her broken English and my sorry Spanish, we tried to communicate about all the things that had happened since we last talked. She filled me in on her Read More
When You Lose Heart
Saturday was incredibly rough. I still don't even understand it all, but it was a big pot of pride and selfishness, mixed with exhaustion, and seasoned with despair. It seemed a knot too complex to ever unravel. I felt like throwing in the towel of ministry because of what a loser I was. Why even try? Why even try to minister to others when I can't even help myself? I'm not sure if you've ever been to the bottom of the pit, but I can assure you that it's dark and confusing and oppressive. Read More
MAKING DISCIPLES
I'm not always sure what to blog about that would be beneficial, but when my husband did this course on Making Disciples, I thought it was worth sharing. As Christians, we can do a lot of things with our time, but making disciples should be our primary ministry focus! Making disciples who, in turn, make disciples! Whether you're a Christian who wants to focus more on discipleship, or a nonbeliever who wants to see what the mission of every Christian is, you would benefit from listening to this Read More
The Mother’s Day Gift I Didn’t Ask For
Today is Mother’s Day and I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. After using all my energy to sit up, I asked Darcy if she’d be willing to bring me cereal in bed because it was--after all--Mother’s Day. “Mother’s DAY?!” She had apparently forgotten. I reminded her that she had made me a card earlier in the week that was waiting—unopened—on my dresser. Her panicking subsided, and she brought me Rice Chex and a card. We made it to church and I settled into the Kindergarten-2nd grade Read More
Everyday Evangelism (5/5): Where to Start?
My husband came up with these Seven Ways to Lean into Evangelism as a part of his evangelism series this year. If you are convinced that sharing Christ is a good idea, but just aren't sure how to begin, read these following suggestions. Pray often and pray specifically. Regardless of whether you understand how prayer works. Make it your regular practice to pray specifically for opportunities to share the gospel. Cultivate camaraderie. The power of doing things in community cannot be Read More
Everyday Evangelism (4/5): Mommy Missionaries
What does it look like to be a mom on mission? When I got pregnant with my first child, I remember thinking, “God, is this really the most effective way for your gospel to spread? For me to have a full-time job caring for a small baby...changing diapers, feeding, and cleaning?” I had been trained to think like a missionary and this seemed counter-intuitive. For the years previous to this, I had been immersed in ministry life and enjoyed feeling productive and significant. What was going to Read More
Everyday Evangelism (3/5): But Why Is It So HARD?
In last week's blog post, I told a story that clarified the gospel. Now whenever I use the term gospel, you know what I mean. The gospel is not doing good deeds (although these are nice...), but rather the age-old message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today I want to discuss: Why is it so hard to share this gospel? When I lived in Iceland, I got to observe dying Christianity at its finest. When discussing this phenomenon with an Icelandic Christian, she summed it Read More
Everyday Evangelism (1/5): A Taboo Conversation?
I just googled synonyms for evangelism because I know some people hate the word. Sermonizing, propoganda, brainwashing...yikes...I guess I'll stick to evangelism. I know this topic isn't the most comfortable, but here we go.... Recently, I came across a post that resonated with me so deeply that I put it by my sink and so I could pray it every morning. In his open letter to his (and my) denomination, the author began by confronting himself to love Jesus more deeply and tell others Read More
Guest Post: “A Letter to My 20-Year-Old Self” by Clint Clifton
I asked my good friend, Clint Clifton, to share his thoughts on the blog today. He is busy planting churches all around DC, military bases, and his community. I was curious what he would say if he could talk to his 20-year-old self, so I asked him to write this blog post. My family has been doing ministry with the Garmans for more than a decade. We’ve been through the best of times and the worst of times both corporately and personally. Our friendship and partnership in the Gospel has been an Read More
Dear Church Planter: Four Things Your Wife Wants You To Know
Last weekend, my husband and I had the opportunity to talk to a room of church planters and their wives. I was able to read the following letter to the men in the room who were starting a church from scratch. If some of this resonates with any of you wives out there, I pray you would find the right time and place to communicate with your husband in a spirit of graciousness. Dear Church Planter, If you’d be willing to listen, please allow me to share with you Four Things Your Wife Wants You to Read More