I remember my first date with my husband. We had been friends for months, but had never gone out on our own. By that point, we both liked each other quite a bit, and looking back now we laugh about how nervous we were. I remember tripping on my way into the restaurant, almost knocking …
Author Archives: Pastor Melissa
Understanding Joy And Grief On Mother’s Day
This Sunday, May 8th, is Mother’s Day. Over the past few weeks, I have gathered cards and gifts for the mothers, grandmothers, and godmothers who I love so much. I look forward to spending the day celebrating the amazing women who have been my caregivers and role models throughout my life. While Mother’s Day is …
Continue reading “Understanding Joy And Grief On Mother’s Day”
The Restorative Power Of Pausing
This last week I didn’t write any posts. I simply needed some time to pause, breathe, and be present to those around me. I felt restored and ready to write something new when I returned to Genesis this week; yet, when I opened to Genesis 20, I realized we weren’t in new territory at all. …
What Every Christian Should Know About Genesis 13-18
This week we covered the beginnings of Abraham and Sarah’s story, and took in some of the lessons that these incredible biblical texts have to offer. If you missed a few of the posts, but want to keep up with us, here is a synopsis of each of the lessons: In Waiting on God, we looked …
Continue reading “What Every Christian Should Know About Genesis 13-18”
When God Answers Prayer
When I worked as a chaplain people often asked me about prayer. They wondered whether God really listens, whether our prayers can change outcomes, and why God listens to prayer if He already has a plan. These are big and important questions, and while it’s easy to begin postulating about the answers, we can more …
Covenant and Calling
Do you remember the first time you felt belonging with God? That feeling that God is with you, listening to you, and knowing you very deeply? When I was ten years old I remember laying under the stars and feeling for the first time that I could talk with God, that He would eagerly listen, …
When God Meets Us In Our Grief
Yesterday, in the post Waiting On God, we looked at Genesis 15, in which God informs Abram very clearly that Abram will have an heir that will develop into a very large nation. We discussed Abram’s subsequent decision in Genesis 16 to take his wife’s servant, Hagar, and impregnate her, in an effort to bring about the …
Waiting On God
I am not the best at waiting. I know some people who can sit in ambiguity and uncertainty, let it wash over them, and they remain peaceful and calm the entire time. My first instinct, instead, is to become more like the Tasmanian Devil, spinning fast without any particular trajectory, unaware of the mess that I’m …
What Every Christian Should Know About Genesis 9-13
We had another exciting week studying the stories of Genesis. We started in Genesis 8 and moved through Genesis 13. In our first post, Stewardship, Politics, and Genesis 9, we looked at the complex commands that God gave to Noah and his descendants: “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the Earth. All of the animals on the earth will …
Continue reading “What Every Christian Should Know About Genesis 9-13”
When Our Heroes Let Us Down
While hosting Saturday Night Live on March 12, pop star Ariana Grande sang a song in her opening monologue, entitled, “What Will My Scandal Be?” She describes how so many other celebrities and pop stars have had scandals in their careers, but she hasn’t had hers yet. It seems like at some point or another, the celebrities …
Pastor Melissa 