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Embracing Jesus in a New Year

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Embracing Jesus in a New Year

Embracing a new year means something different to each of us. Many will be racing out of 2020 in full sprint. It was a hard year for so many. Job loss. Deaths to family and friends. Isolation. Changes in routine. Missing the normal way of life. Some look back to see how 2020 changed perspective and provided opportunities: More time for what matters most. Keeping their job. Their people were not impacted by coronavirus. No matter what camp you fall under, one thing we can all cling to is that God was faithful all year long, He has been and will always be.

A Thrill of Hope for a Weary World

A Thrill of Hope for a Weary World

I don’t know about you but I am puttering into December tired, running on empty … weary. I’m exhausted by all the decisions that need to be made, ranging from how we will celebrate the holidays this year to the safest way to grocery shop. I crave connection with friends I have not been able to see in person. I wonder if I have done enough to help those less fortunate than my family, those suffering from injustice. There’s more, but you get the gist!

In the Weeds

In the Weeds

I was recently involved in a community service project that involved clearing an overgrown part of a backyard. It looked like an impossible task, but I gamely put on my gloves and went to work. As I got started I realized how easy it was to pull off the top of the weeds. And aesthetically that looked pretty nice. You couldn’t really tell that the root was still there. It was a little bumpy, but overall, it would have been easy to dust the dirt off my hands and say, “Good enough.”

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Take Me Back to Church

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Take Me Back to Church

2020 has been a year of disappointments, struggles, hard decisions, and such unknowns. It’s also been a year of realizations about what is truly important, what brings us joy, what family and friends are all about, and most importantly, how much we need God and how much he really does provide.

No Fear of the Heat

No Fear of the Heat

How do you respond in a crisis? I have always been one of those people who just puts her head down and does what needs to be done. I push through the difficulties, often not stopping to check what I am thinking and feeling. I just do the next thing until the crisis is over! Then when I come out on the other side, I look back and see how God worked in the situation. This tactic is not working too well right now because the length of the “crisis” is so long. It’s been six months of unprecedented craziness. That’s a long time to keep your head down!

The Power of Connection

The Power of Connection

Growing up in a Puerto Rican household I could count on several things to happen when family came to visit. There would be a lot of food, it would be loud, and the women would inevitably end up gathered together, aware of, and in tuned to, only each other. I found my mom and aunts fascinating. Their conversations would flow from English to Spanish back to English effortlessly, sometimes comprised of laughter, sometimes tears, sometimes looks I knew not to interrupt. Often all of the above.