Disciplemaking in a New Place

John* and I sat across a desk from each other in the gymnasium office at Joseph Harp Corrections Center in Lexington, Oklahoma. “I’m leaving early next year for a minimum facility,” John shared with me, “and I want to help others follow Jesus there like you did here with me.” In 2017, John joined my “Every […]

We are Doing this Together

One of the places I surf the most is the Huntington Beach Cliffs (Dog Beach). When I get there, along with every other surfer, I park my car and walk up the couple of stairs and lean on the rail and look down at the waves. I am looking for motivation. Motivation to pay for […]

The Shame Cycle

I’ve spent far too much time asking myself two questions: What is wrong with me? and Why can’t I get it together? These aren’t kind questions. They are condemning. They’re laced with a nasty idea: shame. Up until a few years ago, I wouldn’t have known to call it that. But then a friend gently […]

God’s Grace and Charcuterie: How to Create a Welcoming Charcuterie Board

A couple of years ago, I met a friend at church. She and I realized we had much in common, and we became friends quickly. One evening, she invited my husband and me to wine and cheese with another couple at their house.  We grabbed a hunk of decent-looking cheese, not really knowing much about […]

It’s Not Easy Going Home

This last time, when Terry went home overseas,* she had a whole new experience sharing the Gospel. Terry came to the US on her own when she was 15 and came to Christ at age 17 after she started attending church with her host family—a family she met through a campus sign-up for airport pickups. […]

What do Nav 20s groups look like?

Every Nav 20s group is a little different. At the core is people seeking Jesus and a desire to grow disciples everywhere. Yet the personalities and local culture can influence it uniquely.  Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to go out to San Diego and meet Thomas and Tim. I was so blessed to […]

Late Bloomer

I was involved with Navs the last couple years of college, but that wasn’t my initial plan going in. I came to school just wanting to do my own thing. Washington State University is known as a party school, and I got into all the kinds of trouble that came with it. It wasn’t until […]

Relationships Are Messy

Last summer, Greg and I decided to make use of our tent and brave the wilderness for a night of camping in northern Minnesota. We planned our meals, booked our site, packed our bags and put our bikes on the rack. Everything, we thought, was ready. As soon as we arrived and set up the […]

Discovering You 

If I am honest, my 20s is where I struggled the most with the question “who am I?” It was the time I pondered deepest about who I am and what really makes me “me” and truly began my journey to try to figure out the way the Lord created me. The first thing I […]

When Race Relations in America is Not the Hot Topic

For a few weeks after George Floyd was murdered, I had many non-African American friends, primarily Christians, contact me and ask how I was doing and what they could do to learn more about the black experience in America. Each time my response was “contact me in a month or two when things die down […]