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 […]
Somehow, we got through it: Getting/Giving Help in Sexual Purity
*To protect the privacy of everyone involved, some details have been altered. I’ve had rough conversations with friends before, but nothing quite like this. We were walking along our usual route, and we were near the end, really, when my friend slows down and turns to me. “You remember how things ended with David?” Of […]
Keeping People at Arm’s Length
Before I was following Jesus & before I got to know Ann in my senior year of high school, I was deeply committed to two things—NEVER getting married and keeping Jesus distant. I saw the carnage of so many failed marriages & observed the misery of many who were still physically together but had already […]
The Power of Stories (Including Yours)
I have vivid memories growing up and having my parents read me The Book of Virtues by William J Bennet, full of fables, each with a lesson. There were two stories I still remember. The first was about a magic spool of thread that let the owner skip past uncomfortable moments in time. The second was about […]
