A Fruitful Farewell

CHERYL MULLIS | GUEST What do you say to those you love? I just returned from a trip to Colorado where I had the joy of celebrating the high school graduations of both my niece and my grandson. As I attended the ceremonies and parties, I experienced a mix of emotions. Both graduates had displays filled with photographs capturing significant moments in their lives, and as I looked through them, I couldn’t help but wonder, where has all the time gone? It seemed like only yesterday when they were taking their first steps, starting school, growing, and learning. Attending the graduations of these two special ones was a true gift—one that I don’t take for granted. When the day came for me to fly home, I found myself lingering, sometimes with tears in my eyes, because I was not quite ready to leave. There was much that I still wanted to say to them. As my niece and grandson reach these milestones in their lives and prepare for new adventures, I find myself reflecting not only on their future, but also on the years we have shared together. Have I told them often enough how much I love them? Have I pointed them to Christ? Have I reminded them of God’s grace and faithfulness? Have I made the most of opportunities God has given me to invest in their lives?...

A Fruitful Farewell2026-08-14T17:38:14+00:00

Rest and Refreshment for a New Ministry Year

KARI STAINBACK | GUEST A new year of ministry is about to begin. How in the world did the summer months fly by so quickly? Are you ready to launch a new year of ministry to women? Perhaps you are coming off a fabulous restful vacation with loved ones or friends. Or maybe the summer brought you anything but rest. Maybe you have walked through unexpected trials and troubles which have left you drained and feeling depleted. Maybe you are wondering where the energy will come from to begin another year of ministry to the women in your church. Or perhaps this finds you doing fine as a ministry leader. Nothing out of the ordinary is happening in your life, and you feel ready to crank up the engine of your ministry again. Wherever you are today, each of us share this prayer or something like it each fall: “Oh Jesus, will you refresh my soul that I might shepherd other women according to your will and way?” In Mark 6, Jesus sends His disciples out in pairs to do ministry. They were hard at work, proclaiming that people should repent, casting out demons, and healing the sick. Meanwhile, Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, was murdered by Herod. This had to be a terrible blow to Jesus and the disciples once they found out...

Rest and Refreshment for a New Ministry Year2026-08-14T17:37:33+00:00

Communion with the Body of Christ

JULIANNE ATKINSON |GUEST A popular teen came to me voicing her main concern about our upcoming road trip to camp in the Colorado Rockies. Though the 14-hour bus ride often brought excitement of its own– with broken AC in the Texas heat, getting stuck in a ditch on the mountainside, or the dead of night gas stop--her worries rang true to the most persistent issue students came to me with: “I don’t have a bus buddy,” she confessed. The kids planned ahead of time hoping they wouldn’t have to navigate the social awkwardness of spending the long trip with a stranger. One neglected thing about loneliness is that it infects everyone. From kids perceived as popular to classic nerds, students from every walk of life feel the same thing. As data now reveals regarding Gen-Z and their mental illness crisis resulting from a phone-based childhood, the outpouring of these comments has started to make more sense. Teens are less competent in real world relationships. They navigate their transition to adulthood and wrestle through becoming their own person. They push and pull, distance themselves from their families and find belonging in outside relationships. Historically these were real world peers. Now, teens find community online through YouTube, video games, and social media... 

Communion with the Body of Christ2026-07-25T19:20:22+00:00

The Gift of Intergenerational Relationships

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR Eight months after getting married, my husband and I packed up a U-Haul and moved to Atlanta. He was excited about the move, as it would mean following a call the Lord had given him. I was following in my body, but my heart was kicking and screaming. It was the beginning of a new and exciting season for my husband, but for me, it was the death of so much that was familiar to me: living close to family, a job that I loved, and the fulfillment of buying our first home.   After arriving at an apartment complex I had not seen before, walking through church doors where I knew no one, and learning a city that was completely new territory, I wondered what the Lord had in store for us in this new place.   There was little about our years in Atlanta that was easy. My husband worked a full-time ministry job while also enrolled in seminary full-time. We longed for a baby who was not yet a part of our story. Finances were tight, our apartment felt small, and traffic was stressful. Yet when my husband and I look back on that season of early marriage, we talk about it with fondness because of the people the Lord put into our lives...  

The Gift of Intergenerational Relationships2026-05-12T16:51:43+00:00
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