Have you ever wondered how Jesus went from feeding the five thousand, to only have a handful of people at the foot of the cross when He died?

The truth is, Jesus had His twelve disciples that He hand-picked and called to ministry with Him, but there were other disciples that also travelled with Jesus to the different places that He went to in the three years He taught, ministered, and served. Not everyone went everywhere the way the twelve did, but Jesus had a way of attracting followers just by nature of what He was doing.

How many things did you try to build your life on before Jesus? How many things did you try to nourish your soul with before His grace? What did you try to satisfy your heart with before you believed?

Before Christ, you can build your life on a number of things: a career, a family, an academic resumè, entertainment, the news– you name it, someone has probably tried it. But whatever that thing might be is like a sandcastle… it crumbles and amounts to nothing.

Tonight, I walked into the kitchen and into a swarm of fruit flies. There are not a lot of household pests that get under my skin the way fruit flies do. I see them and I feel like I’m breathing them in, they’re crawling on my skin; I get itchy just thinking about it.

The best trap for fruit flies is putting some dish soap in the bottom of a container, then a little apple cider vinegar and water before shaking it up. The trap is even better when you put a piece of plastic wrap over top and poke some holes in it, this way, when the flies crawl in to the trap, they can’t easily get back out.

I made four loaves of bread this weekend– unleavened bread to be exact. Sam has always wanted to use real bread in Sunday communion and so I offered to give it my best shot.

I researched recipes until I found something that seemed as intentional as possible. I made test loaves, one with regular, all-purpose flour and another with whole wheat flour. I decided to halve the recipe to make a thinner loaf, to use a cast iron skillet to try and char it a little, and sprinkled a little salt over top of the finished product, just to add a little bit of taste.

Quick: Name a hymn!

What did you say?

I cannot hear “How Great Thou Art” without being a kid again, sitting in the seats of my childhood church. I can see the exact shade of the carpet. I can feel the slightly scratchy cushion of the seatback behind me. I can hear the very off-key singing of Ella, the older lady who sat next to my family.

Almost a couple years ago, Sam and I went to Arizona for him to interview for an opportunity to work with a church planting organization. We went into the long weekend with high hopes and were praying that God would provide– Sam was looking for a job at the time.

Long story short, they didn’t offer Sam the opportunity, but they wanted us to see their “innovative” way of doing church so that we could experience God in the way their quickly growing congregation was. We went in, sat down, and worshiped through a carefully curated worship, a neatly-packaged sermon with four, easy bulletpoints, in an auditorium of people that were in and out within an hour and twenty minutes.

We all have those life-moments where we’re trying to make something work that just won’t work. Maybe you’ve been busting your butt at work, trying to get a promotion that keeps passing you over. Maybe you’re trying to connect with a family member that just seems to like to push your buttons and it seems like you’ll never have that harmony you crave with them. Maybe you’re trying to conceive a child, but no matter how diligently you track your body or how many diets you try or how many doctors you see, that little plus sign keeps evading you.

Sam and I knew we were going to be married pretty much before we started dating. Somehow, I just knew in my heart from very early on that I was going to be doing this dating thing for the last time with him. We were friends with the intention of dating for a whole summer before we agreed it was time to be boyfriend and girlfriend; by the fall, I knew more about him than anyone else and was sure that I loved him.

By December, we decided to approach my parents about the fact that we were sure about each other and that while it wouldn’t be tomorrow, this was it. I think that freaked my parents out. Sam just started a new job in construction. I just got my license to sell insurance. We were two twenty-somethings still living with parents and didn’t know how we were going to get there.

People love praise. They love to receive accolades and pats on the back. It’s just a part of humanity. The people of the Church are no exception. 

There are many who serve the Lord because it puts them on a platform for people to see them. They are addicted to people coming up to them and saying, “Worship was awesome today!” or, “What a great message, pastor!” Of course, it’s not the reason that all serve, but unfortunately, with the way the modern church is– curated, broadcasted, and elevated– it’s easy for even the most well-intentioned of God’s people to fall into a dependence on approval from others in the Church. 

In John 5, Jesus calls upon one more witness to His Godship and His deity. After using a physical testimony like John the Baptist, the miraculous testimony of the works in His ministry, and the spiritual testimony of God the Father, Jesus finally calls upon the scriptural testimony of God’s Word.

Of course, at that time, He would have been talking about the Old Testament. But this Jewish law is something that the religious leaders were well versed in. The Old Testament was something that they knew backwards and forwards; knowledge that they used on a daily basis.

Calling your father to the stand might seem like a weak defense. In most cases where a father is involved in their son’s life, they love him and see the best in him. We’ve all grown up and had a parent gas us up when we’re down. They say we’re smart, or beautiful, or creative, or awesome, and the common response is, “You HAVE to say that. You’re the parent.” 

And yes, our parents can have rose-colored glasses when it comes to our abilities or aptitudes. But they also know us better than most people. A good parent has been there for it all. They’ve seen every report card, every dance recital and soccer game; they’re there for every skinned knee, birthday, and hard knock. So a good parent would know your character, your history, and be an advocate for you.

In John 5, Jesus is calling attention to several sources that bear witness to His Godship. Standing in front of the Pharisees, Jesus appeals to several references that the Pharisees should affirm, either because of their position in Jewish leadership or because of their educated backgrounds.

The first witness Jesus uses is John the Baptist. He reminds them that John declared that Jesus was the Messiah the world had been waiting for, the Promised Savior God ordained for us to put our faith in. John was like a light on a lampstand. He proclaimed the coming Christ for the whole of his life. Jesus reminds the Pharisees that they embraced John’s testimony that the Messiah had almost arrived because they were expecting God to send Jesus in a different way.

Have you ever seen a trial where the only witness to take the stand is the accused? Have you ever read a research paper where only one source is used? Have you ever made a big purchase based on one review?

No. The trial would be weakly argued, the paper would probably fail due to lack of evidence to support your claim, and one review is not enough to know the full scope of a product.

I knew someone once that adamantly said that she didn’t understand the importance of ‘theology.’ She always said, “Why can’t we all just love Jesus and let go of all the details?” I think what she really was trying to say was that some people can get so caught up in the intellectual ins and outs of theology that they distract from unity with other believers and the importance of the gospel itself. But regardless, whenever the word ‘theology’ came up she was very quick to throw the conversation out the window.

Having children is no joke. They will stretch you, they will challenge you, and they will push you to places mentally, physically, and emotionally that you have never been before.

I think the biggest lesson any parent learns is that everything changes. Nothing about life is designed to stay steady. If you’re a woman, your body changes in order to grow and bring that baby into the world. You gain weight; you find you have more skin, stretch marks, and changes to your body than you ever thought possible. Your body does new things like make milk and pushes the limits of exhaustion during those months and sometimes years that you wake up and settle your children back to sleep.

Central Park is the biggest landmark in New York City– literally. Looking at a map of Manhattan, it’s impossible to miss the 843 acres that make up this huge, green rectangle in the middle of a city made of concrete, metal, and glass. There are so many iconic corners of the park that have been in movies, TV shows, and music videos.  But probably one of the most recognizable places is the Bethesda Fountain.