In 2015, I was living in Cape Town, South Africa, a city that doesn’t have a skyline the way normal cities do. Instead, this city is marked by the three mountains that loom large over the metropolis. The biggest of these mountains is called Table Mountain, named for its long, flat shape.

I’m not a hiker by any means, but climbing to the top of Table Mountain is a rite of passage of sorts, especially for foreign students like I was. While my family was in town, we decided to tackle the trail together. It was continuous stairs and switchbacks from the trailhead to the top, and it always seemed that just when you thought you were going to see the top, the trail just kept going.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Many people in the modern church want to see miracles the way the early church saw them. They want to see awesome healings, amazing displays of supernatural power, and unexplainable wonders that make you think, “This has to be God.” 

That’s how many people make their entire ministry– by claiming to perform or portraying some mysterious, mystical miracle.

Is evangelism a long-game or a spontaneous thing? 

Lots of people will say it’s a long-game. You build a relationship and slowly share Christ as a trust is built with that family member, friend, or coworker. You intercede for that person. You love them and ask that God would draw them near to Him, making it possible for them to one day believe and follow the Lord.

From a very young age, I was exposed to evangelism in practice. My childhood church used to do outreach events during summers in highly trafficked places, like the beach or public parks. They’d rent the big town pop-up stage and stand out from early in the morning to after the sun had set cycling through worship teams, street preaching, and people sharing their testimonies. 

All the while, there were people walking through the crowds, asking people if they needed prayer or sharing Jesus with others. Occasionally, there were people who were led to believe in God, or wanted to be baptized.

I remember singing “Because He Lives” in church as a little girl. From time to time, my childhood pastor would burst out into song in the middle of his sermons. Whether the tune fit into the message and was planned or because it welled up in his soul in the heat of the moment, there were often times where he’d start singing a hymn or a gospel tune from his childhood. 

I met Paul Baloche in 2019 with my husband, Sam, during a seminar for songwriters. Paul wrote a lot of worship songs that were sung when I was a kid, like “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” “Hosanna,” and “Above All.”

During his talk, Paul spoke at length about “Above All.” Most of his songs start either as prayers or from little thoughts written down in journals, and in this case, the verse was written out of the titular words jotted down in a notebook. The verses were a meditation on the greatness and wonder of Jesus; about how His Godship is so high and lofty over us and His majesty is awesome. The song originally had a different chorus and it was sung that way for a while but never felt right.

Do you struggle with evangelism? I know I do. I get super nervous to tell other people about Truth, and I know it is something I need to work on. I know I’m not alone in that. In fact, I would be willing to bet that most Christians struggle with the task. That’s the reason that most churches struggle with things like outreach and missions: because it requires us to know our Word, be willing to go out into the world and be ready to articulate and defend it if necessary.

Have you ever been to a wedding? After the vows have been exchanged and the couple has kissed; after they steal down the aisle as husband and wife, there is a desire to have precious moments alone with this love. 

At a modern wedding, those moments are often far and few until after the reception, but at that wedding banquet, there is usually a sweetheart table– a special place of honor for the bride and groom where they sit together, allowing them to share private conversation and enjoy the party together. The sweetheart table allows the couple to have a little bubble in the middle of the banquet hall where they can be a part of the celebration, but also enjoy the new intimacy of their marriage.