gospel

A Practical Way to Support Life

KRISTI MCCOWN | GUEST On January 22, 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential proclamation. He declared the third Sunday of January as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. This date marked the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the ruling that legalized abortion nationally. Much has changed around abortion over the past four decades. In 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned. For the pro-life movement, this was a major victory and a step in providing legal protection for unborn children. Today, abortion is limited or prohibited in 26 states; however, it is still protected in 25 states. However, the need to pray and advocate for life in our community and nation remains important. Pastors, churches, and life organizations use this day to bring awareness to daily assaults on human life by the abortion industry. One way to protect unborn lives is to expose the darkness of abortion and support local Pregnancy Help Organizations, which daily reach women and families with hope and life. Making an Impact on Life I work at one of these ministries as a counselor. When I began at the Pregnancy and Family Resource Center in my small Mississippi town, I was overwhelmed. This ministry is hard and heavy, yet miraculous and healing. One of my first clients I met there was a 13-year-old girl and her mother. The pain on this mother's face was heartbreaking; her child was about to have a child. We walked with this mother and her daughter through the birth of her baby with compassion and care...

A Practical Way to Support LifeChristina Fox2026-01-09T20:38:37+00:00

Singing Through Christmas in Minor and Major Keys

JOANNA HODGES|GUEST ‘Tis the season of bright and glimmering baubles, loud and busy parties, and exuberant and merry music. As we prepare for Christmas, we eagerly anticipate singing our favorite festive songs around the piano. Through well-known happy tunes in a major key, we proclaim “Joy to the World” because Christ came to crush the head of the serpent. We gather our friends to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” and can’t wait to hear our kids shout “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” in the church program. Yet the more holidays God gives us in this broken world, the more we realize that every Christmas season rightfully includes not only the triumphal tone of major keys, but also the wistful waiting and somber tone of the carols in a minor key. A Partial Celebration Even though the Savior accomplished His earthly mission and sits at the Father’s right hand to reign in victory, those nagging foes of the world, the flesh, and the devil still assault us here on earth. They don’t take a vacation during Christmas, and often it seems they rear their ugly heads even more intensely this time of year. Our hearts may be filled with awe and wonder as we read our Advent devotional in the morning, yet by the afternoon we are overwhelmed by the Christmas day menu, family dynamics around the holiday table, and the jam-packed calendar of parties. We scroll through Facebook’s Time Hop pictures of past Christmas gatherings and realize how much our own bodies and those of our loved ones have been marred by disease, dysfunction, and death over the years. Sometimes it’s not easy to take a deep breath and sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” with smiles on our faces when the sadness of a sin-cursed existence makes us want to silence our voices and quietly mourn....

Singing Through Christmas in Minor and Major KeysChristina Fox2025-11-28T15:39:14+00:00

Jesus: The Perfect Gift

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR When our children were growing up, Christmas celebrations included gifts under the tree that appeared Christmas morning. During the season, the kids would make lists of their desired presents, mostly based on the recently advertised toys. But rarely did they receive something on their list. As parents, we took delight in finding the perfect gift for each child. I once overheard our second oldest tell his younger siblings not to waste their time making lists. The gifts they would receive were always far better than the ones for which they wished! Our Father’s Perfect Gift Our heavenly Father sent us the perfect gift, the gift of His only Son. Some had wished the promised Messiah would come as a king, saving them from their enemies. But our heavenly Father knew we lived in darkness, so He sent the perfect gift, Jesus, who would bring light into the darkness. When Jesus started His earthly ministry He declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12)...

Jesus: The Perfect GiftChristina Fox2025-11-22T18:45:11+00:00

Three Questions to Ask When Using AI

AMANDA DUVALL | GUEST Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere—in the news, in my internet searches and online shopping, and even my personal conversations. The advances and changes are coming so fast, I teeter between growing excited about how this tool will help me get more done and spiraling down a rabbit hole over all the ways technology is changing the world as we know it. In my limited usage, I’ve already found AI powerful and useful for a variety of tasks. AI has helped me get my one-year-old to sleep better, research for and edit work quicker, gain ideas to treat odd health symptoms, plan travel, and more. AI can do it all—in mere seconds! Still, there are so many moral and ethical concerns surrounding AI, regarding privacy and data, content and regulation, intellectual property rights, threats to creative work, relational confusion, and massive disruptions in education, the economy, and health care. It is easy to give in to fear and frankly, I prefer to delegate these concerns as “out there,” for someone else to unravel. I am just a normal nobody trying to keep up and figure out how to use AI to make life a little bit more manageable. Then, I remember the day I got my Facebook account. As a college freshman sitting in my dorm room, suddenly I was connected to college students across my campus and the country. Social media opened a world of possibilities, what could go wrong? We know so much more now than we did then about how social media affects our brains, our ability to focus, and our mental health, to name a few issues. Haven’t we learned our lesson, then? I’m not sure. Too often, we are so desperate to adopt a new technology with the promise of optimizing our lives without considering, “just because I can use it for all these things, should I? We need to be discerning, not just about how AI is changing our world, but also how it is changing us. With all this change spinning out of our control, we cling to the promise, “the Word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Peter 1:25). We can turn to Him in this, and in every situation. Here are three questions, grounded in what God tells us is good and true, to ask when using AI...

Three Questions to Ask When Using AIChristina Fox2025-11-13T21:20:17+00:00

Called By Name: Practicing Everyday Hospitality

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR There was a long season in our lives when our home was a gathering place. We regularly hosted large groups of people for food and fellowship, endeavoring to heed the call of 1 Peter 4:9 to “show hospitality to one another without grumbling” by making our home a welcoming place. Now we’re in a different season—one where it’s challenging to host people in our home. Yet I know the call to be hospitable remains. So how can I welcome others in this new season of life? Hospitality Beyond the Dinner Table Romans 12:10–13 reminds us: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” The word translated “hospitality” here (and throughout the New Testament) comes from a Greek word meaning “love of strangers.” True hospitality goes beyond setting a table or serving a meal. At its heart, it’s about making space for others—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s about seeing people as image-bearers rather than inconveniences or interruptions and welcoming them. And one of the simplest, yet most profound, ways to welcome someone—to practice hospitality—is to learn their name....

Called By Name: Practicing Everyday HospitalityChristina Fox2025-10-15T14:29:35+00:00

Her View from the Pew: Reflections from a Pastor’s Wife

KATIE POLSKI | CONTRIBUTOR I was twenty-three years old, had a two-year-old and a two-month-old, and my husband had just started a new position as a senior pastor at a church where I knew no one. Just weeks into our new calling, I snuck away for a few minutes of quiet while the kids played in my husband’s new office. Sitting in the pew of the quiet sanctuary, I took in my surroundings, reflecting on the weight and wonder of this new calling as “pastor’s wife.” Fast forward nearly twenty-five years, when I found myself in a time of similar contemplation. Sitting in the pew of our church, the surroundings had changed—we were at a different church, and I was in a new life stage—but the emotions of carrying the title of “pastor’s wife” were as familiar and raw as they were so many years ago. Whether you’re serving in a church you’ve known your whole life or one that’s completely new; whether ministry is part of your family’s legacy or something you’re the first to step into; or whether your congregation is overflowing with people or faithfully pressing on in small numbers—the role of pastor’s wife carries a common thread. In all these varied settings and differing seasons, every pastor’s wife can be encouraged by the same thing: Jesus’ kindness in the calling. The Hidden Burden and the Beautiful Calling In my own life, the burdens haven’t changed much through the years. Early in our ministry, I accompanied my husband to the home of grieving parents who had lost their child. As the mother practically collapsed in my arms, I had the thought, “Why am I here?” It felt almost intrusive to step into such tender grief when I barely knew the family. And yet, she wept in my arms. Why am I here? Why am I sitting in a room for a memorial service in memory of a mother I did not know. Why am I invited to a wedding of a couple I only met once? Why am I here, bearing the weight from a difficult session meeting?...

Her View from the Pew: Reflections from a Pastor’s WifeChristina Fox2025-09-21T15:18:16+00:00

Welcoming Others with Gospel Hospitality

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR When I was in my twenties, I was mentored by a woman in the church where I was on staff. What began as a babysitting job turned into a lasting friendship. She was a mom of three small children with a husband who worked long hours. Often, our conversations occurred during dinner and bath time with small children, while folding laundry, or during a walk to pick up a child from an activity. While I met with her regularly for prayer and counsel, receiving much wisdom from her, I mostly remember how she welcomed me into her home and her life. She likely thought that those moments together were loud and messy, while in my heart, I felt seen and welcomed into the mess with her. She showed me (and continues to show me) gospel hospitality. The Greatest Commandment One of the most well-known passages in the Bible is found in Mark 12:30-31: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” This command speaks two important truths: love the Lord first and love others as yourself. As believers, we are called to not only love the Lord but to love others around us. A very specific way we can do this is by showing hospitality. The Challenge of Gospel Hospitality When we hear the word “hospitality,” we may think only of inviting people into our home. The thought of doing so may create a feeling of panic deep within us as we think about cleaning the house or fixing an elaborate meal. Hospitality can feel risky as we think about letting strangers and even friends in our homes and our lives. But gospel hospitality says nothing about a clean house or fancy meals. In fact, nothing about the gospel is fancy or flashy. The gospel is good news. It is the message of Jesus loving us enough to leave the glory of Heaven and die on the cross for our sins. Everything about this act of Jesus was messy and sacrificial. The gospel says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Living a gospel-centered life puts others first and gives us the opportunity to show our love to friends, neighbors, and strangers...

Welcoming Others with Gospel HospitalityChristina Fox2025-09-13T14:43:22+00:00

Clay Like Calling: God’s Glory in Our Weakness

KAREN HODGE | CONTRIBUTOR We stand on the precipice of a new ministry year. Let's gather the team, formulate a stellar plan, whip out a shiny brochure, and rally the women! And while we're at it, let's try to make it bigger, faster, or shinier than last year. Been there and tried that strategy. “Shiny Plan” seems like a bulletproof proposal in September, but by October, cracks began to form in our well-formulated plan. CRACK… You try to recruit women to execute this shiny plan and find that many of them are just "too busy" to participate. CHIP… You put the Women's Connect Event in the bulletin, announce it from the front, send an email, and then wonder why more women didn't show up when you are cleaning up. CRUMBLE…. After teaching a Bible study you spent hours preparing and then receive stinging criticism in the hallway, you hastily vow you will never teach again! SHATTER…. Although you meant to send the shiny plan to the Session ahead of printing the brochures, upon reading it, they suggest that you scale things back to avoid draining the church's resources....

Clay Like Calling: God’s Glory in Our WeaknessChristina Fox2025-08-10T15:08:46+00:00

Picked for More than Just Pickleball

MEAGHAN MAY | CONTRIBUTOR The first time I played pickleball was on our neighborhood court. I didn’t know the rules. I wasn’t dressed for it, didn’t have the right shoes, and honestly just hoped no one would notice how uncoordinated I felt. I stood off to the side, awkwardly holding my paddle, sure that I would be picked last—if at all. Then someone surprised me. One of the most skilled players on the court looked straight at me and said, “You’re with me.” She didn’t hesitate. She picked me on purpose. And suddenly, I wasn’t standing alone anymore. I had a place. I wasn’t better at the game, but I was no longer afraid. Because someone strong and experienced had chosen me. She saw me, called me, and gave me courage to step onto the court. That moment reminds me of something far more profound: God is for us. He didn’t wait for us to get it right. He didn’t look for the most qualified. He saw us in our fear, weakness, and sin and still said, “You’re with Me.”...

Picked for More than Just PickleballChristina Fox2025-08-23T14:15:59+00:00

Why the Work We Do Matters

MARIA CURREY | CONTRIBUTOR My mouth was needle-numbed on one side, wide open, gauze in one corner, a blue plastic place holder clamped between my feeling teeth and gums, and the drilling began. A cavity filling from childhood outlived its lifespan and needed to be replaced. Silenced, numbed, and essentially gagged, I was at the mercy of my dentist’s expertise and experience. Soon I was back in business, ready to chew again! Aren’t you grateful when someone has the education, gifting, and ability to do his or her job? Whether a stay-at-home mom, plumber, teacher, truck driver, doctor, or in ministry, the work each person does matters and has intrinsic value. Mothers cover countless roles and responsibilities around the clock, a plumber unclogs backed up waters and broken pipes, a teacher provides insights to all eventual jobs, truck drivers ensure supplies are transported and delivered, a doctor of any specialty facilitates healing and wellness, while one in ministry facilitates spiritual healing and wellness. When we stop to consider what it means to work, in every job, calling, or duty, we all need each other and the work done around us. Our world rotates in daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly cycles of work. Working for the Lord As workers for Christ, however, we are freed to a heavenly, God-given approach to work. Paul encourages the church in Colossae to work as if they are working for the Lord. Colossians 3:23-24 exhorts, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”...

Why the Work We Do MattersChristina Fox2025-08-13T21:08:18+00:00