In Christian education and conversation we often talk about how human Jesus was when he became a man and lived in our world. We realize that he was never devoid of his divinity, yet he was fully human and felt everything we feel, struggled with human issues, and had to make choices between good and bad. It has always been an area that I believed, yet I saw this man navigate his life so perfectly that even though he was human I suspected that his god-ness made him a little more superhuman.

That was, until I read a very short sentence in the midst of a verse in Luke this week.

We celebrate this season of Christmas and can sometimes be distracted and forget to focus on what is important. Let’s not forget that Christmas is about giving – God giving his Son to bring us life. Christmas is about hope, preparation, joy – and most importantly LOVE!

Our church’s partnership with Saint Child has resulted in us taking a step into the world of human trafficking. We knew when we began volunteering at Saint Child one year ago that we would be serving at a safe house for young moms and their babies. We also knew that the time these moms and babies spent at Saint Child would help them to transform their lives of dysfunction into lives that would give their kids a better chance at health and success. What we didn’t know at the time was that 85-90% of the young women who live at Saint Child come out of a life of human trafficking. As a result of our service and ministry at Saint Child, we have come to realize that the crime and tragedy of human trafficking is a world that God has called us to reach into and one we know very little about.

Pastor Carlene writes with discretion, but when reading further please be aware this is a * MATURE SUBJECT *

The decision to partner more specifically with two groups coincided to God’s call this fall on New Vision Fellowship to go deeper in our faith.  As we collectively agreed to grow, I expected this to be an individual experience that would make a difference in the whole of the church body.  However, the deeper growth is also becoming evident in the Actions to which God has called us. 

Not one of us who is a follower of Christ look like we did when we became a believer. A transformation takes place from the inside out and we are forever changed. No growing church body looks the same over time, unless it stagnates, because just as individuals are living beings, the church is alive as the Body of Christ. The question that has been raised recently is by what do we measure growth?

In January, God led our church and those in it to find focus words for the year. The main focus that I chose for this year is self-care. As the months passed, I never forgot my focus word, especially since I have it inscribed on a small stone that sits on my kitchen counter. But, as I became busier and busier, I found myself rationalizing that I would implement self-care when I had time...