Living on Mission: What is it anyway?

Kathryn Pesyna 3 min read
arrow pointing

In the middle of a pandemic, when your every day to day is suddenly flipped on its head, it’s pretty easy to start contemplating life and its purpose – specifically your own.  Who am I?  What am I doing?  Why am I here?  If you are a believer, the answer is simple.  Your mission is Christ’s mission. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”   Matthew 4:19 During a recent sermon by Calvary Church’s Steve Dang, he said, “When we place our faith in Christ, we don’t go into ministry, we are in ministry.”  In other words, when you accept Christ, you accept the mission of God.  And God is in the ministry of reconciliation  (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).  From the time of the The Fall in Genesis 3, God has been working to win us back to Him.  He did this through Christ, and […]

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Owners of nothing, stewards of everything

Rachel Marissa 3 min read
water bottle

A while back, my mom let me borrow her purple water bottle. I used it so much I started to forget it was hers to begin with.  Sometimes I fail to remember that the “purple water bottles” God lets me borrow are His, too.  During my first year in the counseling program at my seminary, I was so very aware grad school was a gift from God. I knew He was loaning me the knowledge, time, and resources. I was believing and remembering He is all-wise and knows everything about counseling, my program, where He’s calling me. I found myself holding loosely to grad school. I wasn’t anxious about going to class, studying for exams, writing research papers, applying for internships, or telling people I had no idea where I’d be after graduation. As I entered my second year of the program, however, a strange thing happened. I became clingy, […]

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A Citywide Prayer Movement

Eileen Drake 4 min read
city landscape sunset

When you think of a city where God is actively moving and doing wondrous works, what do you think of? What do you hope for God to accomplish in your city? I have a hope and prayer for my city that looks like this: For God’s presence to be felt in the city like it feels during an outdoor worship experience where God’s joy, hope and commission is palpably tangible. I pray that nonprofits work together; local pastors be united; people chained to addiction and brokenness be set free; for Christians across the city to have the benefit of Christian co-workers “in their corner” that encourage each other to lead with integrity, conviction, and love. I pray for city-wide discipleship: for older folks to show younger folks how to follow Christ. I pray for Christians to love their neighbors so well that people are drawn to wanting to know who […]

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Abide With Me

Jenny McCarty 5 min read
vine branches

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16 “Abide in Me,” Jesus says.  The words “Abide with Me” to the tune of the hymn have been playing in my mind, over and over again. This season has had many ups and downs. I find that I keep praying for many things or situations to occur or change in my present and in my future when I am realizing the one thing I truly need more of is Jesus. No matter the situation, I need God’s personal presence in every part of my life, and this is a song that pleas for it at the end of every verse–Abide with me. I hope it brings encouragement to you as well. The other evening, I […]

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Political Homelessness

Victoria Scrima 4 min read

On November 8, 2016, I curled into my bed at 3 am repeating, “No, no, no, this can’t be,” as my friend attempted to console me. We were glued to our TVs late into the night, witnessing the surprising win for the 45th Presidency of the United States. In 2016, I would be called an engaged citizen. I watched the debates. I kept up with political headlines. I knew my stances and was prepared for a political conversation on various hot topics. I donated to my favorite candidate and even bought a shirt (Ru-Bae-O, anyone?). I kept up with the statistical projections, and I was ready. I felt our country was finally moving in the right direction. DIVISION AND ALLEGIANCE As we neared the election, I put my absentee ballot in the mail tray at my job. As I did, the receptionist – a Christian and friend of mine – […]

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