If you're new to the world of meeting and event planning, this is a great blog post to read before diving into checklists, spreadsheets, committee meetings, and decision-making. As you think through the specifics of your event, take venue selection seriously. It may be easiest to book the nearest hotel or community room, but thinking out of the

“Take a long walk on a short dock!” is a snappy schoolyard retort, good for voicing our frustrations toward the antagonist of the moment. It can also work just as well for self-pity purposes (and when eating worms isn’t going to get the job done.) “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll take a long walk on a short dock.”

When divorce happens, lives get turned upside down. What was normal becomes strange; what was predictable becomes uncertain. For the single parent dealing with such a shift, it is reassuring to hear repeatedly the grounding truths found in Scripture.

I realized I was totally tensed up in my seat. My hands were gripping the armrests. I was hyper aware of every twitch of the person next to me.

Church-based Small Groups are a vital part of spiritual growth. If you're a Small Group leader, you believe this, so you're working hard to nurture the relationships and spiritual vitality of participating members. Your group is probably much more to you than a Christian responsibility; it probably feels more like a family—which is exactly how it should be.

YES! Actually no… Well, probably, kind of?

Maybe I can explain. I’d say yes, because we hear stories about it happening all the time.

The grief of divorce shouldn't be hurried or glossed over. The pain and rearrangement of life that comes with divorce is devastating, and working through all of it can take longer than one would imagine. It's much more than a broken relationship; it's a complete life change.

You have probably heard the illustration of the pebble dropped into the pond, causing waves of impact to ripple out in all directions. For me, going to camp was the boulder chucked into the pond of my life, that created the waves I’m still surfing on.