Janna Frith

  What kind of light are we called to be? 2019-11-14   Halloween was extra dark this year. It had been rainy and grey all day with wind warnings for the evening. Yet candy is candy, and the kids did not want to miss out on one of the most anticipated evenings of the year. Out we went into the dark, bundled up. I grew up enjoying the joy of Halloween night with its fun costumes and plethora of candy. Yet for a couple of years before having my own kids, I second-guessed everything about celebrating such a holiday. I had myself convinced that it was a weird one for Christians to participate in. And it is, in some ways. Yet as we had children who became cute toddlers dressed up in those cozy squishable animal costumes, my convictions began to waver. Around this same time, we moved out of the city into a hamlet community. It stirred memories of my small-town childhood, where everyone seemed to know everyone. As an adult, I can look back and see that holidays brought the community together,

  Loving Well – The Jesus-Way 2019-11-06   Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So He went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. Mark 1:30-31 It’s obvious that this little snippet in scripture shines the light on Jesus as The Healer . We see a practical example of how, when we let Him do His work in us, we are freed and given strength to turn around and serve others. But when it comes to loving others well, we can study His actions further, and learn from The Healer , who lived and loved: the Jesus-way. I’ve been thinking a lot about how the Body of Christ must act in this dark world in order to bring glory to God…to shine as lights in the darkness…to be the hands and feet, ears and eyes, and mouth-piece for Christ. His way shows up again here, in this brief story. Jesus calls us to love each other so that by our love, the world will know we are His. Showing God’s love in the world begins in-h