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  • Engage

    Preparing Our Hearts for Advent: Hope Has Come, Hope is Coming

    November 18, 2020 / 0 Comments

    By Victoria Monet*  Even though Thanksgiving has yet to come, many people are already putting up their Christmas trees and decorations. Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving usually happens, but this year, it seems that people are trying to get in the Christmas Spirit even earlier. And can we blame them? It’s been a rough year. In addition to facing a global pandemic that’s affected many people’s physical, mental, and financial health, we’ve also had to process the tragic reality of police brutality against African Americans, the surfacing of racial tensions, and one of the most intense, heated elections in American history. We’ve felt anxious, scared, sad, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    Above All Else––A Message for Weary Souls

    August 20, 2020
    interracial couple

    The Beginning of the Beginning

    January 2, 2020

    Sudden Change AND The Aftermath

    September 6, 2017
  • Engage

    The Many Emotions of Miscarriage

    October 21, 2020 / 0 Comments

    October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. This post was written two years ago in honor of those precious little ones we grieve, including two of my own. “So, do you have any kids?” It’s an innocent question, a social norm about as common as the handshake. Yet for over two years, this question was one I dreaded anytime I would meet a new acquaintance or strike up a conversation with a stranger. How in the world should I answer? Well, I have two in heaven I never got to meet… and a longing so deep that just you asking about children almost knocks the breath out of…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    Ash Wednesday – what questions should I ask?

    February 18, 2015

    My First Romanian Orthodox Christmas

    December 19, 2017

    Jesus Loves Me

    June 2, 2020
  • Engage

    A Theology of Sleep

    September 17, 2020 / 0 Comments

    It’s no secret that Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. The problem isn’t relegated to just the United States; it seems our neighbors across the pond also suffer from a “global problem of insufficient sleep.” Researchers contributing to a 2014 BBC article named the significant consequences of getting less than 7-hours of shut-eye on a regular basis: depression, heart disease, cancer, and obesity, to name a few. No surprise there. But I was startled by the reason the researches gave for our propensity to deny our body clocks: arrogance. In Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture, David Murray boldly states, “Show me your sleep pattern and I’ll show you…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    “Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee” Zone

    November 13, 2015
    God works in the background of life

    God Works in the Background of Life

    December 28, 2018

    Ash Wednesday – what questions should I ask?

    February 18, 2015
  • Engage

    Embracing Your Limits – Part 2

    August 19, 2020 / 0 Comments

    Two years ago, I wrote about an abrupt encounter I had with my own limits and the recognition that, much as I try, I’m simply not cut out for certain things. (For a good laugh, check out the story here.) I hope the lessons learned from how Jesus lived with limits (excerpted below) serve as a timely reminder during this global pandemic to give yourself and others grace as you navigate the various demands on your time, emotions, and resources. (See here and here for other thoughts on COVID-19.) In a do-it-all, be-it-all, have-it-all society, embracing one’s limits is a difficult task. Christian leaders in particular can have trouble remembering…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    A Fresh Perspective on Martha and Mary by Barbara Farris

    February 15, 2019
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    Reincarnation: The Christmas Counterfeit

    December 1, 2018

    Why Our Work Matters to God

    April 26, 2018
  • Engage

    un-cursory

    July 15, 2020 / 0 Comments

    Victoria Monet shares a poem relevant to many conversations about race on social media. In her poem "un-cursory," she highlights themes of humility and redemptive relationships in light of racial reconciliation.

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    Bottling Civility: Engaging Politely about Controversial Topics

    February 8, 2017

    The Best Antidote to Summertime Boredom and Distraction

    August 1, 2016

    What Parents of Special Needs Kids Wish You Knew

    September 10, 2018
  • Engage

    Disruption: Thoughts on Life and Chaos

    June 17, 2020 / 0 Comments

    Recently I set a goal to keep the house in spic and span shape for five days straight.  Admittedly, this isn’t the most exciting thing one can do, but there’s something refreshing about having your surroundings in order….shirts hung neatly on their hangers, shoes in their rightful spot, junk mail sorted out and squared away.  It gives one a sense of orderliness, peacefulness, and, most importantly, control.  So, I set out last Sunday, spent a few hours getting rooms, bathrooms, and closets in top-notch shape, and determined to maintain my newfound tidiness for one week straight. And then life happened. My once-clean home is a far cry from its Sunday start.  And…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    Life Without the Holy Spirit and Other “what if’s”?

    January 7, 2015

    Rerouting

    August 25, 2018

    Spiritual Warfare: The Right Tool for the Job

    July 27, 2020
  • Engage

    “Zoom”ing In on Community: What the Pandemic Reminds Us About Connection

    May 20, 2020 / 0 Comments

    “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This week I had my 657th Zoom call. Ok, slight exaggeration, but between work meetings, online church, family gatherings, and weekly bible study, my Apple screen time report has been off the charts. Zoom and other video teleconferencing mechanisms have become my near sole source of “direct” contact with the world outside my neighborhood. Though I’m grateful for the technology that allows me to see the faces of my colleagues, friends, and loved ones, I’ve found this sort of engagement to be helpful, but tiring. A space to connect, but a…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    Two Different Narratives – Bridging the Racial Divide

    July 20, 2016
    Seeking Happiness, Finding Joy. Are you hungry for joy in your life? Know Jesus and know Joy!

    Seeking Happiness — Finding Joy

    January 24, 2020

    Epiphany and the Magi – How Should We Respond?

    January 3, 2018
  • Engage,  Uncategorized

    Shame, Jesus, and Me

    April 15, 2020 / 0 Comments

    This month I’m honored to invite my friend and teammate Christian Williams as my guest blogger. I love being in Christian’s company because one minute she’s making me laugh so hard I’m crying and the next she has stopped me in my tracks with a thought-provoking reflection. Christian is a Dallas transplant (Native Arkansan) and DTS student who loves communicating truth and building safe, authentic, purposeful communities. She feels God’s pleasure most when using her imagination, storytelling, teaching, and living in intentional relationships which yield growth and transformation. Dub: (verb) to give an unofficial name or nickname to (someone or something). I dub everything. From my period- I call her…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    Some Deep Thoughts about San Andreas

    June 2, 2015
    Helping Bible Study Newbies by Melanie Newton. Make it easy for them to learn and not give up!

    Helping Bible Study Newbies

    May 12, 2017

    Thanksgiving: How the Practice of Gratitude leads to the Presence of Contentment

    November 19, 2018
  • Engage,  Uncategorized

    Loving Your Neighbor from Six Feet Away: Serving Others during COVID-19

    March 19, 2020 / 0 Comments

    The recent COVID-19 recommendations from government and health officials have most of us hunkered down in our homes, only venturing out for the occasional walk or necessary errand. Though the times have necessarily dictated a drastic change in our daily routines and social norms, how can the church continue to connect and serve our communities well…from a distance?  Below are some ideas, many of them crowd-sourced from Facebook. If you are able, pick one or two and better yet, make it a communal event by asking your family/friends/Bible Study/small group/etc. to join you. Donate to food banks and homeless shelters. Roughly 18% of American children live in “food insecure” homes;…

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    “Christian cruelty in the face of Covid!” 5 ways to detect how the media messes with the truth

    May 4, 2020

    The Power of an Expert Speaking as a Fellow Traveler: Phillip Johnson

    June 30, 2014

    Ash Wednesday

    March 6, 2019
  • Engage

    May I Take Up Your Trash?

    February 19, 2020 / 0 Comments

    During a recent training event, I sat with fellow leaders chatting over lunch. Our meal filled us with necessary sustenance, but what now remained on our plates was unconsumable, gross substance. As lunch came to an end, Douglass, one of the leaders, stood up, glanced around the table, extended his hand, and asked, “may I take up your trash?”

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    Michelle Pokorny Michelle Pokorny

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    Your Help Wanted

    January 3, 2020

    A New Perspective on Bathsheba by Grace Holik

    December 21, 2018

    An Epiphany Reflection

    January 1, 2019
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