Content from 2026
Extending Grace and Love: Reflections from Our Prayer Breakfast
When the United Methodist Women in Faith gather, something special happens. It’s more than breakfast and a lesson—it’s the spirit of community. At our prayer breakfasts, we pause to reflect and ask ourselves a meaningful question, writing down our answers to see how God is working in all of us. At our latest gathering, we asked a simple yet challenging question: “Where is God calling me to extend more grace and love to those around me, even in challenging situations?”…
Shamrocks in the Closet
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown We’d circled St. Patrick’s Day on the 2007 calendar months ago, long before pink and white azaleas bloomed around city squares and yellow pollen dusted everything. Instead, our own shamrocks in the closet changed everything. It happened because a little black cat showed up outside our door the previous December. She shivered in the damp coastal cold, her fur no match for the wind. She fit in two hands at…
The Power of Two Small Words: “I Can”
Some of the best theological lessons don’t come from textbooks or a sermon series. Sometimes, they show up on paper slips written by teenagers on a Sunday afternoon. During one of our recent lessons, the students in our Youth Ministry talked about kindness. Not just the general idea of being nice, but real, intentional acts of love. We asked our students a simple question: “What is one small thing you could do this week to make a difference for someone…
Speak No Evil
This is the third post of a three-part series from Yvette. Watching a movie, a line stood out to me: “If your words were written on your skin, would you be proud or embarrassed?” They would be on display for all to see. I know personally I would be embarrassed by some, and I cannot take them back, but I understand more now than before that once spoken, your words cannot be taken back. We all have moments when we…
More Than Roses
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown Valentine’s Day used to sting a little, even though I was married to a good man. Allen wasn’t unkind, but he didn’t “do” holidays. I smiled when my co-worker received flowers at the office, their scent drifting across her desk. I admired my friend’s necklace and even sampled a chocolate from someone’s fancy box. But then I’d go home to a quiet house and a husband who ignored roses, candy,…
Hear No Evil
This is the second post of a three-part series from Yvette. How many of you remember this line, “Do you hear what I hear?” That line is from the song with the same title. Do you ever think about the things you listen to? Songs, TV Shows, the News, Movies, or Social Media? We listen to things and do not consider how our subconscious absorbs those things. Remember the old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words…
The Dream Remains Alive: Here and Now
On August 28, 1963, as he stood at the podium on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared his vision of hope with the nation. His “I Have a Dream” speech is more than just a piece of history; it’s a living message for America, inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Today, the dream still calls to us. It challenges us to do more than remember history; it asks us to live a movement…
How About That Hair!?
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown Peace lasted three aisles after I handed 4-year-old Meredith the candy cane from my purse to keep her occupied, while we shopped at Kmart on the cold January day. Near housewares, past after-Christmas sales items and new Valentine’s Day displays, Meredith’s candy-cane-crunching screeched to a halt. Her eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open. I followed her gaze. Oh, no. A woman strutted toward us in a short red dress, my…