Love in LoCo

As I type this, 2017 is coming to a close.  For some, this has been a joy-filled year with weddings, babies, and other exciting endeavors.  Others, I am sure, can’t wait to close the door on a year that was challenging for some reason or another.  Maybe, like me, you feel a bit like you’re in a season of waiting and ushering in a new year is a little bittersweet – exciting to think about the possibilities that might come but also frustrating in some ways that a new year is starting with little change to circumstances you’ve been hoping would have changed by now.  Each school year our FCA staff does something called “One Word.”  Many do this by calendar year rather than school year but, regardless, the idea is that you pick a word, often with a verse behind it, that you want to embody for that year.  When our staff gathered for our back to school retreat back in August, I shared that my One Word for this school year was INVESTED, based off of Matthew 6:19-21: Do not store up for yo

I know there are a lot of advent and Christmas devotionals out there (hopefully you’re already taking some time to go through one right now as Christmas approaches) that are far better written than anything I have to say.  But as I’ve been spending time in God’s word lately, preparing my heart for the true meaning of the season, some important pieces have struck me and I just wanted to share.  Maybe they’ll be an encouragement to your heart in this busy time of year as well.  Ephesians 1:7-8 says, “ In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace   that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding.”  With all wisdom and understanding.  God knew exactly what He was getting Himself into when He sent His only perfect Son to earth in human form.  It wasn’t like Jesus got here, lived 30 or so years, decided to start a ministry, and then was like, “Wowza.  These people are super messed up!  Do I really want t

About a month ago I read Daniel Henderson’s book, Transforming Prayer .  It’s an awesome book, and one that my pastor preached a series on at church a little over a year ago.  The basis of the book is that we must learn to seek God’s face before we seek His hand.  I will be the first to admit that until a couple of years ago, I had never given much thought to this idea.  I had also never really understood the power of prayer.  I don’t think that’s a coincidence.  I am by no means a prayer warrior, but in the past couple of years since my prayer life has deepened, God has answered so many prayers in my life, including the courage to change careers and the financial means to do so.  Just before Thanksgiving I had a chance to meet one of my huddle leaders for coffee.  We talked a lot about how her school year is going and how the huddle is going this year.  We then started talking about her family and her siblings coming home from college.  She shared that she and her brother had alwa

I have a confession to make.  Before starting my role as an area representative with Loudoun FCA, I didn’t really care for middle schoolers that much.  They’re kind of moody, crazy energetic, a bit annoying, and sometimes smelly.  But over the past year, I’ve also learned that they’re hilarious and passionate and make for some amazing FCA huddle leaders!  Brambleton Middle is a brand new school in Loudoun this year.  We have four girls serving as huddle leaders there right now, three seventh graders and one eighth grader. Most of these girls were somewhat reluctant leaders at first.  They’re a bit timid but really wanted their school to have a huddle, so they stepped up.  At our first huddle of the school year, back in September, we had seven kids including the four leaders.  But the numbers have been growing steadily each week as one or two more kids invite friends and at yesterday’s huddle, we had eighteen students gathering for a snack of bacon and chocolate chip cookies (Rock S

I know my last blog was on the pressures facing our students to be perfect, but I’m going to continue on this soapbox again today.  Like many industries, trends and new initiatives come and go in the education sector.  During my fourth year of teaching, the idea of “mastery” became king.  We were “encouraged” to allow students to take retakes on quizzes and tests if they didn’t perform well the first time around in an attempt to give them another chance to master the material.  In theory, this sounds great.  Especially in a subject like math, where content builds on itself, why wouldn’t we want the students to master these skills before moving on to the next topic?  In practicality, though, it meant that students typically didn’t study the first time around because they knew they had another shot.  While there were sometimes extenuating circumstances where these retakes were beneficial for students, such as family emergencies or illness, the majority of the time, I think this whol

Perfection: It’s impossible for us mere mortals to achieve, but oh how much energy and effort we waste trying to achieve it!  Read any local paper and you can see the signs of it.  Kids across this county face the challenge every day to have perfect grades, perfect games/races/matches on the fields and courts of competition, and perfect social circles.  And, if the pressures at school aren’t enough, when they go home at night, they’re expected to have perfectly funny Tweets, perfectly interesting Snapchat stories, and the perfect amount of likes on their Instagram posts.  They must also make sure to keep that ratio of followers on Twitter/Instagram to those they follow in check.  Because if you follow more people than follow you back, it’s super uncool.  Seriously!  Who made up these rules?!  And middle and high school kids these days subscribe to these ridiculously arbitrary standards like it’s normal!  Not only that, but far too many of them are literally killing themselves tryi

Lately I’ve been having a lot of discussions with FCA leaders all over the county about the vision of FCA.  Student leaders always start out the school year so enthusiastic about getting their huddles up and running, but when the reality of homework, sports practices, and college applications set in, they sometimes start to lose their focus.  Believe me, I get it.  I remember what it was like to be a high school senior in Loudoun County, taking 4 AP classes, running cross country, being in charge of several clubs and extracurricular activities, and trying to make sure my college applications were completed on time.  My hope is that by reminding them about the purpose of FCA, their role as a leader will be more about the passion of reaching their school for Jesus and less about one more thing they have to juggle in their overbooked schedules.   The vision of Fellowship of Christian Athletes is to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes. 

Last week was an exciting week, not just for me but for Loudoun FCA as a whole.  It started with an early flight out of Reagan Airport Monday morning on my way to Kansas City, MO for new hire training.  For one whole week, about 70 of us who have been on staff with FCA for a year or less gathered at the ministry’s National Support Center to be equipped and encouraged to serve coaches and athletes in our communities.  We came from all over the country and all ages and stages of life to learn, fellowship, and share ideas.  What a blessing it was to spend the week getting to know the ladies in my huddle and others in the class! My Training Camp Huddle Each morning we started with corporate worship and prayer along with a devotion on one of FCA’s 4 Core Values: Integrity, Serving, Teamwork, and Excellence.  The devotion was led by a different staff member each day, which gave us a chance to get to know different people in the organization.  The devotion on Serving, for example, wa

Anyone else sick of the news these days?  National news, local news, even the sports world...it doesn't matter.  It's all pretty discouraging, in my opinion.   Our nation is so divided and there are so many people here in the U.S. and around the world who are hurting.   Well, my post today is short but oh so sweet and will hopefully bring hope to those of you taking the time to read.   On Wednesday, September 27 students all over the country, including several hundred here in Loudoun County, participated in See You at the Pole.   This is a national day of prayer for our schools and we were so blessed to see students at almost every middle and high school in the county join in.   How much hope does this give you?  In the midst of a culture and generation obsessed with self, these TEENAGERS willingly WOKE UP EARLY to pray for their teachers, classmates, and schools.  They prayed against depression, suicide, and addiction.  They prayed for courage to be bold and share the ho

As we kick off this new school year and start to plan for huddles and other upcoming events, like Loudoun’s first ever Fields of Faith , I’ve started to notice a recurring theme.  I’ve had several conversations with volunteers and student leaders that go something like this: Me: “Hey ____________, would you be interested in speaking/sharing your testimony at  such and such event/huddle?” Student/Volunteer: (Eyes wide, nervous laughter) “Uh...” Believe me, I’m not trying to call out any one person here, as this has happened several times now, but let’s call this hesitation what it is: FEAR!  I get it.  I’m not a huge fan of speaking in front of large groups, either.  And I admit that I’ve certainly held myself back from a number of different opportunities in my life because of fear.  But since when does fear get to control us in this way?  As believers in Christ, do we really trust what God says in Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. 

This past Thursday, August 24, was the first day of school for Loudoun County Public Schools.  I spent a lot of time that day reflecting over the past year and how wonderfully God has moved in my life.  The first day of school last year was straight up HARD.  I cried.  At the time, I was in the throws of raising support to come on staff with FCA, so I had no income and no real idea when I would have enough raised to start my new women’s ministry role.  I was so sure that FCA was something God had called me to, but the enemy had started to sow seeds of doubt and, unfortunately, I had started to listen a bit to those uncertainties.  How crucial it is that we proactively arm ourselves with the Word of God so that in times of trial we have a weapon to combat the doubts that so easily arise.  And according to 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful – for he cannot deny Himself.”  Over and over God brought new donors into my life – some people I had known for years

Last week our Northern VA/DC FCA staff once again had the privilege to take a couple of days away for our staff retreat to pray, dream, and plan for this upcoming ministry season.  Before the retreat, I was asked to lead a staff devotion on morning on serving.  Serving is one of FCA's 4 Core Values (along with Integrity, Teamwork, and Excellence).  As I prepared for what I would share, I reflected on the details of Who we serve, why we serve, and how we should go about serving.  Here are some of the thoughts I shared with our group: Why do we serve? -It’s why we were created: Ephesians 2:10 à “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Because Jesus did: John 12:25-26 à “ Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone   serves   Me,   he must follow   Me;   and   where   I am,   My   servant   will be   as well.   If   an