by Erin Tarr As we sat in the coffee shop, me munching potato chips (way too loudly my husband would say) and she sipping a raspberry lemonade… we discussed her budding track career. As a 7th grader, she still had … Continued
By Chalaine Scott A little brown-haired boy giggles as I tap him on the head. “Goose!” I surprise him as I make a run for it. The little boy with the brown hair and dark eyes bursts into laughter as … Continued
by Brooke Jensen You know the feeling when you walk into a room and immediately feel like you belong? Not because you have on the right clothes, or even believe the same things. You just belong. Everyone is excited you’re … Continued
By Joanne Johnson My palms were sweaty as we sat together in the book-lined room. The 1970s wood-paneled office included the requisite massive desk, but the shag carpet evoked the strumming of “Jesus chords” and “Kumbaya, My Lord” and softened … Continued
by Emily Snyder Bandy I’ve claimed four different churches as home in my twenty-three years. I grew up in a hip, suburban, non-denominational church with a stellar youth group, a yearly crawfish boil, and a rock band. At 18, I … Continued
by Kimberley Minch If you have ever been part of a youth group growing up, you know that there are certain phrases that are said over and over again: “Leave room for the Holy Spirit!” (Translation: guys and girls should … Continued
By Katherine Fraser My story is rather typical. Unfortunately, probably a little too typical. Mine is the story of a young woman who adopted her parents’ faith, strayed from the church, made her faith her own, and returned. The “returned” … Continued