House Blend Ministries - Blog (RSS Feed)

Thinking about Hospitality

Rachel Twigg Boyce — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:40:00 -0400

Over the past four weeks, Jubliee Mennonite Church has been participating in a series on Christian Hospitality. Rachel was invited to preach the opening and closing sermons of the series (April 15, and May 6th but the whole series is worth a listen). Check them out on the church’s website!

Tagged: hospitality, sermon, jubilee, Mennonite

Good and Mad

Rachel Twigg Boyce — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:58:00 -0400

Rachel gets good and mad in the latest issue of the Herald.

Tagged: good, mad, Herald, Rachel

Gratitude Challenge for Lent, Day Forty

Rachel Twigg Boyce — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:17:00 -0400

Well, it's the final day of the gratitude challenge for lent, what are you grateful for today?

I hope that incorporating a daily practice of expressing gratitude has challenged and shaped you in some way, I know it has done so for me. It helped me to realized just how easy it is to ignore all the things I have in my life to be grateful for. Did you notice that too?

Although typically people abandon their Lenten practices at the end of these forty days, I am hoping to continue to live into an increasing attitude of gratitude each and every day.

What am I grateful for today? Well the list is long but the main thing I'm grateful for the reason for this holiday weekend - the fact that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived among us, suffered and died and ultimately rose to life again all because of his love for me, for you, for all of us.

It's hard to put what that means into words.

I started this challenge by pointing out that gratitude and grace come from the same word. To me, one of the most fitting ways to respond to Christ's gracious act is to be grateful, and to live a life that reflects that gratitude. I hope you will be inspired to do the same.

Thank you for taking the time to check out this blog and participate in the Gratitude Challenge for Lent. The challenge may be over but this blog will continue, so please continue to touch base and check it out.

It's day 40 of the Gratitude Challenge for Lent, what are you grateful for today?

Tagged: gratitude, challenge, lent, day, forty

Gratitude Challenge for Lent, Day Thirty-Nine

Rachel Twigg Boyce — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:02:00 -0400

John 3: 16-17 read: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."

It's Day 39 of the Gratitude Challenge for Lent, what are you grateful for today?

Tagged: gratitude, challenge, lent, day, thirtynine

Gratitude Chalenge for Lent, Day Thirty-Eight

Rachel Twigg Boyce — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:03:00 -0400

This blog post needs to come with a disclaimer: I almost didn't write this post because I was afraid it would come across as a passive aggressive plea for love and encouragement. I didn't write this because I'm discouraged or because I'd like a flurry of thank yous to come my way. I wrote it because I think it is something we all need to think about.

Leadership is tough. It's not just that leadership is hard work or that leaders are often misunderstood by the people around them, but that, generally speaking, most people - including leaders - don't really have a clear understanding of what "leadership" is. I've often remarked that it's interesting that we tend to put so much of a focus on training leaders and developing leaders but we don't take the same amount of time and care in helping people to learn what it means to be a good follower. Why do you think that is?

Today, I want to both express gratitude for the leaders in my life, but also to encourage you to do the same. Particularly within the church, this is a season where your leaders are working extra hard and putting in extra hours to help make this season as meaningful as possible. When you work hard, you get tired, and when you are tired it is easy to begin to feel discouraged.

If you've ever been in that situation you know the incredible power even one simple thank you can have. You also know that they tend to have that power because they are rare.

So take some time today to thank God for the leaders in your life and then over this weekend, why not take some time to thank those leaders as well?

It's Day 38 of the Gratitude Challenge for Lent, what are you grateful for today?

Tagged: gratitude, challenge, lent, day, thirtyeight