Jesus cherished women! In a time when females were considered inferior to men and treated as property, Christ counted them among His most valued disciples and friends. I want you to look at four of “His Women,” healed by His mercy and grace, and learn how He cherishes YOU. I want you to intimately know Jesus, the real Jesus…not the Sunday School one, or the painted sissy...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Topic: Preaching & Teaching
Atrocity and loss cause us to feel fearful, helpless and vulnerable in the face of an uncertain future. How can we help the poor, the refugee, the victim? What can one person do? You may not be Mark Zuckerberg, giving 99% of his Facebook shares (valued at $45 billion!!!) to charitable causes. But you can give your prayers, yourself and your wealth. Do not be...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Vets tell us that our canines have the emotional and intellectual capacity of two-year-olds. I beg to disagree. Toddlers are much dumber than dogs, and I have hard evidence to prove it. (Just kidding!) But we can learn from both of them. And should. The average toddler spews strained spinach all over his Mom’s white blouse and smashes half-eaten graham crackers on the...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Feeling grumpy, discouraged, disappointed or just plain grouchy? Perhaps you need a dose of gratitude. Paul tells to give thanks in everything. I’m not feeling it. But being joyful and grateful has nothing to do with feelings. I chatted with an 88-yr-old retired pastor yesterday. He had health problems out the wazoo. However, he wisely said, “You can choose to be...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
The slick, successful American church may have missed Him altogether. What if Jesus was asked to pastor your congregation. Would anybody come? And would they stay? A scruffy homeless dude pops through the door of the church house with his motley entourage. The trendy thirty-somethings sitting near the aisle gagged at the stench of their sandals reeking of foot odor. ...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Topic: Jesus Christ
I never learned much about racial discrimination. As a child raised in the South, I was unaware of the stigma of separate bathrooms, swimming pools, or back seats on the bus. I am profoundly sorry for such ignorance. But this is why I never noticed. The black women in my life were my deepest, most cherished friends and mentors. I want to take a moment and introduce you to...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Terrorists terrify us. But from an eternal perspective, enemies may touch the body, but they can never touch the soul. “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of these who want to murder you. They can only kill the body; they have no power over your souls. But I’ll tell you whom to fear—fear God who has the power to kill and then cast into hell. “What is the price of five sparrows?...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy teases that you can tell the state of a marriage by the nightwear the wife dons before bed. In the honeymoon stages, she wears a sexy Victoria Secret negligee. By year five, the kids have come along and Mom falls into bed wearing her husband’s old football jersey covered in baby spit-up. Her wardrobe continues to devolve by year fifteen. She crawls into...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Topic: Worship
Kent Shaffer codified his observations concerning Malcolm Gladwell's sermon at Catalyst Atlanta 2013. His discussion of David and Goliath is both encouraging and life-changing. Israel was still in its infancy, and their great enemy was the Philistines. One day the Philistines came through the valley to attack, and Israel came out to meet them. They were deadlocked. So the...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Topic: Preaching & Teaching
Dejected, defeated, despised. At one time in your life, you may have felt this way. Perhaps you struck out on the baseball field. Skinny blondes called you fatty. No matter how hard you studied, you just couldn’t pass algebra. Jesus never saw anyone as a lost cause. Jesus loved losers. The rag-tag riff-raff trailing behind Jesus would not appear on anyone’s “Who’s Who”...
Type: Article
Author: Julie Barrier
Topic: Preaching & Teaching