“So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands.” – Psalm 78:72 I remember the first time I read this verse after meeting my now-husband. Immediately, I said, “That’s James.” (Considering the fact that this verse is written about David, the same one God called “a man after His own heart,” [1 Samuel 13:14] that’s no small feat!) “He shepherded them” Some of you may not know this, but my husband stepped down from his pastor position at our church when our daughter, Shea, was born. (More on this under the next heading!) But throughout his career in ministry, James has never sought after a title. In fact, if you ask him his ministry strengths, he would tell you, “I’m a shepherd.” Not “I’m a fantastic preacher” (even though he is), or “I’m a strong leader” (which he is, and a lovable leader at that), but simply, “I’m a shepherd.” A shepherd has many responsibilities, but when I think of James’ heart as a shepherd, here are the first things that come to mind: I think about how he strives for unity in all things because he takes his responsibility [...]

I’m not a super sentimental person, but there are a few things that make it feel like Christmas in our home: eggnog (even though none of us really love it); over-decorating (My husband nearly risks his life on our roof each year hanging lights); and of course movies (everything from Bing Crosby’s crooning + Kevin McAllister’s infamous scream.) But my favorite Christmas family tradition? Giving of ourselves more and loving others louder. Just a few hours ago, we finished our 3rd Annual Christmas Shop Event hosted by the church my husband is on staff at and the fitness studio we own. The Christmas Shop is an event where we transform our fitness studio into a giant toy store. Parents, guardians, and grandparents in need get to come, shop for the children and teenagers in their home, eat goodies, and have everything gift wrapped at no cost to them. It’s magical. I’m blown away by the amount of help that showed up at 6:45am on an icy Saturday morning just seven days before Christmas. I’m amazed at the amount of toys that we had donated. But most of all, I get teary-eyed just reflecting on what we got to watch [...]