My Spiritual Suitcase

September-December 2016 My one month countdown begins shortly at The Arboretum. I look back on how God has ever so graciously provided for me time and time again. And so I wanted to look back and remember his faithfulness and kindness towards me, how He has grown me, and what He has taught me. If you missed Part 1: Getting The Job, you can read it HERE . And so I started my one year internship! I remember coming in on day one as the new intern; it wasn't all too different. I continued leading my hikes, and planned my programs. A week or two in, I got a letter confirming my extension; and I remember looking at the salary number and thinking "that looks really big"... and with a few quick calculations I realized the pay changed (dramatically)! No one ever informed me of this and so I was completely unaware but I was over the moon. So thankful that God would continue to shower His blessing on me this way. Little did I know that was just the beginning. I had a fami

Besides sharing my story on struggling with same-sex attraction (SSA) at Teens Conference this year, I also put together a second workshop that highlighted a few practical ways we can love and journey alongside our friends who may be struggling in a similar way. And since i've shared my story already, I thought i'd share what I put together for this second workshop as well.  It can be quite hard to journey alongside a friend who is struggling with SSA or someone who identifies themselves in the LGBTQ+ community. However, all have fallen short of God's perfect standard, and both the believer and the non-believer need the gospel of Jesus Christ. As I've shared in previous posts, we need to be equipped and biblically informed on what scripture teaches on the topic of homosexuality/sexual immorality. So now, how do we go, love and journey alongside those who are struggling with this? Listen & Inquire I am so thankful that when I had shared with my close frie

Teens Conference (TC) is an annual two-day youth Christian conference for junior high and high school students, held over March Break. Running for 47 years and counting, I can recall participating as a student back in 2008 through 2011. And now, 10 years after my first Teens Conference, I was invited to return to facilitate a workshop where I shared my personal story and struggle with same-sex attraction, how to view LGBTQ+ related issues from a biblical perspective and how to journey alongside our LGBTQ+ friends. Looking back on my own personal journey, the main responses I got when I had shared with close friends were "I don't know" and "i'll pray for you", which are totally valid answers (and was very much appreciated), however it made me wonder how many Christians were informed on the topic biblically, and if they were equipped to understand and care for our LGBTQ+ friends. And so, I saw this opportunity as ever critical to our youth today, especia