Staff Trax

Salem’s kids are performing their summer musical in both services this Sunday, which means I’ve been singing, dancing, and acting with our youngest talent every morning this week. Believe it or not, as much as I love it, the music is not my favorite part of our summer musical camp! What I absolutely love is experiencing scripture through the eyes of a child.

Monday morning, we met for…

There have been a lot of songs lately with the message that we need to trust that God is on our side even when things don’t work out the way we hoped. Mercy Me sings, “I know You’re able, and I know You can…but even if you don’t, my hope is You alone.” Hillary Scott sings about trying to understand why her broken heart is a part of God’s plan, and yet “…sometimes I gotta…

When I was a kid, I could swing all day. It was my favorite thing on a playground, even as a teenager. I loved the wind in my hair, pumping really high and jumping off, or just sitting suspended, chatting with friends. Sometimes when I was feeling daring, I’d kick my legs sideways when I was way up high and yell “MAY DAY!!!” as I lost control, twisting in the swing until I came back to…

I have always thrived on a busy schedule. My mom loves to talk about my favorite day of the week when I was in 6^th grade: she’d meet me with my violin case after school to take the streetcar by myself to my lesson in downtown Stuttgart, Germany. I’d come walking up the hill later, and she’d exchange my violin with my cleats and glove to go…

Do you sometimes have the feeling that you are supposed to do something a certain way? Some people call it a sixth sense, listening to your inner voice, following your gut, even something mystical or psychic that is leading us in the right direction. Do you listen and follow? When you don’t, do you later wish you had?

I have a very specific memory of a time I chose not to listen.…

When I was a kid I was a tree climber. I loved the challenge of the climb, but especially the peace and seclusion of being in the tree. When we moved away from the house with my favorite tree to an apartment in Germany, we climbed the cherry trees in the orchard next to us and gorged on the fruit. Anytime we went apple picking I never even considered any of the long poles – I was in the…

I’ve been given a gift this school year, as my youngest began 1^st grade: the gift of time to connect with people during the day. For the first time in 14 years, my day isn’t split in half with children coming to/from half-day preschool or kindergarten. In other words, I am free for lunch!! It’s a wonderful excuse to reconnect with people I care…

I have a pretty ecumenical background: I was baptized Presbyterian but grew up in military post chapels, where Protestant worship was led by pastors of a different denomination every year. Our family jokingly identified as “Episcomethobapterian” – so I’m pretty comfortable everywhere. I joined my best friend’s Methodist church in college and later spent almost 12 years as a worship…

I love the story in Genesis when Abraham and Sarah, in their nineties, are told that they will have a child – and they laugh! And yet, a year later they have Isaac – which, by the way, means laughter. How many stories do we have where God is trying to convince his people that they can trust in His promises? They struggled with God’s ways just as we do today. How difficult is it to trust…

I was lucky enough to grow up going to church every Sunday. My dad was an Army officer and we moved every 1-3 years, so church was a place we could immediately be welcomed into a new community of friends everywhere we lived.

Interestingly, it was the years we lived farthest away that shaped my life the most. My dad was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, for my 5^th-7^th grade…