joy

In Due Time

December 13, 2012 By Erin Wathen 1 Comment

Guest post: Kent Somers is Sports Writer for the Arizona Republic. He covers the AZ Cardinals and the NFL. When he's not on the road, doing the most awesome job ever, he worships and serves at Foothills Christian Church. You can follow him on twitter the rest of the time. What are you waiting for? As a young(er) person, I thought life moved at my pace and on my timetable. College, marriage, job, kids; I wouldn’t say I saw them as tasks that needed to be completed, but they were on the … [Read more...]

Week 1, Day 2: Homecoming

December 4, 2012 By Erin Wathen 3 Comments

Many thanks to our guest author today. Jane Fugate is a dedicated social worker and addiction counselor. She is a published author, a popular speaker and presenter, and she helped develop the television program "The Family Works." She began her career serving in the Red Cross Special Services during the Vietnam War. Natives of Kentucky (!!) Jane and her husband, Bob, are active members of Foothills Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Phoenix, AZ. What are you Waiting For? They say … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advent and Christmas Tagged With: advent, christmas, family, holidays, hope, joy, love, military families, vietnam war 3 Comments

Week 3, Day 1: Dance it Out

December 13, 2011 By Erin Wathen 3 Comments

Back to my rant on Celine Dion--if you like her, it's fine. Not judging. Nor do i mean to single out a single performer as "Everything that's Contrived and Cheesy about Christmas." Really, there is a whole gaggle of artists contributing to that cause. I hear Clay Aiken's "O Holy Night," and i want to barf more than i want to sing. He literally almost chokes on that low note trying to croon it just right. Thing is, there are only so many Christmas/holiday songs in the world, and many artists … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advent and Christmas, Spirituality in Culture, Uncategorized Tagged With: advent, bruce springsteen, charlie brown christmas, christmas, christmas music, david grisman, emmylou harris, john denver, joy, mariah carey, michael jackson, muppets, vince guaraldi 3 Comments

Soul Seasons

September 10, 2011 By Erin Wathen 4 Comments

A pumpkin latte in my hand. From Not Starbuck's. A cool crisp 62 degrees out. I am on a porch swing with a background of lush foliage, bleeding slowly from green into reds and browns and yellows. I am wearing my favorite brown sweatshirt, and reading a really great library book. The day ahead is miraculously full of nothing but open time, save playing with my kids, and later having some friends over for dinner. OK, so almost none of those things is true. I do, in fact, have a pumpkin(ish) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: desert life, faith and community, Uncategorized Tagged With: arizona, autumn, cabin coffee, christianity, church, community, connect, desert, disciples of christ, discipleship, faith, fall, family, gifts, grace, holy ground, hope, hospitality, Jesus, joy, kentucky, ministry, phoenix, Prescott, progressive christianity, pumpkin spice latte, relationships, retreat, sabbath, sacred space, seasons, simplicity, soul, spirit, spirituality, starbuck's, transformation, transition, west, wilderness, work, worship, writing 4 Comments

Suck it Up

September 7, 2011 By Erin Wathen 4 Comments

Ok, she is almost 3. I've tried to be patient. I've read all the warm-fuzzy parenting stuff about letting them work it out on their own, hounding them about it will just make it worse, attachment issues and comfort zones, blah blah blah. But now, it is time. The thumb has got to go. I remember the blessed day when, around 6 weeks of age, I watched my sweet baby girl learn that she had the powers of coordination needed to get that appendage into her toothless mouth, all by herself. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Marriage and Family, Uncategorized Tagged With: arizona, children, christianity, church, community, connect, desert, development, disciples of christ, discipleship, discipline, faith, family, fancy nancy, gifts, grace, hope, joy, kids, ministry, parenting, peace, phoenix, progressive christianity, project runway, rapunzel, relationships, sabbath, simplicity, spirituality, tangled, thumb sucking 4 Comments

A Cup of the Good Stuff

September 1, 2011 By Erin Wathen 7 Comments

When's the last time you got out the good china? After I went on and on yesterday about the blessedness of a messy house, I think I should clarify--though I blamed the chaos on the kiddos, I have to own that much (much) of the mess is mine. And not quite so much of it is my husband's. He does his best to keep some order, but he is only one person. Much like my mother (and oh, they do talk about me) he finally stops cleaning up after me so that I will one day go oh, my, this place is a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Being a Person, Marriage and Family, Uncategorized Tagged With: arizona, children, china, christianity, church, clutter, coffee, community, connect, desert, disciples of christ, discipleship, discipline, faith, family, gifts, grace, home, hospitality, india, joy, kids, ministry, neighbor, neighborhood, order, organization, parenting, peace, phoenix, progressive christianity, simplicity, stewardship, vocation, wedding, wedding gifts, wedgwood, west 7 Comments

Bless This Mess (without the stress)

August 31, 2011 By Erin Wathen 1 Comment

Listen to me, young folks in your 20's, figuring out what you're going to be--I want to tell you something. You can, in fact, have it all. You can have a meaningful, fulfilling career, AND a healthy, happy family. Those who say you cannot are haters, so don't listen to them. You can do both and live. It is possible. What you will probably not have--nay, what you will never have, in that particular life combination--is a clean house. Just live with it. You will be happier, and so will your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Marriage and Family, Uncategorized Tagged With: arizona, babies, children, christianity, church, community, connect, decorating, desert, development, disciples of christ, discipleship, discipline, evangelism, faith, family, gifts, grace, growth, hope, hospitality, joy, kids, ministry, nature, neighbor, neighborhood, organization, parenting, peace, phoenix, pottery barn, progressive christianity, relationships, siblings, simplicity, spirituality, stewardship, toddlers, vocation, work, writing 1 Comment

Joyful Noise

August 30, 2011 By Erin Wathen 1 Comment

I never know who "they" are, but "they" say you should start reading to your baby very young. In-utero, if possible. When they are very small, long before the sounds make words, the rhythm of your voice is soothing. It lulls them to sleep. It connects them to the sound of you. While they are small enough to be still in your arms and not try to escape, the joy of reading takes root in them. Meanwhile, word by word, something like language begins to take shape. It starts out as white noise, but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Marriage and Family, Uncategorized Tagged With: arizona, children, christianity, church, community, connect, desert, development, disciples of christ, discipleship, evangelism, faith, family, gifts, grace, hope, Jesus, joy, kids, language, ministry, parenting, peace, phoenix, prayer, reading, relationships, sabbath, simplicity, spiritual discipline, spirituality, work 1 Comment

Unknown

August 29, 2011 By Erin Wathen Leave a Comment

It was a rare (RARE) Saturday afternoon moment. Both kids were asleep at the same time, and my spouse was out of the house. I had just settled into the good chair with a library book, and the phone rang. I glanced over and there it was...the "unknown caller." What do you do? I almost never answer. Especially not on a Saturday, when there are sleeping babies and good books to be read. It was almost a no-brainer. And yet, this time, I answered. For whatever reason. And it was my brother, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Marriage and Family, Spirituality in Culture, Uncategorized Tagged With: app, arizona, christianity, church, community, connect, desert, disciples of christ, discipleship, droid, evangelism, faith, family, gifts, grace, hope, hospitality, iPhone, Jesus, joy, ministry, nature, neighbor, neighborhood, parenting, phoenix, progressive christianity, relationships, sabbath, simplicity, smart phone, south africa, spirituality, stewardship, talents, unknown caller, vocation, west, wilderness Leave a Comment

Saturday Night’s Alright (just alright)

August 27, 2011 By Erin Wathen 3 Comments

One thing they don't tell you when you go into the ministry [wait--there are about a THOUSAND things that "they" don't tell you, but this is one] is that you should say good bye to Saturdays. They no longer exist. Well, at least not for you. This is why many clergy take Fridays off--to have the whole day free, knowing the next morning does not press too closely in on your sabbath day. But even then, busy churches have life on Saturdays, at least on occasion. I am a Monday-off person myself. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Being a Person, Marriage and Family, Spirituality in Culture, Uncategorized Tagged With: a prairie home companion, arizona, children, christianity, church, community, connect, desert, disciples of christ, discipleship, discipline, eugene petersen, evangelism, faith, family, family time, gifts, grace, hope, hospitality, Jesus, joy, justin timberlake, kids, matthew 11, ministry, nashville, neighbor, neighborhood, parenting, peace, phoenix, progressive christianity, relationships, rhythm, sabbath, Saturday Night Live, seasons, simplicity, spirituality, stewardship, the grand ole opry, the message, time management, vocation, west, work, worship 3 Comments

In Due Time

Week 1, Day 2: Homecoming

Week 3, Day 1: Dance it Out

Soul Seasons

Suck it Up

A Cup of the Good Stuff

Bless This Mess (without the stress)

Joyful Noise

Unknown

Saturday Night’s Alright (just alright)

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