social media
These are some highlights from my most recent full-time position where I handled social media management. For the posts below, I created the visual content as well as the copy for each post.
writing samples
LENTEN DEVOTIONAL : Jesus, The Greatest of All Time
Published for Lent 2023, February 28th
Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been so well built. But the one who hears and dows not do them is like a man who build a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?”
Jesus is saying here, “You are not getting it.” How often do we cry out to God for help when facing a struggle or sing his praises on Sunday morning, and then live lives indistinguishable from our unbelieving neighbors? If He is our firm foundation - the rock on which we stand - then why are we tossed around by the storms we face? Why do we live separately from Him?
We all would agree that running a marathon without training is a foolish idea. Even if you are not a runner, you know that it takes significant time and training to prep for long races. In fact, training for marathons requires a period of time when you build up your base, or foundation, of running before you start actual training. Wise runners utilize this time well so that when it is time for racing, they are strong, less prone to injury and have done the work required for the challenge ahead.
While we choose to enter races, we do not choose when struggles come our way. Jesus knows us. He sees us in our spiritual laziness and offers guidance; a training plan, if you will. Faith is not a give that comes wrapped. We joke about not asking God for patience because he will answer with opportunities to be patient. Faith, too, must be nourished, exercised and anchored.
If we truly believe that Jesus is who is says He is and that He can do what he says He can do, we would be wise to live our lives obedient to Him and to put into practice His teaching so that when storms come for us, we are ready, knowing that Christ is with us.
Prayer: Jesus, let this season of Lent and our remembrance of your obedience to your Father, obedience to the point of death on the cross, humble us as we turn our own hearts towards obedience. Father, your Word is wisdom and your teachings are life-giving. Thank you for not forgetting us in our foolishness. Help us to build our lives with Christ as our firm foundation. Amen.
LENTEN DEVOTIONAL : Jesus, The Greatest of All Time
Published for Lent 2023, March 31 st
“And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.” -John 8:7-9
Do you ever wonder about the Pharisees? They are the villains of many Sunday School stories, but when we stop to think about them, they were doing what they thought was pleasing to God- following His Law. In their zealous obedience they missed the Messiah. When Jesus walked among them they only saw Him through the lens of the law and as a threat to how things were supposed to be done.
Several times in Scripture, the Pharisees approach Jesus, righteously indignant over nuanced applications of the law or to trap him in heresy. Here’s where we turn our focus to Jesus and his response to them. He does not shut them down. He does not condemn them or disrespect them - after all, these men were respected leaders of the community. He deals with them with the same patience that he exercised when his own disciples needed course correction.
When the Pharisees bring a woman before Jesus to have him condemn her, he quietly kneels and draws in the sand while they declare their case against her. He doesn’t engage in their argument, he doesn’t take sides. The law did say that adulterers should be stoned, but Jesus was bringing a new way of things. this was an opportunity for teaching. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to case a stone at her.” One by one, they left. The older men leaving first, the wisdom of their years humbling them.
Jesus models how to deal with others in a life-giving way. In today’s culture of canceling or shutting down what we disagree with, let’s instead turn our eyes to Jesus and be reminded that he died for all. His love covers over their sin as it does my own.
Prayer: Lord, in this season of Lent as we turn our hearts to what your Son did for us through His death and resurrection, remind us daily that your love is for all people. Work in our hearts to deal with the lost with patience, and those who frustrate and anger us with compassion, because we know that they need you. Let others come to know you through our love and care for them. Amen.
ADVENT DEVOTIONAL: Advent At Salem
Published for Advent 2022, December 1st
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” - 1 Peter 5:10
When we think about the word, “restore,” we tend to only think about results. The fixer-upper house that is restored to its original state, the classic car that is restored to its former glory, or an old painting that is restored to its full vibrancy. We love the end product but do not always appreciate all that is involved in the process of restoration.
There is work to be done. Restoration is an uncomfortable process requiring removing what is broken and damaged, throwing out what has decayed, scrubbing, patching, repairing, and rebuilding. The old is covered by and replaced with the new. We quickly forget what was and can now only see what is clean, renewed and restored.
Restoration in the life of a Christian is an ongoing process. Sin has separated us from God, and through his grace and mercy, he restores us back into relationship with him. This is an unfathomable gift. In our sin, we are his enemies, yet he extends his hand of forgiveness over and over, never tiring of his work in us.
God begins his restoration work in us at our baptism and he will continue that work in us until the day he calls us home to heaven. When we experience suffering here on earth, may we see God working in the midst of it all for our ultimate good. For we are God’s masterpiece, his ultimate fixer upper. Though we have been broken down and made filthy by our sin, through the blood of Jesus we have been washed and made new: restored.
Prayer: Father, we praised you for keeping your promises. You promise to work in all things for our ultimate good, using what the enemy meant for our destruction to instead build us up and make us new. You promise to never leave us, forsake us, or abandon the work you began in us. May we be reminded daily of your goodness and never forget who we are in you. Amen.