by Shannon Popkin | Jan 10, 2015 | Media
I love movies with redemptive underlying messages. I’ve talked before about evaluating books or movies, based on whether they celebrate good or evil. As you watch or read, do you want the characters to do what is right or what is wrong? Does the movie make you...
by Shannon Popkin | Jan 1, 2015 | Fear, Goals, Holidays, Humility, Jesus, Serving
I laughed as I read my friend Jocelyn’s Christmas letter. She described how her 8-year-old, Elsa, has solidified her life plans–where she’ll attend college, her field of study, and her career objectives after graduation. Life is quite tidy for Elsa....
by Shannon Popkin | Dec 30, 2014 | Faith, Fear, God
When we lived in Lake Orion, our house backed up to a wooded state park. So Ken would get up very early and go running on the trails in the woods. To me, this seemed very scary. From our back deck, those woods seemed so thick and ominous. And on winter mornings, it...
by Shannon Popkin | Dec 19, 2014 | Compassion, Family, Gifts, Holidays, Hospitality, Kids' Perspective
Each year, our friends, the Gebhards, put up a ‘Jesus Stocking’ at their house in December. All month, they collect money, and then use the funds to buy a gift for someone in need. All month, they thumb through the Samaritan’s purse catalog, hoping to be able purchase...
by Shannon Popkin | Dec 17, 2014 | Differences
As I strolled through the room of tables, which were all decorated and ready for our ladies’ Christmas event that evening, I heard someone say, “It’s not a competition.”Of course we were all aware that no one was scoring or ranking the tables,...