The Story Abides 05.10.2026

But notice, the focus of the story in scripture is not on the spectacle. It's not on the actual raising of Tabitha. The focus is restoration. Tabitha is returned to her community, to her calling, to her life of embodying love. Because in God's kingdom, love is never wasted. Even when it feels small or insignificant, even when most everybody else doesn't see it, God gathers it, redeems it, and uses it to bring life. [00:46:52] (45 seconds)  #LoveRestored

In acts chapter nine, we meet a woman named Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, and hears something remarkable. She is one of the very few women in scripture explicitly called a disciple of Jesus. Luke doesn't tell us about messages that she preached or taught. He doesn't describe positions that she held. Instead, he tells us this, her life overflowed with good works and compassionate acts on behalf of those in need. Her leadership was not abstract. It was embodied in her life. It could be seen. It could be touched. It could be worn. [00:34:49] (52 seconds)  #DiscipleInAction

Notice that Jesus does not say, if you love me, you will say and do all the right things all of the time. He does not say, if you love me, you will believe all the right doctrines. He is not referring to the 10 commandments. He is not referring to other old testament laws. He says, if you love me, your life will show it in how you show your love for other people. Tabitha's life showed it. Susanna's life showed it. And I'm sure that if we pause for a moment and think about the countless women in our lives that by the way they lived their life, they had a transformational impact on who we are today. [00:44:28] (54 seconds)  #FaithThatShows

And we hear again the call of Christ to love, not just in word, but in our actions, to live a faith that can be seen and felt, to become people whose lives others can point to and say that, that right there is the love of God. That's what it looks like. And when we do, we are participating in resurrection ourselves. We are helping stitch together the fabric of the kingdom of God, one act of love, one heart, one story at a time. [00:49:39] (53 seconds)  #StitchingTheKingdom

She never formally stood in a pulpit of the church. She never held official office, but in her home, she practiced a steady and faithful leadership often at home alone with her children. She gathered her children for prayer. She taught them scripture. She shaped their lives through discipline, grace, and love. And from that faithful witness came a movement in us who are gathered here today. Like Tabitha, Susanna's leadership wasn't loud. It might be thought that she didn't touch that many people beyond her household even, but it was formative. [00:42:39] (48 seconds)  #HomefrontLeadership

Remember the women in your lives today that have made you who you are. Pray for the ones that have made it difficult. Celebrate the life that you have because you don't get another one. And even in the hard times, because I know everybody doesn't have a great relationship with their parent, be the best loving witness that you can be even if that love isn't returned. Because in the end, that may be what changes their heart to see god in the person right in front of them. In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen. [00:50:32] (79 seconds)  #BeTheLovingWitness

Mother's Day. Mother's Day can be a beautiful and a complicated day. For some, it is filled with gratitude and celebration, and others, it carries grief and longing and even pain. So today, we hold a wide and grace filled understanding of motherhood honoring not only those who have given birth, but also those who have nurtured and mentored and pastored and taught and protected and loved others into life. Because at its heart, motherhood and all parenthood is about embodying love. Love that shows up, love that stays present and gives itself away for the sake of another. [00:33:53] (56 seconds)  #MotherhoodIsLove

Women of strength and courage that have brought us to where we are today with love that doesn't run out, and the encouragement that we need to take a step and a step and a step. Jesus promises we were not left alone in living this way. He gives us the spirit, advocate, the comforter to guide us, to strengthen us, and to sustain us. And because this kind of love is not always easy, it is patient, It is sacrificial. It is persistent, and it shows up again and again and again even when no one else notices. [00:45:40] (59 seconds)  #SpiritSustainsLove