Shannon Dingle

Church, we can’t not know about adoption and special needs!

Church, we can’t not know about adoption and special needs!

Our church community didn’t know what we would need, but they said yes with us: yes to loving through the brokenness, yes to being faithful to the ones (me included) who need to learn to trust once again, yes to a bit more chaos in our row during worship, yes to choosing to do good for young ones for whom others hadn’t always chosen good in their recent past.

One benefit of visiting a new church as a unique family

One benefit of visiting a new church as a unique family

As I left that meeting, it struck me: changing churches as a unique family is hard, but the same elements that make us stand out also make others notice us more easily.

Four reasons teens cut to COPE

Four reasons teens cut to COPE

Because acronyms help facts stick in our head, I’ve created one here: COPE. Teens – or kids or adults – cut for Control, as an Obsessive Behavior, as Punishment, or as an Emotional release. For me, it was all of the above.

4 thoughts on being a church leader with alcoholism

4 thoughts on being a church leader with alcoholism

Bring your stories of redemption, we say. Your testimonies of sobriety are welcome here. But if you’re in the muck right now, we’d really rather you clean yourself up because we don’t really want to get dirty.

The obligation of church leaders who promote adoption

The obligation of church leaders who promote adoption

Are we as church called to care for orphans? You bet. Are we expected to use the gifts and talents entrusted to us to support families who respond to such a noble calling? They should expect nothing less!