Posts by Heather Althoff
What Child Is This? – Mary
Last week we began our Advent Season with John the Baptist and his parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth. We saw that John was the forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah. Intertwined with the story of Zachariah and Elizabeth, is the story of Jesus’ mother, Mary. Mary and Elizabeth were relatives, and despite the difference in the women’s ages, their miraculous babies would arrive within months of each other. While Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a cause for celebration, Mary’s was a bit more problematic.…
Welcome to GIC Season!
Welcome to GIC season! LifeWay’s annual Global Impact Celebration will take place Wednesday, October 18- Sunday, October 22. We hope that you will prepare your calendar (ie, clear it!!) so that you can get the most out of this awesome time. But we also want you to prepare your heart and mind so that God can speak to you during that time. On Sunday, you will receive booklets with lots of information about the GIC, but also information about how…
The Spiritual Habit of sharing
A couple decades ago, Matt and I were living in Dallas while I was in seminary. As a part of my evangelism class, he had agreed to come with me to the State Fair of Texas to work at a booth where people could ask questions about faith or have someone pray with them. It seemed non-intrusive enough—until one of our friends (a guy with a huge heart and a clear gift for evangelism) said, “Hey Matt, let’s go chat…
The Global Need
What’s the greatest need in the world today? Clean water? A secure food supply? Access to education? Each of those needs is significant, and they are also universal—meaning that everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, has these needs. But the greatest need we all have is a Savior. The Bible tells us that every person is dead in their sin until they accept the gift of Christ as their Savior. He is the solution to our…
Global
Have you ever met someone who is constantly focused on themselves? Maybe they aren’t actively mean or uncaring; they are just simply too occupied with their own lives to notice the people around them. They don’t notice if someone needs help or care if someone is celebrating a milestone. Their lives are about themselves. Sadly, a lot of churches and a lot of Christians can be inward-focused as well. We get caught up in our own church activities and issues,…
What I Learned Visiting Eternal Anchor
Last week I had the privilege of visiting Eternal Anchor, LifeWay’s missions partner in Baja California, Mexico. In many ways, it was probably a pretty typical missions trip—a high-poverty area, a mix of manual labor and time with kids, sleeping on bunk beds…but let me assure you, this was not a typical place. Here are several things I learned visiting Eternal Anchor: Eternal Anchor is a life-saving ministry. While many people with disabilities sadly still suffer discrimination and difficulties in…
Eternal Anchor: Day 6
This week our “field correspondent,” Heather Althoff, is sharing her daily highlights and experiences on mission at Eternal Anchor. Friday, August 13 Sometimes when your group gathers for an activity you just need to sit in a ball pit—and everyone is cool with that. The end of the week feels like a big celebration before everyone goes home for the weekend. Come experience Eternal Anchor for yourself! We’re accepting applications through August 15 for the next short-term mission trip in…
Eternal Anchor: Day 5
This week our “field correspondent,” Heather Althoff, is sharing her daily highlights and experiences on mission at Eternal Anchor. Thursday, August 12 Sam gets messy with the kids at Eternal Anchor. Shaving cream is a simple sensory tool used for drawing—and playing!! Each day the kids have a Bible story time. They often act out the story with costumes and repeat the story all week so they get lots of chances to learn it. Normal games like bowling are simply…
Eternal Anchor: Day 4
This week our “field correspondent,” Heather Althoff, is sharing her daily experiences on mission at Eternal Anchor. WednESDAY, AUGUST 11 Painting with shaving cream is one of many simple sensory activities the kids at Eternal Anchor enjoy. Not only do they dance and have fun, but members of the adult program learn by participating in everyday activities like cleaning up and setting up snack time. One of my favorite things about Eternal Anchor’s program is that they encourage kids to…
Eternal Anchor: Day 3
This week our “field correspondent,” Heather Althoff, is sharing her daily experiences on mission at Eternal Anchor. TuesDAY, AUGUST 10 We spent some time helping Eternal Anchor begin their move to a new school campus. A local community center is allowing them to use their space for the next 5 years. This will allow them to expand the residential program at their current campus. Stella and Emilie help Raul work on strengthening his legs for walking. Game time at the…
Eternal Anchor: Days 1-2
This week our “field correspondent,” Heather Althoff, is sharing her daily experiences on mission at Eternal Anchor. Sunday, August 8 Wow, they always tell you to be flexible on a mission trip, and we got to practice that right away. A 3 a.m. wake-up call, 5-hour flight delays, canceled Uber rides, and confused van rentals left the team killing time in San Diego—which, honestly, is not a bad place to kill some time. However, we still ended up hitting the…
Women of Valor
Last week Billy finished up our series on the Book of Jesus. We were reminded of the foundational truths on which we build our lives. In the last few weeks of the series we learned how Jesus, after perfectly reflecting God in humanity, handed off his mission to us. We, as the church, have been restored so that we can reveal God to others. This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. It’s not necessarily a biblical or Christian holiday, but it…
Multiply! Buliisa Starting Up Again!
After nearly three months of COVID-19 interruptions, we are re-engaging with our plans for Multiply! Buliisa! Just in case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you what Multiply! is all about: Multiply! is a chance for us to consider how God views our resources, to be encouraged by the ways that God has multiplied resources for his glory in the past, and to commit to using our resources for the good of those in need. Specifically, we are focusing our efforts…
More Than Just Mom
Celebrating titles that God gave to all women This Sunday is a wonderful day to celebrate all the women in our lives who have raised us, loved us, challenged us, and given so much for us. As a daughter and a mother, I can truly say that “mom” is a great title to have! I have been thinking a lot about some other titles that God has given women—titles that are rich and powerful and full of meaning (much like…
Consistent, Fervent Prayer
I will admit that I am not the prayer warrior that I wish I was. I’m not really great at praying consistently, persistently, and with a great deal of faith. And yet all of these things are descriptions that the Bible uses to describe the way followers of Jesus should approach prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus describes the need for persistent prayer with a story about a widow and an unrighteous judge. In Mark 11, he says that whatever the…
Behind the Scenes
Join Heather by video this week as she updates us on ways to engage in God’s mission and reminds us that God is doing exciting things behind the scenes, just as he did during the original Easter weekend. Find out how you can help at and around LifeWay here.
How Can I Help?
I have asked this question so many times over the last couple weeks. I want so much to serve God in the midst of this crisis. I want so much to help LifeWay serve our community in the midst of this crisis. I want us to take advantage of this opportunity to live out our faith and be the body of Christ. The funny thing is, for the last couple of weeks, every opportunity I pursued to get LifeWay involved…
Generosity in a Time of Fear
This week the Bible Project, like many other organizations, created some content for families to start gospel conversations at home. It included a short video, some Bible readings, and some discussion questions—and overall, it was quite good. What struck me was the topic. The first topic that they chose, in response to a pandemic sweeping into the United States and across the world, was generosity. This might seem minor in comparison to God’s sovereignty, His power, or our faith, but…