Stories

A note from Rev. Daniel Humbert about a personal experience of joy: Even though it was almost 20 years ago, I remember it as if it were yesterday. The details are vivid and bright. It was a day unlike any other in my life. In many ways there has not been one quite like it since. Yet that day not only taught me what true joy could be; it set the standard for my understanding of joy.    It was spring, 1996. Kay and I had recently relocated from Wichita Falls to Argyle, TX. We... Read More

A note about overcoming fear and anxiety from Camille May:  About a week after my 21st birthday, my grandmother died. Ten days later my father died from a brain aneurism. All of this took place days before Thanksgiving and a few weeks before my final exams.  I remember wishing that time would stand still so that I could find my bearings. I often wonder how I even managed to finish college. I felt a wide range of emotions and took a lot of naps. I had family and friends to... Read More

A note about feeling disgusted by Rev. Clay Horton : Disgust. I’ve felt this a lot lately, and it’s not because I’m changing diapers or discovering 3-week-old leftovers in the fridge. In fact, I’d change diapers all day if I could somehow reduce the level of disgust many of us have felt over the past month or two. When I look at the world around us and watch the news, it’s hard not to feel some level of disgust. It swells up inside my belly and moves to my heart. It's not a comfortable... Read More

A note about dealing with anger from Karen Chraska : Anger isn’t a cheery thing to ponder this Christmas Season. In fact, when the worship team first landed on the Inside Out Christmas theme, I’ll admit I was less than confident the choice was a good one. Now after digging deeper and living into the themes, I am so thankful we are going there! As the oldest child of an alcoholic, I live into the stereotype quite well. I am super responsible. I never want to let anyone down. I want... Read More

A note about dealing with sadness from Rev. Doug Meyer: “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” ~ C. S. Lewis  For the better part of my life I viewed sadness as an emotion to be avoided at all costs! I could see no value in being sad. All the experiences I had that elicited a sad response were "no good , very bad, don’t ever want to have that happen again" types of events. I carried that... Read More