I so clearly remember the moment from 2008. I was sitting in a cubicle at a research facility and I was having a bad day. I had experienced another difficulty in our journey through infertility, I had just received a phone call where I was told the other candidate was offered my dream job, and […]
Summer is so fun! If you’re a kid… it’s even more fun. Popsicles, long days, mangos with limón and chile, vacation Bible school, and fireworks! It’s also a time for Summer reading challenges at Fullerton Library, day camps and new excursions. For OC United, having fun in the Valencia Park community looks like bringing kids, […]
This is a question I ask myself as I interact with those experiencing homelessness. So many I encounter have been beaten down by the world and its adversity to the point of giving up. They see little or nothing to live for, no reason to try, no hope for their future. But when hope is […]
With several nationally acknowledged days, weeks and months, proclaimed throughout the year, it would be easy to regard National Foster Care Month as just another period of earmarked time that comes and goes. Why take notice of it to begin with? What’s so important to bring up? Does it simply serve as a marketing launch […]
“Get the [expletive deleted] away from us! You’re so [expletive deleted] weird! We don’t want you here!” We could hear the heckles of preteens from outside of our window. Children cussing in the neighborhood isn’t something new, but hearing aggressive language aimed directly at one person is unexpected. We look down from our patio and […]
Little did I know that when I was given an article from Leadership Journal it would change the trajectory of my life and ministry. The article was titled: If Your Church Vanished, Would Your Community Weep? Would Anyone Notice? Would Anyone Care? Yep. It rocked my world and I knew things had to change. At […]
One of the great joys of my job is to equip teachers and school administrators about the need to create safe and accessible classrooms and school settings for their most vulnerable students. I’ve been able to present workshops about how to build Trauma-Informed Classrooms for many local educators in the last 9 months and it […]
In Romans 15:13, the Apostle Paul explains how God sources hope into our hearts, which fills us with peace and joy as we trust in Him while waiting for Him to make our dreams happen. God then gives us power to overflow this same hope to others. Franklin Garcia is the pastor of Calvary Chapel […]
“Counting the Costs . . . The ULTIMATE Return on Investment” Stepping out of adolescence into young adulthood brings about its own set of challenges, fears and frustrations, even for the most stable of youth coming from supportive, healthy and intact families. When youth are displaced from family and the effects of trauma experienced from abuse […]
Everything was ruined. Twice a month, Pastor Garret brings a group of teens from the Placentia Presbyterian Church to OC United where I get to teach them about relationships, abuse, and healing. This past week, we gathered to make valentines specifically for women in the Sheepfold Shelter for Women and Children. We talked about how […]