Hi.
I’m Traci and I’m glad you’re here. We have formed a community; a group of believers who love Jesus and want to see him glorified in our own lives and in our local churches. This is our collective heartbeat. We talk a ton on twitter if you'd like to join us there.
Maybe you grew up Southern Baptist (like me), had a short stint with the Presbyterians, and ended up in a Reformed church. Maybe our stories look different, and you tried a Pentecostal church in college, but settled in a non-denom church. Or you married a Catholic, and as a compromise, your family worships in the Anglican tradition. Or any of a hundred other faith scenarios where God shows himself to be more than we could ever ask or imagine. Together, we’re realizing when God called us to be one Church, he meant that. We know that at our core, we all love Jesus.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6
So we sit on wooden church pews in the biggest, most glorious cathedral you can imagine, and we tell stories. We remember hymnals and Sunday School, Confirmation Classes and church camp. We learn about Prayer Ropes and real wine for Communion, contemplative prayer and also potluck recipes and unprogrammed meetings. Everything we learn reminds us, to the depths of our soul, there’s more of Jesus to be found, and we are blessed with a whole lifetime, all of eternity really, to learn from one another!
How do we do this? First, we lay our differences down at the foot of the cross. We pick up our Bibles and turn our eyes to Jesus. Then, we do the work, even if it gets uncomfortable. One of the highest compliments I ever receive about my writing are when people tell me I’ve made them think.
On my personal Facebook page, I ask a lot of questions about church. For example: How many denominations have you been a part of in an active way? I lead a Facebook private group that reads through the Bible chronologically every year. A number of Christian traditions are represented in this group. Here are a few blog posts I’ve written, which resonate with folks who love the church:
http://www.tracesoffaith.com/blog/2017/12/i-am-a-reformer.html
http://www.tracesoffaith.com/blog/2017/10/this-evangelical-wants-the-prayers-of-the-saints-too.html
I’ve partnered with Church Publishing Inc. for two books now:
1) Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost. In it, I tell my own church story, along with those of a few friends. Together we explore church traditions and discover we have the pleasure of finding more of Jesus over and over again.
Readers have said some nice things about the book:
2) Shaky Ground: What to Do After the Bottom Drops Out. The Church story continues, as I share what I've learned from various church traditions, and Christians across time and space. Together, we can plant ourselves on the solid ground of Jesus Christ, even as the world around us feels shaky.
It’s my prayer believers would realize it’s not enough to just meet Jesus. He is worth knowing more and more and more!
More About Me
After growing up in a small town in northern Missouri, I now live in rural Michigan with my husband our and our beautiful-inside-and-out daughter. We're a short drive from the beach and Lake Michigan. At home, we've grown things like pigs and tomatoes and chickens. Reading and writing are my passion. I also enjoy cooking, supporting small town businesses, and all. things. Bible. study. In my down time I also enjoy watching movies, football, baseball and college basketball.