Blog

Confession: I had never belonged to a church small group before City Church. I didn’t see the need, really. I had always been surrounded by peers my age and community seemed easy enough to find.

Fast forward to a warm Tuesday night in 2015. We were in Houston, tackling my first ‘real’ job, as well as that most daunting of tasks—making friends as an adult.

My husband, Andrew, and I both come from large, Mediterranean families (think “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”). But living far from family has necessitated a reliance on friendships that, in turn, has shown us the beauty of community. We have found just such a loving community through our City Group! 

I’m an immigration attorney at YMCA International Services and am excited to share with you an opportunity to serve Afghan immigrants that are now arriving to the Houston area. Our staff are assisting Afghan immigrants who have risked their lives protecting and assisting U.S. troops and actively receiving eligible Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) cases for those that can secure travel out of Afghanistan.

This Sunday we launch our fall series Light of the World, an extended study on one of the most memorable, beloved, and stirring sections in all the Bible. Regarded by many as the greatest sermon ever delivered, the Sermon on the Mount showcases Jesus’ countercultural vision for a new way of being human–one that leads to flourishing and the discovery of happiness.

I love basketball. I love to watch, coach, and referee basketball. Last century, I actually played basketball.


But there’s one part of college basketball that I just don’t understand: the whistle huddle. Whenever a whistle is blown, the team rushes together, links arms, and starts talking over each other. I don’t understand. What are they talking about? They’ve watched tapes, read the scouting reports, and made a detailed plan. Why are they still talking?

In Cast Away (2000), the Tom Hanks-carried film that adapts the deserted island storyline to a modern age, something strange happens the moment our lead character (Chuck Noland) finds himself stranded on a shore in the South Pacific. The remarkable musical score, written by Alan Silvestri, is stripped away. For Chuck’s entire time on the island, you won’t hear so much as a piano key struck in the distance. His survival is marked not only by chalk lines cut into a cave wall, but also by intense, emotional silence.