Welcome to my blog—where faith meets family and laughter is always invited! I pray you’ll be encouraged and inspired in your walk with God and everyday life.
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At 40: Shrinking in Height, Growing in Grace
When you roll into a new decade of life, people start asking if you feel whatever your age is. The answer for me is yes. I feel 40. My driver’s license still says I’m 4’11”, but I’m reminded at every check-up that I’m steadily shrinking. Besides my compressing spine and forehead wrinkles, I have much…
Shepherding the Wounded: Guiding Those Hurt by Church Experiences (Part 3)
This post continues our discussion of the biblical shepherd-and-sheep metaphor and its connection to church hurt. If you missed the first post or the second post, I encourage you to read them first and then return here. Today, we’ll explore how faithful shepherds (pastors, ministry leaders, small group leaders, etc.) can lovingly guide and care…
The Flock That’s Been Hurt: Recognizing and Caring for Wounded Believers (Part 2)
This is the second post in a series on shepherds, sheep, and church hurt. If you missed yesterday’s post, I encourage you to read it first and then return here. Today, we’ll take a close look at the sheep part of this biblical metaphor. Identifying Wounded Sheep When I took this photo of my daughter…
Wounded but Not Lost: Understanding Church Wounds and How to Heal (Part 1)
When it comes to healing from spiritual hurt, there’s no better guide than the Good Shepherd Himself. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). In His words and actions, we see what true servant leadership looks like. In this series of posts, we’ll…
Lent, Baptism, and the Mystery of Life and Death in Christ
Stuff I Learned in Seminary Lent has begun, and as I continue the series, Stuff I Learned in Seminary, I’d like to share a study from my Biblical Interpretation class. We’ll explore two key words in Colossians 3:1-4—ἀπεθάνετε, meaning “died,” (ἀποθνῄσκω / apothnḗiskō in its lexical form) and ζωή (zóē), meaning “life.” Understanding these words…
Diversified Giving Portfolio
A Heartfelt & Strategic Approach to Giving I’m an artsy type, and I tend to make decisions with my emotions. When I see a need that tugs at my heart, I think, Yes! Let’s help! Planning, strategizing, and big-picture thinking? Not exactly my strong suit. Fortunately, my husband is both creative and logical, and he…
Reflections After Christmas
The Gospel of Luke, Poverty, and the Birth of Jesus This post was inspired by an assignment I wrote during seminary for a class on the Gospels. Now that the Christmas decorations are coming down and there’s nothing but crumbs in the cookie tins, it’s a good time to reflect on what Luke’s Gospel reveals…
Sharing is Caring: Stuff I Learned In Seminary
If there’s one thing seminary guaranteed, it’s that I did a whole lot of writing. Research papers, theological reflections, and more citations than I care to count—it’s been a journey! Now that I’ve graduated, I thought it might be helpful to share some of what I’ve learned with you. Over the next few posts, I’ll…
Lo Hicimos–We Did It
…and I can’t get Dora the Explorer’s celebration song out of my head. I’m overjoyed to share that I’ve officially graduated from seminary with a Master of Arts in Ministry! This milestone is one I’ve dreamed about for years, and reaching it has been both humbling and rewarding. Balancing seminary studies with work and family…
Focus & Procrastination: The Struggle is Real
When I first started seminary, I was all set on pursuing a degree in Biblical Studies. But somewhere along the way I realized that I’m drawn to working with people more than mastering ancient biblical languages. Don’t get me wrong, Greek and Hebrew are fascinating! I just stink at memorizing, and I’m going to take…
Big Announcement
Nope—it’s not a surprise baby, unless you include our Border Collie. A Dream Fulfilled: Enrolling in Seminary For years, I’ve carried a deep desire to attend seminary—a longing to grow in my knowledge of God’s Word and to be better equipped for ministry. I’m thrilled to share that the time is finally right. I’ve enrolled…
A New Chapter
In the summer of 2020, my husband and I transitioned from our previous church, seeking a new place for both work and worship. We began attending Church of the Open Door’s East York Campus. In this season, we have been enjoying the rare opportunity to sit beside each other in church for the first time…
My Testimony, Part III: Long Story—Short Girl
In my last post, I shared about my first night of youth group in an evangelical setting. Prior to that time, I tried to read the Bible given to me at the start of my Confirmation class in the Catholic Church. I really tried. I’d heard people mention how the Bible can be hard to…
My Testimony, Part II: Teen Years
In my last post, I wrote about a time that I hid in the bathroom and wished I could disappear. By 13, I’d come out from behind the toilet, but I was still hiding. The moment people around me seemed unhappy, my mind started down a familiar track: “My existence gets in the way of…
My Testimony, Part I: The Early Years
In 1985, a divorced Navy veteran was running an illegal taxi service. One morning in Brooklyn, he picked up a pretty lady with hairspray and shoulder pads, in a hurry to get to her job at the World Trade Center. Along the ride, they discovered some similarities: they were both divorced, both Italian, both Catholic,…
Welcome
I’m Michelle Perez. I love God and his Word. I also like to “do accents” as my friends say. Here’s a ridiculous video I recorded about a year ago during the COVID shutdown. It was a lonely time…
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Michelle Perez 