Read Angie's Thoughts

April is probably one of my favorite months of the year. Not only is it my birthday month (and that of some of the coolest people ever!) but after a long, cold, and gray winter, green grass starts to grow and the earth just smells new, fresh, and ready to come alive. Kids at school finally get the chance to play outside without their coats and the warm sun both brings out an orneriness and an exuberance for life that is unmatched during the winter months. Evenings are perfect for sitting in the sun with a good book and a whispering breeze to help sort through the events of the day as the sun heads off to bed and the moon prepares for the night shift. There's just something about the month of April! April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month and my social media comes alive with reminders that rapists are the sole cause of rape, that chains are broken every time a survivor tells their story, and that there is so much hope and healing available for those who have been wounded by sex...

 I've considered myself very blessed when it comes to the different jobs I have had in my life. In the (almost) 20 years since I graduated college, God has given me wonderful employers that have been like family. My job at Trinity Lutheran started out as a one-year position but my time there eventually stretched out over seven years. I can't even begin to explain how much I loved that job! I remember praying at some point that whenever God deemed it time for me to move on from there, it would have to totally be His doing because I wouldn't be able to walk away from the job on my own. He was very faithful in answering that prayer as, during my seventh year there, the school went through an accreditation process that required I join the Lutheran church or find another job. Even though leaving the students and staff there that I loved so much was extremely hard, I had a peace knowing that just as God had opened the door for me to work there, He was closing it and telling me it...