I remember the first time I was really challenged with my American-consumeristic idea of what the church was and what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. My pendulum had swung pretty far to the person/building side of things, though I quickly found I would soon swing too far the opposite way towards the […]
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my […]
I’m a bit of a nerd. For example, growing up I loved to read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. When the second film, The Two Towers, came to theaters, I saw it right around 20 times. Yeah, crazy. But see – I was so excited. I spent so much time in spaces where I could […]
Let’s be clear: God is sovereign. He is purposeful. He is Holy. He is God of gods and Lord of lords. Let’s also be clear: No matter how I sugarcoat it, I know myself and what I have done and am capable of. My rebellious, self-loving, wandering, sinful heart. And that the Sovereign, Almighty God […]
School shootings. Hurricanes. Human trafficking. Heroin overdoses. Tsunamis. Tornadoes. Addiction. Divorce. Death. Suicide. Brokenness. Sin. Pride. Selfishness. Anger. Lust. These things are all bleak. When we hear “God wants to redeem and restore all things” we can easily move to “Where was God?” And while this is in no way an exploration into the depths of […]
If we’re honest, it is really hard not to compartmentalize. For most of us reading this, myself included, we live in a world where everything has its place and needs to know its place. Often, many of these bear labels that help shape the identity when in those places. The sole purpose of a barista […]
My toddler doesn’t like coffee because he thinks it is good. He likes coffee because he has grown up watching mommy and daddy drink coffee first thing in the morning and multiple times throughout the day. This past week I learned that he sees the Starbucks logo and will instantly say “Get coffee. Coffee store.” […]
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. – John 10:14-15 (ESV) When I was in kindergarten, I got to play the role of Babe. You know – the […]
I remember the first time I stepped foot in the student facility at the local church I currently serve at. In my head I thought “wow, this is WAY cooler than what I remember from my own experience.” But – being honest – I don’t really remember the facility of my experience growing up. It […]
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through […]