My boys hoard blankets. I know. It’s weird. There is this super-soft blanket that covers our queen size bed. And their little preschool frames just want to hoard all that warmth and goodness. Or they fight over the other one, depending on their mood, because of its color or its texture. As if there isn’t […]
A few weeks ago I began a move into a role where most of my thought is focused on what it means to be a follower of Jesus online. It’s confusing – in a year when we’ve been forced to screens I’ve realized we don’t truly have this figured out. As I’ve prayed, sought Jesus, […]
There it was. That tingle that led to my mind turning to mush, a train wreck destroying all focus. A momentary chasm of despair before the welling rage rushed to the surface. Since I was little, I’ve had this cycle and until recently couldn’t put my finger on just what this was. But now I […]
Growing up, my aunt and uncle in Michigan had a large property with a big pond. We would often pull out the fishing rods, scatter in different areas and go to work trying to see who would get the first catch. You’d want to run over to the same spot because it was lucky, right? […]
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 […]