This story begins at the bottom of a trashcan–which, I admit, is not a very promising start. But it’s the story of how I come to be writing this post at all. It was a Sunday night in July 2011, 2 weeks after the miscarriage. My sisters had been visiting us for the past eleven days–providing a welcome source of comfort and distraction from the pain of our loss. But their trip was coming to...
Whatever family friendly sit-com you grow up watching- whether the I Love Lucy, Full House, or Home Improvement, the source of the laughs and the heart-tugs are the same- family can be rough sometimes. We can all see the elements of dysfunction, and fortunately, all share a laugh of emphathy when we see it acted out before us. Family- can’t live with ’em, can’t live without them. Jesus had some rough run ins with his family. In...
Today is my birthday. I’ve always considered it my own personal New Year. Billions of people celebrate new beginnings on January 1st, but on June 20th that number drops to mere millions. (Two worth noting: fellow blogger Caleb Johnson and my dad.) So, in honor of another year, here are some of my birthday resolutions: 1. Stay amazed The world has enough beauty to blow my mind every day, if only I’d consider how fascinating...
I HATE the church, but I LOVE Jesus I hear this so much. Stay with me, I’m probably going to get a little offensive. This strange separation of faith and community is all over the place. I have gone to the same church my entire life. It isn’t a perfect church, but it’s the family that I belong to. As I have grown up there I have watched literally hundreds of people bail and either...
Life offers us a lot to worry about. To jump to the chase, I can unload a couple of examples from my own past 2-3 weeks: -Pressing through the late nights (1-2 AM nights) finishing study preparation for finals, completing final projects, and otherwise, officially concluding the semester with performance quality that I not only want to be honoring of Him, but also keeping the academic record strong enough to keep the door open for...
If you’ve ever been to Arlington National Cemetery, you’ve seen row after sobering row of marble headstones that mark the final resting place of nearly 400,000 men and women who lived for our nation’s freedom—and many who died for it. If we resolved to visit one grave each day, it would take more than a thousand years to pay our respects. And I imagine even a thousand more couldn’t express the debt we owe. It’s...
Disclaimer: I haven’t lost my job, and the company I work for isn’t evil in any way shape or form… In my role I get the chance to work with many unique organizations and dynamic leaders. It’s been an opportunity that has taken me through many industries from insurance, retail, manufacturing, and many more. It’s a great organization and based on previous experiences, I never thought that I’d end up with the dilemma that one...
Ministry isn’t easy. Those who serve, whether as pastors of churches, or who minister in other ways, can certainly resonate with that fact. And, it’s tough in different ways for different people. Although I’ve come to grow substantially in this area, for years, vulnerability was one of my most difficult hurdles. To share with another… perhaps even the person you are trying to counsel or minister to… your own faults, stories of your own hurts...
3 years ago, Dr. John Coe of Biola’s Institute for Spiritual Formation preached at a Biola University chapel and it rocked my world. He preached on something that I have become all too familiar with: the dark night of the soul. Now it is true that God is always present. This new covenant reality, bought by the blood of Christ, that God indwells us necessarily brings us to another truth: that he will never leave...
Those must have been the sweetest nights, to meet your sons around the fire and tell firsthand the greatest bedtime stories in the land. When serpents walked (before they lost their feet) and how you named each bird and beast. And when you fell asleep alone but woke up wed, with one less rib and man’s first wound. Your bed, now far too small, you quickly built again. How neighbors talked: “That man’s the one...
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