It’d been a long time since I tried. Several months, if not a year. I was curious if it would be OK, if things would be different, if I wouldn’t hurt. After nearly three years of being benched from all things related to running, I wanted to try to “workout” again. So on a rainy, cold … More “You never know another person’s story.”
He wasn’t told the outcome. He wasn’t asked about it. His opinion didn’t matter. God just wanted him to do something. Something specific. Something strange. Something so scary that he ran away. Jonah. He’s the guy who ended up in the belly of the big fish in that short, 2-page book of the Bible. He … More Well, I’m glad that you didn’t ask me…
I never used to like the Psalms. When reading through the Bible, I’d look for reasons to skip the longest book it has. I knew that they were important but just wasn’t a big fan. Sure, there were the verses that I’d memorized in high school that got me to trust God with decisions, and there was … More The Psalms: Remember
God doesn’t need our stuff. He really doesn’t. He doesn’t need our money or our time or our smarts or our education or our experience or our stuff. He just doesn’t. The God who created the universe and everything in it can do anything he wants to do, when he wants to do it and how he wants … More God doesn’t need our stuff.
Yes, you read that right: I gave up church for lent. And it was the holiest thing I’ve ever done to prepare for worship on Easter. I have never in my life fasted from something that drew me closer to Jesus and built anticipation for Easter Sunday in such a meaningful way. I didn’t go to … More What I learned when I gave up church for lent
Reputations matter. We like to say that they don’t. We like to think that we don’t judge or categorize people, not at all considering what we heard or haven’t heard about a person before meeting him, but that’s simply not true. We take words and stories and past experiences into subconscious consideration. Reputations, fortunately or … More Reputation: A man after God’s own heart
Yes, it’s true. I gave up church for lent. I love the Church. It’s a mess. It’s beautiful. It’s a mosaic of worship and personality. It’s an institution. It’s a body. It’s organic. It’s strategic. It’s an organization. And it’s family. It’s all kinds of things—seen as good and seen as bad. And I love … More Why I gave up church for lent
New Year’s Resolutions are funny little things. We joke about them at office parties, making promises to ourselves to stop doing whatever bad habit in which we are currently partaking or commit to beginning something new and different in the year to come that would be beneficial. It’s a great concept. In theory. We continually … More Not a Resolution
There was this couple, the one “well along in years” that lived in the neighborhood. He was a priest and worked at the temple, and she wasn’t much unlike other women. Except she wasn’t a mother. They had no children. So who knows what she did with all of her time? They were nice folks, … More Interruptible: The Hope of Christmas
Meet Hannah. She lived in Israel and was the favorite of Elkanah’s two wives. In her day, having children was a big deal for women because it was all they seemed to contribute to society, especially if the children you had were male. Daughters were loved and cherished, but having a son was something special. … More Hannah
20 years & 1000 words 