Reclaiming your true self is something you can only do by drawing close to God. Counseling, support, and medicine alone won’t do it. It is only by drawing near to God that you will find yourself again.
All in Discipleship
Where's the Water?
I have come to realize that the moments when I felt the most overwhelmed were the times I was neglecting my time with God.
Approaching Depression
I know single people whose lives are full of vibrant community. I know married people who feel empty. There are lonely people in every situation in life: single, married, rich, poor, old, young, etc.
The Key to Unlocking Fear
Jesus' departure from the sanctuary and peace of oneness with the Father must have been like our trial of leaving the zone of safety.
Ministers and Money
He walked away from a life of guaranteed comfort, and walked into the mountains in solitude, before walking back into the church, and behind its pulpit.
Renewed
This experience had me reflecting on the nature of self-care and what is truly renewing to one’s spirit. I allowed myself to be porous. I removed the protective gear and let God, through creation, restore me.
Rethinking Depression
Depression is one of the most pervasive mental illnesses of our time. Whether you are struggling with depression yourself or know someone who is, depression has likely impacted your life in some form.
Declaring My Incompetence
I do not deceive myself into thinking that I have ever met that standard for even a minute out of my best ministerial hour, but I am not willing to lower my standard.
Reclaiming Imagination
We must remove our imaginations from the shelves of our childhood. We must imagine a world driven by kingdom living so that we can work together to let that imagination form tomorrow’s reality.
Is There Anything We Can Do?
Christian community exists when believers connect with each other in authentic and loving ways that encourage growth in Christ.
Developing Christlike Character through Self-Denial
This Adamic nature, our innate sinfulness and rebelliousness, is a result of the curse of the Fall of Adam that has plagued the human family since the “original sin”.
Universal Call for Self-Denial
A dividing wall between cultures and worlds and worldviews stands so high that it seems insurmountable. So we shout our slogans, and defend whatever positions of power we might hold.
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Gone are the days of civil conversation. Discussion for the sake of learning from others’ perspectives seems to be a thing of the past. Now everyone talks, but no one listens.
World without Me
Still, I can somewhat imagine the world before I was born, and I somehow can contemplate the world many years after I have died, but I falter at imaging it tomorrow, or even next week, without me.
Why Did You Do That?
We, the humans, make immediate assumptions about why people do things constantly, and it happens so quickly, it leads to a bad character judgment in the blink of an eye.
Baggage
It is tempting to pretend that your baggage isn’t heavy or that you just don’t have any. It feels too vulnerable to expose our personal pain when people are trusting us to have the answers.
Unclean Hands, Bodies Intact
Let God cleanse you now. Yes, it will be painful. Yes, it will get messy. But your life will be better for it. Remember that all faithful believers must beat their bodies into submission, like an athlete.
Differing from Ourselves
Every person considering life in Christ does so with a host of competing group loyalties and social expectations bearing down on them.
The Power of Sharing Our Stories
Stories are non-threatening. Asking to tell a story is natural. Asking someone if you can study the Bible with them can be intimidating. Almost everyone says yes to hearing a story.
Knock Knock
Every message is accompanied by information about the relationship. Interruptions convey a pretty strong message that “I am more important than you; I have the power.”