“When I was 17-years-old, I realized the church was full of hypocrites.” “The [denomination of churches] are a crock.” “After my church experiences, I wanted my children to grow up believing in God or in the universe or whatever they wanted to believe in. I didn’t take them to church.” “The man who was teaching … Continue reading When the Church Hurts the Ones We Love
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury … Continue reading Reflections on Leaving: Farewells, Dead Fathers, and Following Jesus
As I am down to mere days before leaving, it seemed fitting to take some time during these last days to reflect and write. These short writings will either be on what God has been doing in my life during my years in this city or they will be about things that are deeply important … Continue reading Reflections on Leaving: The Grass is Not Greener
Two weeks ago, a couple of dear friends and I spent a few days at a lake in northern Minnesota. This was our third year, and what a sweet time it was. Not much compares to living life with people you deeply love—and I will always treasure the times we spent talking and listening, worshipping … Continue reading Live a Life of Love
A few years ago, one of the blogs I consistently read was by a woman named Kara Tippetts. Although I would never meet Kara, her words and life touched me in deep, lasting ways. Kara’s blog was about her journey with cancer, as a young mother and pastor’s wife. Her posts were hard, sad, and … Continue reading Grace, Jesus, and Kara Tippetts
Last fall, I skimmed through The Shack for a paper I was writing on the topic of the sovereignty of God. I went into that book prepared to disagree with much of what I read in those pages, as how could there be very much good or helpful material in a book that had such … Continue reading The Shack, Hurting People, and the Sovereignty of God
These past weeks I am finding comfort in Paul’s letters. Not only in the encouraging, joyful parts, but mainly the pieces that speak to his incredible suffering. Oftentimes, the encouragement is so closely tied to the sorrow as to be seen as the same thing—“sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10). Heavy sorrow and great … Continue reading Burning Lights in the Valley of Darkness
