Yesterday was the four year anniversary of the weekend I moved up here. That Sunday in 2018 was one of the saddest, grayest days of my life. And I'm not sure I've ever felt the degree of aloneness I felt that afternoon as my dad and brothers drove back "home" and I walked to the … Continue reading They Have Been Beautiful
Writings
The Lord is in this Place
For the past ten weeks, I have been listening to a song by Elevation Worship—pretty much non-stop. The words in “Hear Again” have been the cry of my heart, as I watch one mess and one heartbreak after another engulf our world, our cities, my church. (It is from that song, that I have taken … Continue reading The Lord is in this Place
Communion is for Pandemics and Ever After
This is my body given for you…remember me. This is my blood poured out for you…remember me.—Luke 22:19–20 (paraphrase) Plastic crinkles and tears—harsh sounds in the stillness. None of us imagined that we’d one day be partaking of the Lord’s Supper from individually-packaged plastic cups. That we’d be pulling masks down to eat and drink. … Continue reading Communion is for Pandemics and Ever After
Pressed but Not Crushed
In September 2016, I took a mission trip to the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. As this was a trip with the Christian Veterinary Mission, it was centered on animals. One of the things I most remember was the use of the chute for large animal procedures—painful procedures. Ranch assistants would drive the animal into … Continue reading Pressed but Not Crushed
On Fear and Decisions and Living
“Fear works both ways, keeping you from doing things you might want to do and convincing you that you have to do things you don’t want to do.” Emily P. Freeman (The Next Right Thing) For some people, quarantine has brought up dozens of fears—and that surprises them. But for many more of us, I … Continue reading On Fear and Decisions and Living
Take it All and Go to Jesus
For the majority of my first year up here, there was one story in Scripture that I held onto more than any other. I’d like to say it was this story that prepared me for the quarantine season we are in, but actually, it was those early months up here that did that. In Matthew … Continue reading Take it All and Go to Jesus
What I Read In 2019
Every December, one of my favorite things happens. “Top 20” booklists come out, numerous book reviews are published, and lists from what various people read during the year also dot the internet. These lists and book reviews provide material for my own reading in the coming year or challenge me to read books I wouldn’t … Continue reading What I Read In 2019
On Lent and Grace
For many years now, I have followed and loved the practice of giving up something for Lent, in order to more deeply pursue Jesus during those 40 days. While many people simply give up something for the season, I wholeheartedly believe that what one gives up should cost us in some way. I do not … Continue reading On Lent and Grace
Glory Thieves: The Story Is Not About Us
At the bottom of a broken marriage, a shattered family, or a forsaken friendship you will always find stolen glory. We crave glory that does not belong to us, and we step on one another to get it. Rather than glorifying God by using the things he has given us to love other people, we … Continue reading Glory Thieves: The Story Is Not About Us
Jesus, You Are the One We Wait For
Following the last words being spoken, the heavy curtains rolled across the stage. Silence fell heavy like snow. Darkness deep as night. People walked away. There was nothing more to see here. There was no encore to the drama. Nothing. There would be no more words for four hundred years. God is Working in our … Continue reading Jesus, You Are the One We Wait For
Down Here Looking Up 