As I look back on moving to the cities a month ago, the question that has often passed through my thoughts is, what truly makes a place home? Is a place home simply because we physically live there? Is a place home because we were born in a particular town? What about the place our … Continue reading If Home is Where the Heart is…
Writings
When the Church Hurts the Ones We Love
“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
Reflections on Leaving: Farewells, Dead Fathers, and Following Jesus
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
Reflections on Leaving: The Grass is Not Greener
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
Live a Life of Love
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
Grace, Jesus, and Kara Tippetts
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
The Shack, Hurting People, and the Sovereignty of God
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
Burning Lights in the Valley of Darkness
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
When Life Feels Fragile and Uncertain
Nearly all of us know the scary feeling of everything around us seeming to fall apart or crumbling in on us. Relationships change through death, divorce, dysfunction, or distance. Finances fold or families are torn asunder. The job is yanked away or the move doesn’t materialize. Cancer or congestive heart failure come for the ones … Continue reading When Life Feels Fragile and Uncertain
Jesus has Overcome
Last night, I had the sweet privilege of painting a canvas, with two dear friends, at Kelly Gau’s studio. The template for a peaceful sailboat became a ragged boat in a rough storm. Dark sky, rough waters, and blowing rain completed the picture. But in spite of how dark it looks, there is so much … Continue reading Jesus has Overcome
Down Here Looking Up 