In my own head

The broken eggshell of a civilization which time has hatched and devoured If you haven’t read the TGC article, go HERE and read it. While this is an open letter to TGC and Trevin, it will mainly be directed toward Trevin. Hi Trevin, I’d like to start by acknowledging your impressive resume. You’ve written quite a bit and for some really impressive outlets. Your accolades seem to indicate…

Photo by Ott Maidre on Pexels.com As a Christian, it can be challenging in our modern world to navigate the many interpretations of scripture. One such understanding that has recently gained traction is “spiritual warfare” as a call to engage in a culture war. The idea is that we fight against those with whom we disagree on cultural and political issues. However, it is essential to examine this…

Photo by David Henry on Pexels.com This is part three in a three-part series on spiritual grooming, harm, and abuse. You can read parts one HERE and two HERE. People Hurt Them, Not the Church By this post, you might think, “It was people who hurt them, not the church.” That language is the fruit of the teaching I’m talking about. That phrase reveals a lack of accountability by the people…

Photo by David Henry on Pexels.com This is part two in a three-part series on spiritual grooming, harm, and abuse. You can read part one: HERE. Divisive Heretics In the growing wave of people deconstructing their faith, I’ve heard many pastors speak against It. They’ll typically frame it as a trend that’s a general danger to your personal “faith” and the Church, at large. They warn their…

Photo by David Henry on Pexels.com Over that last year there have been numerous accounts of Christian leaders and pastors being involved in morally reprehensible abuses. Stories like Jerry Falwell Jr’s sex scandal and abusive university policies and practices, Mark Discoll’s continued bullying and unrepentant behavior, John McAurthur’s hiring and continued support of multiple pedophiles, and…

Lent 2021: A Call to the American Church to Lament and Repent

Starting on Ash Wednesday (February 17, 2021) we will enter a time of lament and repentance. Our lament will be over the church’s complicity in a range of issues (sins) that have caused so much hurt. They’ve also negatively impacted our ability to witness to a world desperately in need of Jesus. Something New, but Old Because lament and repentance are not typically regular practices, for us as…

A Letter to the Church (originally published in 2014)

*I originally wrote this post in 2014, but for some reason unpublished it. I'll eventually go back and update it a little, but it's still what I desire for myself and my people.

Letters to Christians

If you’re familiar with the New Testament you know that it is separated into a number of different book groups. The largest one of those groups is called the Epistles. Epistle is just a fancy word…

What does it mean to Love God with all your soul? Check out my new article | Loving God: All Your Soul

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Loving God with all your soul is a little more complicated of an area to consider. If loving God, when we cannot see Him, is difficult because of the abstract nature of it, then certainly loving Him with all of your soul only compounds that complexity. It helps to understand that while the Jewish believe the heart is where we experience and express much of…

Excerpt from my book Three Commands on Loving God with all your heart. Check it out | Loving God: Heart

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

One of my favorite interactions between Jesus and Peter occurs on a beach after Jesus is resurrected. It’s found in John 21 and involves Jesus asking Peter if he loves Him multiple times, while they walk together. This is a great conversation to help understand what it means to love God with all your heart.

When Jesus asked Peter if he loves Him, the word…

New Post! Marriage: Where Two are Gathered | When 2 or 3 are gathered, Jesus is there. Marriage is the body gathered.

Photo by Désirée Fawn on Unsplash

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus promises to be with His followers when they come together in any size group, even if it’s only two or three. Until recently, I assumed He was talking specifically about praying together. However, while He does speak about agreeing in prayer right before making this promise, He’s promising something much farther reaching than just…

Does Nationalism Inform Your Christianity?

Without question, our country is in a tense place right now. And while I would love to speak to our nation as a whole, I think trying to do that will cause it to get lost in all the noise. And really I feel like I am more qualified to talk to Christians about what that means during these times. I have written about a similar topic before (HERE), but with all the stuff that recently happened in…

Francis Chan, Facebook and Being a Shepherd

I know I am a little late on this, but I want to talk about Francis Chan speaking to employees at Facebook Headquarter. If you’re not familiar with whom Chan is, he was previously the Lead Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA and has authored numerous books (Crazy Love, Forgotten God, and Erasing Hell). When I initially heard about his talk, I really did not think much, except,…

Our calling is pretty simple. | New Post: Stop Obsessing Over your Call from God

Like many Christians, I used to worry a lot about my “calling”. Most of the worry has to do with the pressure leaders place on the importance of finding and fulfilling that “one thing” we are supposed to do for God. These leaders never intend that to be the case. Most, if not all, simply want us to realize and accept the invitation that God extends to us to join Him in His work. Unfortunately,…

A book project I'm working on is titled, Divine Frankenstein. Enjoy Chapter 1... #DivineFrankensteinBook

A New Thing

A few years ago I had an idea. I was reading a critique on Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein, and the writer mentioned Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s very obvious god-complex. I remember thinking at the time that what Victor was trying to do was far more similar to what God does than the writer was suggesting. Specifically, just as Victor was using dead and broken parts to create his…

Does the Counsel You Give Justify or Challenge?

Whenever I approach a friend for advice, in my heart, I want them to give me the answer for what I should do. Not having to wrestle with making the “right” decision always seems easier. Then, if it is not the right decision, I do not have to be fully responsible for the outcome. As easy as that seems, those who I count as my best friends never just give me the answer. And I appreciate them for…

Radical love is a change agent within the culture.

A few months ago I heard a story about a musician who befriends members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). That may not seem like an impressive feat, except that the musician is a black man. His name is Daryl Davis. And, while Daryl did not set out to make friends with a group that outright hates him, because of his skin color, that is what happened. And because of those friendships, hearts are…

Jesus Will Walk through the Walls You Build

Even though we know Jesus is resurrected and lives, at the time of his crucifixion His followers did not know that to be true. We can argue they should have known. Jesus was pretty explicit about what was going to occur, but we have the benefit of hindsight. Nevertheless, after His crucifixion the disciples could only see their fear and doubt. They likely doubted their belief in who Jesus was.…