2015's Best of the Best
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The Simple, Saving, Radical, Real Love of God
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As many of you know I spend most of my days in my house with my little munchkins.
Many of those days I try to leave the house, even if it’s for something small, like to go to the store to grab an ingredient I need for dinner. I sit the girls in the buggy designed like a car and swing by the bakery to get them a free cookie. That cookie and car-shaped buggy have saved my life multiple times, let me tell you. Sometimes, I will take them to the park or the library and then coax them away with the promise of something “special” aka french fries.
Read MoreUsefulness...It's More than You Think
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First and foremost, I bid you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s Thanksgiving Day, and I’m likely beginning my day with a delicious cup of coffee. Now, there’s something to be thankful for—COFFEE! I am exceedingly thankful for coffee. I believe it to be the most enjoyable drink on the earth. And it’s a drink to be had in any season. You can drink it all year round.
For the cold months, there are a million ways to have it hot. There’s nothing better than sipping your favorite tasty latte to warm you from head to toe. Yet, even when the temperature outside rises too high, a well-made cold brew is absolutely appropriate, and quite refreshing.
Read MoreDear Adults: A Word from Your Local Youth Pastor
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My birthday is just around the corner.
Now, I’m not that old, but the older I get it feels like the faster the world becomes.
I’m a child of the 80’s. I can still remember using my grandmother’s rotary phone (if you don’t know what that is click here. haha.) to call home as a kid.
Read MoreConsider the Source
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Have you ever felt like you are supposed to flourish but you’re just stuck?
You tell yourself you don’t have the time or you’re too busy or it’s too hard right now to do the things you know you’re supposed to. Maybe you can start later or next week or on a Monday.
I was once in a relationship that became super dumb. Those are the nicest words I have for it.
At first it was not dumb. It was great and fun. We laughed and frolicked in fields with daisies.
But then it happened. You know those people who get a boyfriend or girlfriend and then they disappear? That was me. I became needy and insecure. That, my friends, is not cute.
Read More6 Ways to Seek Excellence and Grow Through It
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A few years ago my husband and I started attending a very large church that, to some, might seem to have it all together but I think they would be the first to admit they don’t.
We are so thankful for our time there. We learned so much and we got to rest and recover.
But some of the typical things that people encounter with larger churches were things that we found to be challenging, and at times frustrating.
- It was hard sometimes to feel connected.
- At times things felt a little too well rehearsed.
- And we wondered if we were “cool” enough.
Shocking, I know.
I have a tattoo. Matt wears skinny jeans. What more could you want?
Read More5 Social Norms I Learned from My Kids
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**Warning**
Social norms are the rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a group or society.
People who do not follow these norms may be shunned or suffer some kind of grave consequence.
Read MoreIf We Truly Are Vigilant...
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Here we are. All of us together.
We have come to a point in history where we find that our desire to do good is thwarted by an acute case of self-obsession.
We are in slavery, our taskmaster, comfort. We dare not make way to the promised land knowing full well that between us and that place lies wilderness, lies difficulty, lies hardship.
Who am I to say such things?
Read MoreStop Chasing Your Dreams
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"By the time a basketball or football player gets to Division I or Division II, they’ve already been a star in their own town and community. They have been elevated to celebrity status at such a young age, before their frontal lobe has even fully developed. It creates a high confidence level, but also a delusion around what’s actually possible."
– Dan Lebowitz, Exec. Dir. of NE University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
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Meet Brother Arnold
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In 2007, I was asked to preach at a small church in Leavenworth, KS. It was the beginning of an encounter with a collective of people that I now know and love.
Upon my arrival, I was introduced to this jazz drummer who my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) referred to as “Cool Guy.”
“Cool Guy,” was a lighter skinned, elderly, black man. His body was slightly hunched and swayed to one side, bearing most of his weight upon a favored foot. Observing his stance, I noticed that the rest of his weight was held up by a long black cane. Through a quiet voice with a slight rasp, he extended his hand to mine and spoke,
“How ya doin’ there? I’m Brother Arnold.”
Read MoreThe Minister's Manifesto
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I don’t know how to be something I’m not.
Most of us don’t.
Since I can remember I’ve loved 2 things: ministry & art.
In the same way you like unique foods and your own manner of doing things, I can’t imagine not having a passion for these pursuits.
For me, it’s a peculiar combination.
Most of my life I’ve felt too “Christian” for the art world and too “artsy” for the local church.
And so, finding a space to call my own has been a pursuit of discovery.
Its also been an intentional pursuit to carve out more space for others like myself...maybe for someone like you too.
Read MoreHow Do You Know When It’s Time to Go?
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Many of our friends and family already know this, but we wanted to share it here too.
We’re moving.
You know it’s God when your husband comes home and says, “I think we should move in with your mom”.
That’s exactly what happened a few months ago.
Immediately we both knew it was what we were supposed to do.
Read MoreWhy Creativity Matters So Much
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Student: “You don’t want me to draw that.”
Professor: “Oh, really? Why’s that?”
Student: “Because I don’t know how.”
Professor: “Art isn’t about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.”
I had a college professor share these words with me once, and now, I’m sharing with you.
Because art, or more appropriately creativity, is not about learning to draw, it’s about learning to see.
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Dear Church
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My Dear Church,
I have a great desire that you would look upon my life and see it, not as hidden, but as transparent.
Through this letter it is my hope that you may understand both the great joy and the great challenges I find in leading you on a regular basis.
Read More8 Ways to Embrace Awkward Social Situations
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In unfamiliar social situations I am going to do one of two things:
I’m either going to jump in the deep end with all my clothes on and embrace the situation or I am going to avoid the pool altogether.
My preference is the former. I love people. I love making people laugh and love making people feel like they can be completely themselves around me and not have to apologize for it.
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