Forsaken

Let’s be honest, when we suffer intense pain, it is natural to feel abandoned. I’ve had seasons in my life where I was going through something and it just felt like no one else could understand my problems. The truth is, when I am courageous enough to say it out loud to people that I […]

Just another manic maundy

I am not a traditional kind of guy. Innovation excites me and keeping tradition well…kind of bores me. If you like tradition, that’s great! I see the appeal to it. I really do. Tradition, when used in a healthy way, can help anchor us in values or keep us tethered during difficult times. There is […]

Lost in religion: Simplicity

Occasionally I meet with a friend of mine and we drink to our ancestors. Let me explain. One day I called him up and said, “We need to get together. Maybe over a beer?” His response. “No, we will have two beers. One for us and the other for our ancestors!” I was like “YES! […]

Lost in religion

This past Sunday I gave a message on John 3. John writes about a man named Nicodemus. Nick, we’re tight so I can call him this, was a Pharisee. This means that he was already a part of the spiritually elite and powerful in Judaism. In addition to that, he was a member of the […]

So this is 50.

I have never freaked out over a milestone birthday. When I hit thirty, I didn’t even flinch. Forty? Pffft. Not even a dent. Then 50 rolled around. I’ll go ahead and admit it, it did a number on me. In all fairness, it is kind of a big deal. Now that it is here, I’m […]

The Way Back

There have been days over the past few years where I have felt old. Let me clarify, I am getting old, just like…well…all of us, but I have never really felt old despite that fact. There is something about the events we are living through that make you feel the passage of time viscerally. A […]

We are not enemies.

Six months. It has been at least six months since all of our lives have changed. I know, none of us want to talk about it anymore and I totally get it. I won’t rehash it but I will summarize it by saying that I feel like I have been hit by an eighteen wheeler […]

Meaning in the Meaningless

This week I am starting a new study with a group of friends discussing the Book of Ecclesiastes. I have been fascinated by Ecclesiastes for a long time. There is a grittiness and recklessness to it that I can’t help but be drawn to. Qohelet, or the teacher/preacher, presents life in all of its cycles […]

Your Comeback Story

Hey 2019, don’t let the door hit ya in the a#@ on the way out! Is anybody else feeling that? My point is, I am so glad to see 2019 leave! It was a rough ride and nothing in me is sad to see it go. For me, there were moments of great despair last […]

More than a feeling

It is hard to put my finger on exactly what I am feeling right now. I am not sure how to describe it or what label to slap on it. What I do know is that every time I pour my heart and soul into something, I get tunnel vision for a season. Everything that […]