“If I put the effort in, I could be the way I’m supposed to be, and God might become pleased with me. But I don’t.” Feeling acceptable as a follower of Jesus always feels JUST out of reach.
September 10, 2024
So there I was lying in bed, about to cry and crying out to God to help me cut through the whirling chaos in my head. What he brought to my attention was how my son and I were in a similar place. It was humbling to identify with a fussy baby, but at the same time it allowed a little compassion and understanding to break through the chaos and frustration.
September 3, 2024
I groaned softly as I woke up to tend to my crying son. “Uggghhh, can’t you let your dad get any sleep!?” But as I rolled out of bed, I caught a glimpse of the alarm clock, it read 6:00am. Wait, that meant that Benjamin actually had let me get sleep, plenty of it in fact. And yet, there I sat, bleary-eyed, only wanting to konk out for another few hours of sleep.
August 27, 2024
My Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) was one of the most formative experiences of my seminary training. It taught me how to pay attention to what's truly important. Let me explain…
May 21, 2024
I want to hear from God. Nothing feels worse than leaving voicemails for God, wondering if he even pays attention to me. Yet at times I get a little weary of hearing from God. Let me explain…Sometimes hearing from God feels like getting loads of messages in my spam box. All the messages seem to be about trying “this” to improve my spiritual formation or practicing “that” in order to finally get rid of that sinful habit.
April 16, 2024
I was sitting with a dear friend as he poured out his anguish. The story of his horrific circumstances brought tears to both our eyes. After some silence he whispered, “I know God promises to turn everything meant for evil into good, but I don’t believe it! How can this ever be good?”
March 26, 2024
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Arghh! I just wish I could find the balance!” Yeah, me too. It seems like every area of my life is always changing and leaving me feeling unsteady. So long as I believe I can find this balance, I feel a vague sense of guilt for not having it.
March 19, 2024
Does prayer ever feel like dialing God’s number, but never getting through? I have had seasons of my life when prayer feels like leaving voicemails for God. I spend time in prayer, but God doesn’t pick up the phone. What do we do with times like this?
March 12, 2024
You and I don’t have enough time. That’s why we’ve got to steal it. The Holy Spirit, that mischievous usurper of the world’s priorities, beckons us to steal time away from the boring grown-up conversations about death and taxes. Jesus himself whispers, “Follow me, I know a secret hideout!” Our heavenly Father catches our eye as we depart and winks knowingly as if to say, “I’ll meet you there!”
February 20, 2024
Hello friend, today I want to offer something a little different: a personal meditation I wrote (and a piece of art I created) upon re-reading a section of von Balthasar’s Prayer. The meditation follows the art.
January 30, 2024
