First Thoughts

When You Don’t Like Your Job “Here we go again,” I said as I clocked into my shift at a local department store. I was newly married, working full time, and trying to get through seminary. That morning was a low point for me. I felt stuck at a job I did not like, surrounded by employees I did not get along with, and now I had another 12-hour shift to get through. As I walked through the store to reach my department, I wished I could float away from work and be elsewhere. My experience is not uni…

The Frantic Search for God’s Will It is 8:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, and an all-too-familiar scene is playing out at my house. It’s time for me to get in the car and head to work, but I have lost my keys. A frantic search ensues. My older son grabs the flashlight and checks under the couch. My younger son wanders around the backyard. I investigate the bathroom, then the kitchen, then inside the fridge (you never know). As the moments slip by, I begin losing hope that I’ll ever make it to work…

Everyone loves a good story. We read books, go to the movies, and binge-watch countless hours of streaming shows all because we like to be entertained by comedy and intense drama. We also like to tell stories. It is an amazing feeling when someone is hanging on your every word, just waiting for you to get to the end. This affinity for telling and hearing stories is hardwired into us by God because he is a storyteller. Roughly two-thirds of the Bible is narrative and contains the greatest story…

I don’t recall the exact moment my dislike of needles began. Instead, it feels like a persistent theme throughout my life. I am not a fan of anything involving needles—shots, blood draws, and IVs all make my face go white. Once, during a campaign to promote blood donation in my high school years, I absolutely refused. The thought of a needle going inside me made my head spin. I would only get my blood drawn at the doctor’s office if there was no other option. Each time felt like a massive ordea…

The Bible is remarkably clear about the command to give regularly to the church. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul says, “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.” In other words, regular, patterned giving is a moral imperative. It’s something we, as Christians, must do. But what if I told you that various studies and surveys show that only 10-25% of Christians obey this straightforward c…

Are You Discouraged? Everyone has experienced the signs of discouragement. Your motivation is low, your confidence deflates, your courage is gone. You feel like you have been throwing seeds in a field, day after day, only to find no growth. You begin to wonder: “What’s the point?” Everybody gets discouraged. Discouragement is usually circumstantial – the accumulation of enough trial and struggle that our knees buckle under the weight. And sadly, the temptation to discouragement is inevitable in…

Chaos, Correction, and Confrontation We are living in times of unsustainable chaos and pain. You see it in the wicked incompetence of elected officials, the moral confusion and corruption from cultural influencers, the convictional weakness of our religious leaders, and even in the spiking cost of eggs, milk, and rent. Everything is in a chaotic mess. Unfortunately, chaos is not the kind of thing you can drift out of. You have to bust out. It is a fact of history that a disruptive confrontation…

What expectations did you bring into this holiday season? We all have them. We cruise into Christmastime anticipating feasts and festivities, gifts and gatherings, rest and relaxation. Yet amidst the food, family, friends, and football lurks a saboteur, a prowling lion seeking someone to devour. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). So many men and women will enter the new year racked with guilt over the forbidden fruit they ate in the ga…

New Year Tension People deal with drastically different feelings during the new year. Some shake their heads with stress. “New year, new problems.” Some embrace exciting opportunities and a fresh start. Some people run from their past. Some live in it. Some can’t wait for tomorrow. Some just want to make it through today. Our relationship with time is often a complicated one. How should I feel about the new year? How do I process this last one? As we live in the tension of a time between times…

Patches of stubborn November snow dotted the landscape, refracting the headlights of my idling ’04 Honda Civic. I had limped to the end of a full Sunday and sat motionless in our apartment’s parking lot. It was my first Christmas season as a worship pastor and I was crumbling under the weight of traditions, expectations, and the fear of man. My new wife, Emily, sat beside me, patiently waiting and praying for the Lord to shine light into the gloom of my discouragement. Our first Christmas toget…