If you have known me for any amount of time, you have probably heard me talk about my son. (There is nothing like the pride a father has for his son.) You may have even heard some of his story and mine, and for far too long it has felt like he has had his own, very distant life and I have had mine.
Read MoreA little bit of my redneck streak comes out with I think about being “stuck”. I will never forget the night that me and my friends were going to head to a local High School football rivalry game. Oh, those High School days. We had raided a Wendy’s and then, with our stomachs full, headed to the game. On those nights, it seemed like we all had a girlfriend, a vehicle, and a little bit of cash in our pockets. What else could you ask for on a Friday night except . . . mud. Yes, that’s right.
Read MoreUpfront and transparent, this post feels unique. As many of us do, when December 31st turns into January 1, I become very reflective. Wow…2018! I have a close friend who, for the first 4 months of 2018, when he and I would see each other, we would say, “2018…Let’s get weird!”. This was happening 3-4 times a week. And weird doesn’t even begin to describe this reflection.
Read MoreThis is such a special week. But over the years I have found many cultural elements that are a part of our celebrations at Christmas that don’t make sense. The elf on the shelf is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of! (Sorry for the soapbox!) Another thing I have found funny is how we have constructed our nativity sets. What’s the problem with them?
Read MoreMy husband of almost 15 years turns 37 today. (Yes. If you’re doing the math, we absolutely were babies when we got married.) As my mind ponders this man on this day, I am astounded at the gift he is to me. I could not have designed for myself a better partner for this life - for ministry and family, for laughter and disagreement, for lazy days and hard labor, for loss and for gain. And indeed, this past year has been for us one of great loss and greater gain.
Read MoreDon’t be afraid! This is a frequent statement either God or an angel makes when humans get overwhelmed. Sometimes when I wake up in the mornings and start to pray, I gently hear the Lord say, “Don’t be afraid. . .” This causes a weird emotion in me - like there is more fear of what is going to happen now that He has said that.
Read MoreThe human eye is amazing. Think about it - the speed, lighting, movement, colors, and the focus. I don’t know enough about the eye or cameras to give you some type of amazing lesson on their complexities. I don’t know how they work; I just receive the benefit of them.
Let’s for a moment draw a parallel between these things that the eye does for us and how we process our journey with God.
Read MoreA relationship with a dynamic God who doesn’t change but creates vast change in me, is something that demands more than intention. Salvation through the cross of Jesus is, of course, the linchpin in our relationship with God, but the cross was not the point! The cross was the method to restore the relationship back with The Father.
Read More10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
Once on the way to work as I drove down the highway I noticed a grasshopper just under my window guard. He was holding on for dear life.
Read MoreSo how has your 2018 been so far? Bed of roses? I know it has been for me. I have never had such a season in my life where everything has gone so right. From my health, home, relationships, family, my job, my finances, the government, the state of the church and the state of the world, 2018 seems to be just charmed. NOT!!
Read MoreMy mind is constantly racing, trying to catch up with the thoughts of God. This is where my anxiety spawns, within my mind’s feeble attempts to engage in a battle of wits with the very one who created the mind and its wit.
Read MoreI have, for a long time, struggled with how to communicate my thoughts and feelings about a unique thing that happens in all of us. But then a few years ago God gave me this image that is trapped in my mind which led me to this realization: I am them. Let me explain...
Read MoreGrowing up, Sunday afternoons and evenings were great! Why did it feel so good to come in and take off our “Sunday Best”, have a late lunch, nap, go back for Sunday night church, and then race home praying the VCR successfully recorded America’s Funniest Home Videos? There was something about the pace and simplicity of that routine that felt safe. But the other side . . . . oh the other side!
Read MoreI have forever been what you might call a “church girl”. (I’d say “church lady”, but for some of us, the image of Dana Carvey in a wingback chair would lurk in the corners of our minds throughout the rest of this post…).
Read MoreIn our church culture we have developed a dependency on money. This was not something felt in the early church and the reason is organizations are dependent on revenue and organisms are dependent upon life. The weird reality is that organizations sometimes have life and organisms sometimes have revenue. Thus we get lost in what drives us and where our focus should be.
Read MoreBut there is this weird thing that happens internally in us that has created a culture of hiding and false personas. The enemy has lied to us to the point of having us believe that our sin is something we must hide. But Scripture tells us in many ways to expose it, to bring it into light, to confess it to one another, etc...
Read MoreA nudge from the Holy Spirit urged me to take a leap into this new thing, and what I found was a global truth: brothers and sisters in Christ are united by a bond stronger than blood. It is a bond that spans countries, races, ethnicities, social statuses, and languages. We all have the same God who speaks to us through the same book, by the same Spirit. I came to Selah Memphis and found family I never knew I had.
Read MoreWhen did it become the norm that those who are in ministry sacrifice MORE than others who don't fall under that vocation and also acceptably predictable that their kids suffer because of it? Jesus didn't call my kids to a life of suffering for my name sake. He calls us all to an abundant life where there will be suffering for His name sake.
Read MoreAnne and I started dating 20 years ago this week. Five years in, we started our family when she and I got married. Six years after that, our first child, Max, was born. The girls - Ella and Phinley - came later. Think about it this way; we didn't start our family with a family. For all of us, it was one becoming two that established the beginnings of "family".
Read MoreI have a dear friend who is a great encourager and might be one of the most genuine people I know. He is a great servant and would help greet people and serve them at church on Sunday mornings. We have a game we play every time we see each other. Without a word said or a question asked the first one to say "Fine, how are you!" wins. It's genuinely sarcastic! Genuine in the fact that I really do want to know how my friend is doing, sarcastic in the fact that we live in a culture where that answer dismisses people out of our lives more than it welcomes them into our lives.
Read More
