Put yourself in the shoes of the disciples, Jesus’ closest friends.

He’s been saying all kinds of weird things about leaving, being denied, and rebuilding temples. All of the sudden, Jesus gets arrested, tried, and crucified. Now it’s Saturday and there is nothing but confusion, fear, and most likely a tinge of hopelessness in your heart and mind. The one you thought came to save you is dead and buried. The way they killed him over the course of a day with extreme prejudice makes you want to hide from the masses, so you mourn the death of your savior in private. Continue Reading…

I am no stranger to the loss of a loved one. My grandfather passed away when I was in junior high. One of my cousins was killed in a car accident when I was in college. My dad died two years ago from cancer. The professionals who have studied grief tend to say that there are five stages of grief, known as the Kübler-Ross model, that people go through: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. These five stages are sometimes simplified to Arthur Schopenhauer’s three stages of the learning process: Ridicule, Opposition, and Acceptance.

Many people believe that everyone who experiences a loss or traumatic event goes through these stages of grief. Some experience the stages faster or more intensely than others, but everyone goes through them. I don’t think that is entirely true. Looking at myself as an example, I was sad when my family members passed away, but I don’t remember going through denial, anger, bargaining, or depression. I think that’s why I have such a hard time knowing what to say to people who have lost someone they love. Continue Reading…

So my plan has been to wake up early to spend 30 minutes in Scripture, devotions, journaling, and prayer. It has been two days and I still have not been able to get myself out of bed early. I’ve still accomplished my 30 minute goal later in the day on both occasions, but I am getting frustrated with my morning routine. I tried going to bed earlier, but I am such a snooze addict that it hasn’t helped. Maybe I should revisit the routine that I tried to start a while ago. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I would probably sleep all day if given the opportunity. Continue Reading…

I keep hearing people talking about their “word for the year”. It’s a lot like having a resolution, but more general. Some say they want to be more patient or productive. Some want to focus on worship while others want to be more obedient or disciplined. Although we’ve done this together as the staff of a church, I’ve never done it personally. Some of that probably has to do with my aversion to new years resolutions. I think my longest resolution lasted just over a month.

The more I thought about it this year, the more I felt like I could do a word for the coming year. A song that I haven’t heard in a while came on the radio yesterday morning and as I listened to it, I began to feel like it could be my theme song for the coming year. Continue Reading…

I remain confident of this
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

Am I being patient? I have not learned to wait on the LORD. I have an idea of what my general calling is, but am still trying to discern my specific calling. Any time I’ve had an idea of what my specific calling might be, I’ve chased after it instead of being still and waiting on God. I have a burning desire inside of me to do certain things in ministry, but when I try to quench those desire I tend to get stuck and fall back to where I was before. Continue Reading…