faith in any wilderness

I walked into the empty church. I turned on the lights, the computer, the sound board and the stage speakers. Eventually, the worship team trickled in. We said “hello,” setup our equipment, tuned our instruments and ran a brief practice. When we finished, we met together in the basement to pray, and when we heard the footsteps trickle in above our...

… I dragged the garbage cans down to the street last night, but this morning, I realized that I forgot to put the garbage in them.

...I washed all of the laundry. I even put it in the dryer. Of course, I forgot about it for a few days and now it’s all a wrinkled mess.

...I organized all of my mail into piles, but I haven’t opened any of it yet.

...I c...

It’s the Christmas season, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve waited all year, in longing anticipation for it to come again and it’s finally here! I’m not so sure you grasp the gravity of this situation. I’m not so sure I’ve made my point clear. Folks, I really, really LOVE Christmas! Year after year, like a wide-eyed child, I revel in all the ha...

The food was dropped in front of my face like I was a prisoner on the lunch line. To my left, an Aunt or Uncle would sit, spooning dish after dish onto the ornate china in front of me. Forks and knives clanked on plates and voices carried on in conversations that were coupled with the sounds of chewing. It was Thanksgiving dinner with my family, bu...

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”   -Colossians...

I’ve logged quite a few hours of my life in the “retail world,” and I shared most of those hours with the same people at the same location. You really get to know your co-workers when you rub elbows with them for extended periods of time. I developed a sense of comfort with many of them- a sense of community, trust, and an ability to let my guard d...

You’ve printed out a fresh resume and slapped on your best clothes because you want to nail that interview- You’re squeaky clean and doused in cologne because you’ve got a hot date tonight- Your face is painted, in a car full of shouting fans because you’re off to the football game- You’ve talked down the price and signed on the dotted line becaus...

“On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy came toward him. They stood at a distance and shouted, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ Jesus looked at them and said ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ On their way they were healed. When one of them discovered...

We hear it from a young age, “grow up!” It’s ingrained in our minds, becoming a regular fixture in our ears. When we’re babies, we’re “grown up” when we roll over, sit up, or drink a bottle on our own. As infants, we’re praised when we crawl, stand, strengthen our legs and learn to walk. We’re “so grown up” when we finish our vegetables, dress ours...

For twenty-seven years, my home was in the same place, but the time had come to pack things up and move. Wasting no time, we got right to work; emptying drawers and clearing shelves- organizing boxes and labeling them for transport. I had lived in that house my entire life, so I knew it like the back of my hand. I could close my eyes and point out...