The Most Scandalous Defamation in History
Satan's oldest lie isn't really about us. It's a smear campaign against God's character, one that's been running since Eden. A look at who He actually is, versus the "hard man" we've been sold.
Writings
Everything here, newest first, grouped by the season of life it was written in. Most of these posts orbit around Jeremiah 17:7-8. They are merely my opinions, so test them.
Browse by theme or scripture instead, or see the commonplace book and bookshelf.
Starting Over 2026–present
I'm rebuilding as a single father in a new church family, and I'm finding that God hasn't let go of me even though so much else has.
Nothing Good Falls From Nowhere
Coffee, sunlight, a good night's sleep: we assume these things just happen. They don't. Twenty-four ordinary and not-so-ordinary gifts, traced back to the one Source behind all of them, and Augustine's centuries-old attempt to put words to a God too big to contain.
The Narrow Gate Runs Through the Grocery Line
I've been a professing Christian for 20 years, and I'm just now learning what it looks like to live out the two greatest commands. Doing religious things turned out to be a lot easier than loving people, and Jesus keeps making that difference impossible to miss.
God Still Speaks to Us
A stranger in Costa Rica gave me a word from God that sent me to Guatemala instead of the escape I thought I wanted. Three takeaways on being spoiled by grace, growing mature in Spirit and not just Truth, and where He might be redirecting me next.
Are We Known by Jesus?
It's possible to do all the right things and still not truly know Jesus, or be known by Him. A reflection on the difference between striving in the flesh and actually abiding in a relationship with Him.
What Does the Bible Actually Say About Hell?
Hell is a subject most of us, even most pastors, avoid. But Jesus talked about it more than He talked about heaven. A look at what the Bible actually says about Hades, Gehenna, and the lake of fire, and why it should change how we live.
The Reckoning 2025–2026
After a brain tumor, a failing marriage, and a divorce I never wanted, I finally stopped pretending the formula I'd followed for twenty years had worked.
A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break
Recently, I heard a teaching by a guest pastor at my local church. He preached on the end of 2 Corinthians 11 and the first part of 2 Corinthians 12, where Paul talks about his hardships and boasting in his weaknesses. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the…
Life After the Dream
What do you do when you follow the formula and you don’t get the desired outcome?No matter what anyone says, there is no formula for life. True formulas are reliable. Follow them to the T, and you arrive at the intended outcome. But life is not like that. Life isn’t a simple math equation like…
The Long Grind 2020–2022
COVID, a stressful leadership job, and a slow unraveling I couldn't quite name yet wore me down until I finally had to admit I was running on empty.
The World Needs Weak Leaders
How’s that for a controversial title? Let me show you why it’s true, though. If there’s one thing the pandemic and the last couple of years have taught me, it’s that I don’t need to hear about leading from a place of strength. I need to hear about leading from a place of weakness. The…
We Weren’t Made for Rest, Rest was Made for Us
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 Whether you’re a Christian or not, listen up. If you don’t find some kind of rhythm of rest in your life, you’re going to damage your soul, your relationships, and your life. There’s this constant theme that…
Reflections After Reading the Book Soul Keeping
The ‘Rona finally got me! I am currently quarantining after testing positive for COVID yesterday. With this “forced” rest, I finished a book called “Soul Keeping,” by John Ortberg. It came heavily recommended by a great friend. I think he’d been encouraging me to read it for over a year. I finally started it a…
All Things are Full of Weariness
A Context for the Experience of Weariness “The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but…
Our Burdens
I remember a friend saying something some years back that really stuck with me. The cliff notes version of it is this: Whenever you come to Jesus beating yourself up about everything you’re not yet in life and what you suck at it in life, he doesn’t give you 10 other things to do and…
Saved Wretch
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? – Romans 7:24 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. –…
A Couple Thoughts on Cynicism
“Beware of cynicism. It’s such a killer. Avoid it like the plague. It will rob you of joy, of fellowship, of faith. It’s not childlike, so don’t develop it.” -Terry Virgo I first read this tweet from Terry Virgo about 7 months ago and it really struck a chord with me. Too bad quotes or…
Solomon’s Unrepentance
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away…
Gainesville and the Plant 2016–2019
We moved across the country to help plant a church, and I spent these years learning that ministry, marriage, and my own faith were all a lot messier than I expected them to be.
Keeping the Commands
I remember listening to a John Piper podcast a year or two ago talking about the importance of the commandments throughout the New Testament. The cliff notes version of Piper’s teaching is this: You only get half a Gospel if you only focus on Jesus’ blood-bought Grace, but not Jesus’ blood-bought empowerment for us to…
Relentless Commitment
Six months have passed since I last posted on this blog. Life tends to move rather quickly. The last 6 months have kind of led to a crescendo; it seems that one thing Jesus has been teaching me through hardship, high demands, and spiritual dullness is this theme of commitment. Wouldn’t you agree that we…
What makes you strong?
Would you consider yourself to be a strong person? If so, what is the source of your strength? Have you ever thought about this? For some, their source of strength may be their family or their upbringing. For others, it may be their commitment to morality, a particular cause, good looks, education/intellect, income, a healthy…
Be warmed by the fire of God’s promises
Aside from the way Christians love one another, I believe that one of the other primary ways a person demonstrates whether they belong to Christ is by their response during suffering, trials, and hardship. And beyond just suffering well (yet imperfectly), another distinguishing mark of a good tree is a person’s perspective on trials and…
Going to the Mountaintop
Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. – Mike Tyson Mike Tyson may be slightly insane, but he is right about getting punched in the face. I’ve experienced some substantial changes this year; particularly over the last few months. I’ve wondered, does our theology (and not just theology, but our faith)…
Livin’ that Whack-a-mole Life
I have to admit, my posts have been somewhat serious or even borderline melancholy lately, but I’ve decided that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This post is no exception. It’s been a tough season for Theresa and I, but it’s also been a tough decade or so—marked with suffering along the road of obedience, but…
Just Some Recent Reflections
About 17 people perished yesterday when a small boat cap-sized in Branson, Missouri. Can you imagine what the families and friends of those people must be going through? We like to separate ourselves as far from death as possible. We tend to do this with all of life’s unpleasantries, but especially death. This isn’t a…
My Psalm 63 ‘Mixtape”
Part of being rooted like the tree described in Jeremiah 17 is having truths to grip onto during both life’s tumult’s, and zeniths. I used to be so excited about putting together mixtapes/CD’s back in the 90s and early-2000s What did we do? We essentially compiled a track of our most treasured songs. Like, you…
The sin of longing to be inaccessible (aka the ‘Get off my lawn mentality’).
Have you ever wished you could build a perimeter around your house and make it difficult for people to be able to walk up to your front door and start knocking? I have, just now, about 10 minutes ago and many times prior to that. It sounds kind of funny, but it’s also kind of…
Parenting Lesson #341
Parenting has many challenges. We are all thrust into it, basically without any training, and many people are just simply armed with poor examples from their own childhood. It’s basically a trial-by-fire situation that we find ourselves in. Beyond just the normal, carnal instincts that kick-in, there is very little instinct when it comes to…
Who are you aiming to be considered by?
One word to focus on today: Consider. “Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” – Psalm 13:3 “And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man,…
Let’s Keep it Real
Most of my blog posts are motivated by my observations, experiences, and emotions. That can get kind of risky when you start talking about spiritual matters, especially if those observations, experiences, and emotions aren’t grounded in Truth. They can be a bit subjective. Nonetheless, I do not claim that what I write here is perfect.
The “Last”
No, this won’t be my last blog post (unless I die tomorrow), in case the title threw you off. I’m talking about Christians. We’re the “Last.” It’s a theme that seems to be coming up for me today. So why are Christians last? There are at least 4 reasons… Reason #1: We’ve given up everything…
Rid Your Life of Negative People: Good Mantra or Bad Mantra?
It’s early-2018 and so some resolutions are still in full-force. Among all of the resolutions and newly-adopted mantras I see during each new year, one of the more troubling ones I see is the mantra of “ridding one’s life of all negative people or people who don’t inspire you or believe in you.” From a…
Wanting and Not Wanting
I’ve had these things on my mind lately, so I felt so inclined to bring them up. I apologize in advance if some of what I say is a bit heavy-handed. That is not my intention and I’m not trying to say anything shocking. Just trying to be real. If you’re a Christian, you more…
The Holidays
The Holidays are always an interesting time of year for me. Christmas is great—by far my favorite holiday. Besides celebrating Jesus’ birth, there is a lot of nostalgia surrounding the Christmas season. This time of year doesn’t come without a few challenges though: 1. Lack of Routine. I don’t necessarily “like” routine, but I have…
An uncomfortable place
Recently, my thoughts have been gravitating towards the sobering reality of Romans 8:22: “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” The context is the subjection of all creation to futility—that there is suffering in this present time. The word “groaning” is such an accurate…
A Great Sinner Pardoned Makes a Great Singer
“A great sinner pardoned makes a great singer.” -C.H. Spurgeon I wish I could take credit for the title of my post, but they’re the words of C.H. Spurgeon, from his commentary on Psalm 51. I have made it clear that this blog and essentially, my life, orbits around Jeremiah 17. If I had to…
On Criticism
Criticism: “The expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes.” -Google Definition; “The act of criticizing usually unfavorably.” -Merriam-Webster Definition Criticism has many different contexts and is helpful in some contexts (criticizing literary or artistic works, Biblical criticism, etc). The criticism I am concerned with is under the umbrella of the…
Identifying Truth: The Importance of Memorizing Scripture
It’s not a big secret, but there are a lot of quotes and statements that we ourselves have used/made or read, possibly even from a young age that are not necessarily true. I remember a particular poem from as far back as elementary school called, “Invictus” written by William Ernest Henley in the mid-to-late 1800s.
Bearing Fruit in Drought
I have had a long hiatus from blogging. It has been a busy summer. I think if you made a word cloud of my life, BUSY would certainly dominate the landscape. It’s been (mostly) good busy though. We have moved twice and the kids have been in 3 schools in the last year. We finally…
Keep the Lamp Burning
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” – Luke 12:35-36 For me, and I think many others, the hard…
Are you an optimist, a pessimist, or a hopeful realist?
Where am I going with this? I’m pretty sure I didn’t think of the term first, but I want to spend this post talking about why I consider myself neither an optimist or pessimist, but rather a ‘hopeful realist.’ When pessimists defend their position, they will say they’re not pessimists, but realists. That basically implies…
Nostalgia
I heard a few Sugar Ray songs the other day for the first time in awhile and I felt a little nostalgic. Depending on which decade you grew up in, you probably have a handful of songs particular to that era that bring back memories from your childhood or teenage years (good or bad, right?).
What do you do for Fun?
What do you do for Fun? I get asked this question a lot. I also find myself asking the question quite frequently: What do you do for fun? Have you ever NOT been able to answer that or have you had a long pause when asked? It’s like, man you just put me on the…
Don’t Sweat the Ordinary
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease…
Handling Disappointment
Have you ever been disappointed? Of course you have. Disappointing things happen in life. Almost everyday. You don’t get the job you were hoping for, your friends or family let you down, plans fall through; the vacation you were really looking forward to gets rained-out the whole time; the buyers for your house back out…
Slow Down
Growing up, I was the youngest. My only brother is 7 years older than me, and I am the youngest of 5 cousins. Obviously, there are a lot of negative perceptions (is that the word I’m looking for?) surrounding the “youngest.” The youngest is usually viewed as the one who is most spoiled and gets…
Step 2: Buy a House…
Just to preface, these are only my opinions on things. You could apply that to everything I post here. I want to share a few of my observations on cars before I start talking about buying a house, just because it’s fresh on my mind. We are so dependent on cars in our society. They…
8 Things I’ve Learned About Church-Planting
It’s rapidly approaching the 6-month mark since my wife and I packed up our family and moved to help plant a church in Gainesville. That number is hard to believe. It seems like it was just yesterday that we felt God’s leading to move across the country. In this 6 months, I have compiled a…
The Shape of It
In dendroclimatology, a tree's rings hold a record: their width shows years of rain or drought, and dark scarring shows old fires the tree lived through. Mine works the same way.
Each ring is a year, 2017 to now. Width is how much I wrote that year, not how much happened in it — the thin band around 2023 is real; I didn't write anything those two years. Each dot is a post. Hover one, or tap it to read.
Or take the whole thing with you: the collected writings, as one PDF (154 pages, 1 MB).