SOMETIMES THE LAND PREACHES WITHOUT SAYING A WORD
There are times when I don’t need another article, another opinion, or another deep dive into whatever’s weighing on my mind. I need to step outside. Not for answers.Not for clarity. Just to remember how small I am — and how steady some things still are. I’ve noticed that when life starts stacking up, the […]
SOME THINGS AMERICAN RELIGION IS REALLY GOOD AT
Let me say this the way I’d say it leaning back in a rocking chair, watching traffic roll by and the sun drop behind the trees. American religion is good at some things. Really good. That’s not sarcasm.That’s observation. If you’ve been around churches long enough — Baptist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, evangelical, and everything in between […]
PRESENT JOYS — AND A SOUND THAT STILL FEELS LIKE HOME
Songs have a way of doing things sermons sometimes can’t. They sneak past your guard.They carry memory.They set a hook in your heart before you realize what’s happening. Last week’s Sunday morning post leaned hard into a mash-up from a Church of Christ group — familiar ground for most folks who read here. This week, […]
WORDS MATTER… SOMETIMES
Over the years, I’ve noticed something about church language. We tend to use good, biblical words…but sometimes we use them in ways that quietly let us off the hook. Nobody does it on purpose.It just sort of happens. A phrase gets repeated long enough, and before you know it, it starts carrying meaning Scripture never […]
PUSHING THE BOAT OFF THE BANK
There comes a point when thinking turns into stalling. It doesn’t feel like disobedience at first. It feels responsible. Measured. Careful. We pray.We think.We talk it through again.We wait for clarity. And all the while, the boat sits there. Tied up.Pointed toward the water.Never moving. That kind of hesitation has a way of disguising itself […]
PLANTING TREES YOU MIGHT NEVER SIT UNDER
There’s a kind of work that doesn’t give you much feedback. No applause.No quick payoff.No “atta boy” at the end of the day. You do the work, wipe the dirt off your hands, and all you’ve really got to show for it is… dirt. That kind of work messes with people. We live in a […]
Called Higher, Called Deeper
Pressed on toward the upward call There’s a powerful moment in the Christian life when we realize that faith isn’t just about comfortable quiet moments, Sunday mornings, or familiarity — it’s about being called higher and deeper by Jesus Himself. In the song Called Me Higher, we hear this sentiment as a prayer: “But You […]
FAITH AIN’T A LEAP — IT’S A BUNCH OF LITTLE STEPS
Somewhere along the way we started calling it a “leap of faith.” Makes for a good sermon line. Sounds bold. Dramatic. Like you’re jumping across a canyon with wind in your hair and angels clapping overhead. But if I’m being honest? Most of the faith I’ve lived didn’t look like a leap. It looked like […]
YOU’RE NOT TOO OLD — YOU’RE JUST NOT FINISHED YET
A funny thing happens when you get north of sixty. Folks start talking to you like you’re made of glass. They don’t mean to. It just sort of creeps in. You hear words like retirement, slow down, take it easy, you’ve done your part. Like life is a ballgame and you already played your innings. […]
I Wish God Used Neon Signs Sometimes
It started with a simple living room conversation The other day my wife and I were just sitting in the living room. Nothing fancy. TV low.Lights dim. Just sharing those”off-the-wall” thoughts you sometimes have. Which happens quite frequently these days at our house. And somehow we drifted back to that job situation. The closer route.The […]