What most people fail to tell you about money is that it’s suffocating. The weight of financial pressure robs you of the very breath in your lungs. I remember the feeling of laying in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, playing out the events in my mind as it became more and more difficult to breathe. “What if” was a familiar foe that sang me to sleep with its lullaby of foreclosure and shame. I hated those nights. But for nearly […]
For most Americans, “church” is the place we attend on Sunday. To some that means ornate buildings and men in robes reciting ancient prayers. For others that means new age campuses, skinny-jeaned pastors, and high-energy services. But for many, church is a place filled with hypocritical people who say one thing and do another. Let’s not pretend that these stigmas do not exist. And whether we want to or not, we will bring our own experiences to this conversation. Since the writing of the New Testament, we […]
I didn’t read The Shack until ten years after it was originally published. I figured that a book depicting God as an older black woman was either heretical or just too weird for me to digest. But then, I watched an interview with the author. He was gentle, humble, and he pointed me toward God. After listening to him tell his story, I was compelled to read. Paul Young chose the daunting task of writing a letter in an attempt to explain his life’s […]
This April, my wife and I will have been married for twelve years. And I’ve spent the majority of those twelve years bouncing back and forth on the pendulum of pleasing her and simply shutting off. It’s an exhaustive charade that has robbed me of peace and caused me to fall into the trap of loving her circumstantially. I treasure the fact that she challenges me and pushes me beyond my comfort zone, but it grates on every last nerve. For more than thirty years, I’ve been […]
There’s a small zoo in my hometown that boasts a lion as one of the main attractions. But if you pay close attention, there’s something terribly wrong. This lion doesn’t roar. Instead, he lay silent with his face pressed against the dirt of the earth. I imagine the lion initially welcomed the attention as the main attraction. He was well fed and he roared on occasion to keep his admirers entertained. But in time, the chains of captivity robbed him […]
What if the rich young ruler was the prodigal son? That’s an odd question, especially for those who are familiar with the two Biblical narratives. Believe me, it was odd to me when I felt God press it on my heart during worship this past Sunday. Those steeped in theology are quick to point out that one was a parable while one was a real account. But if you’re willing to follow along with me, I think you’ll find a […]
Over the past few months, I have given an excessive amount of energy toward calming my fears about the state of our nation. I began to look to politics and the upcoming Presidential race as my source of hope. Maybe if the “right” person was elected, it will solve the problem. The weight of this misplaced hope became an anchor in my life—like I was swimming with something tied around my neck, carrying around a burden that I couldn’t pinpoint. I’d find myself waking up each morning, […]
We get busy in life. Matt reminds us of why we dedicate ourselves to something other than ourselves.
- Robert Wagnon, CEO, Republic State Mortgage
