March 2011
1 post
February 2011
1 post
Of Social "Justice"
In the mind of Christians the words “Missions Trip” has very specific connotations where you are out intentionally spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through your actions and through witnessing; simply being very “evangelical”. It has now become trendy to term everything social justice. I understand that many times using Christian terms can turn people off to the whole...
December 2010
1 post
An Unconventional Christmas
Kara and I are celebrating our first Christmas as a married couple this year. You might think it would be just like any other Christmas, but truth be told it is quite different. For those of you who may not know; Kara and I are living in New York City; serving in a church plant. Already our lives are very unconventional, especially for newly weds, so it only makes sense that our Christmas would be...
November 2010
2 posts
Justifiably Judgemental
Something I struggle with is justifying the judgemental attitude I have towards others who are not holding themselves to the “standards” that I am holding myself to. I become self righteous in my view of friends that have seemingly left the faith of their youth. Friends that I truly do not where they stand with God, and instead of asking I simply pass judgement and assume they have...
September 2010
1 post
WatchEvery Man really should watch this video.
August 2010
1 post
A Year in NYC
My dad always used to tell me that when I got older that time would go faster and faster as the years went by. When you’re 15 eager to get done with High School, which you just started, you can’t fathom the idea that things could go faster because at that moment in life things are EXTREMELY slow. Now 10 years later I am realizing just how true his statement is. One year ago this month...
July 2010
1 post
Fresh Start
Starting fresh with the blog. I have kept a few posts on here from the past couple years; kinda a best hits collection of sorts. I will also put up a few posts that were on the wordpress site once I’m able to retrieve them. Regardless here is a toast to a fresh start as I celebrate a year in NYC soon.
March 2009
1 post
The Opinionated Pulpit
I had this thought the other day “Is the pulpit for opinions?” It led me to a couple different conclusions which I will get to eventually. Let’s address the general idea first. An opinion can be shaped from many different events, things read, opinions from other teachers; which brings up a whole other discussion about how one person’s opinion can become truth to you thus your...
January 2009
1 post
knock... knock...
There resounds through the halls a loud banging. As the wood rattles and the hinges clang, I awaken. I had just gotten into the rhythm of sleep. That rhythm that you know how it’s going to turn out. You know what your next move is simply because you really don’t have any moves left; you have but only to stay still. In that state of life you can be struck down and not even feel it....
November 2008
2 posts
Outside These Walls | Indonesia
In the world today there is ever growing hostility towards Christians. We read stories of how riots have forced the closing of many churches. Where someone was held captive simply because the government doesn’t allow them to believe in anything other than what the government deems good.
Indonesia is one of these such countries. Nearly 90% of the population are muslim and only about 8% Christian....
Outside These Walls | China
Me too.
When you’re struggling,
When you are hurting,
wounded, limping, doubting,
questioning, barely hanging on,
moments away from another relapse,
and somebody can identify with you -
someone knows the temptations that are at your door,
somebody has felt the pain that you are feeling,
when someone can look you in the eyes and say “Me too,”
and they actually mean it -
it can save...
October 2008
1 post
Whispering into the ocean.
Sometimes shouting to the world feels like whispering into the ocean. About 2 feet in the words are no longer understandable, or at most just misunderstood. The only affect you see is this tiny ripple, not this huge wave that you had hoped would happen, this tiny little nothing of a ripple; you would have been better off throwing a huge rock into the middle and just disrupting things for a little...
August 2008
1 post
Awake In A Dream
So today was just one of those days where it felt like everything was crashing down. So in true form inspiration hit me and something that has laid dormant for a while has finally come out in the following.
Once upon a time there was a boy. A boy who always dreamed of becoming something great. Not only something great, but someone great. He always thought of how cool it would be to have this job,...
July 2008
1 post
Confessional
This is a talk I gave at Remix on what I go through daily laying down who I am to become who Christ wants me to be.
Forgive me for I have sinned… It has been… well I have never confessed like this. I am here to admit to you my short comings. All my failures. All my sins. The areas of my life that many will never see.
I am a prideful, arrogant, faithless, untrustworthy,...
June 2008
2 posts
What have I learned? That is a really good...
I love and hate the question what have you learned. When asked this question I get feelings of joy because I get to think and share about what God or someone else has taught me in hopes that others will learn as well. And yet I also get this sinking feeling like, “ohh my gosh, what have I learned?” Sometimes I feel as if I haven’t really learned anything at all. Which I know...
Remember...
remember that in every thing there is a piece of God. in every tragedy there is a chance to rekindle some lost loves. a chance to rethink some of life’s choices. in every day there is a new start, a new rise, a new plateau, a new climax, and a new end. today’s story is the most important story ever written because it is completely different than yesterday’s and even...
May 2008
1 post
Here's to...
Here’s to all the times that God has come through and made me a better man. Here’s to all the friends that have been there for me when I’ve needed them the most. Here’s to the times when I though It couldn’t get any better, and then it did. Here’s to the life that I must lead because of the calling I have received. Here’s to everything in life that may...
April 2008
5 posts
The Moment You Realize, "Maybe I'm The Only One...
Facebook is something that has kind of helped us keep up with our friends and what they are doing after high school, for me this is a period of 5 years. We get the chance to stay in touch without putting forth much effort. It’s like “I wonder what so and so is doing these days?” To me it has become a place of almost utter depression. I see the ones that have had such deep...
Inspiration
Inspiration has a funny way of popping it’s head up when you least expect it. You’ll be sitting at a stop light and think of how each light is related to our social lives and then write a 30 minute sermon or even a 30 page chapter on it. To me inspirations are little whispers that God gives us to spark the dreams that motivate us to present a message that everyone can understand. Of...
Here's to life
Life is full of lessons learned and failed attempts at being right all the time. Mary Poppins used to say that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down; it doesn’t help the pride go down. I love the lessons God teaches us through others and the things we do and say, that make us into the men and women we are going to be. So here’s to life and the crazy stuff that happens.
The Element
There is in everyone an element that pushes them to the next level It burns inside them, waiting to be released. This element inspires everyone it comes in contact with. It inspires generations to follow it. This element is a God-given part of everyone’s life. Some me discover it, but never release it. Some discover it, start to release it, but lose faith in it. Even more men never discover...
“Life is a symphony full of different experiences playing their notes of...”
February 2008
2 posts
Revelation at its finest.
There are times in my life in which I can say “Ahhh I get it.” And in those times I also say “How in the world did I not see it before?” To me it’s the simplest of revelations that make me understand the idea of a revelation in the first place. It’s in those moments of clarity that I finally find out why. It could be something that I thought to be common...
“The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives....”
– G. K. Chesterton