To identify as a Christian is to understand that we have been transformed by our experience of God’s grace. And if grace and gratitude are deeply intertwined, at the very core of our Christian identity is gratitude. Gratitude becomes the essence of our new identity. Gratitude, therefore, is no longer an attitude we take up, but an outpouring of who we are. This is the transformative work of gratitude; it repositions the way we view the world through a lens of the abundant grace we have been shown. Gratitude not only shifts our personal identities, but it also shapes our communities as well.
Read More
The Way of Gratitude - Part 1 - Slow Thanks
My favorite holiday has always been the overlooked, under appreciated, often neglected, celebration of Thanksgiving. Yes, that holiday when you eat turkey, watch football, talk with family, nap, and not celebrate Christmas. Yep, that one. I know I am probably in the minority, as Thanksgiving’s older cousin, Christmas, usually dominates the later half of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in for Christmas. Lights, presents, stockings, and actual real tree, the whole bit. But, Thanksgiving has always held a dear place in my heart. There is something about sitting around a table with loved ones, eating a good meal, laughing and sharing stories that speaks to my soul. I have always been intrigued by a holiday that is centered around gratitude.
Read More
Joy and Christian Identity - Latest Sermon
"I count everything as loss," says Paul, "because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." The driving force behind the Apostles ability to endure persecution, success, and opposition was an understanding in what they had in Jesus. "The surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus" was Paul called it. It was a knowledge of God that altered their lives, it changed who they were and where they placed their hope at a fundamental level.
Read More
The Hidden Spirituality of Resolutions & Why You've Already Failed
Research shows that 44% of American adults made some sort of New Years Resolutions in hopes of bringing about change in their life. I am apart of that 44%. The same research suggests that only 8% of those who make resolutions will actually accomplish these resolutions. I am not apart of that 8%...for the most part. Some of the goals I've set for this year I am struggling with and others I have already waved the flag of defeat. I don't think many would argue these numbers. We all have experienced the desire for change only to find our motivations waning months, weeks, even days later.
There is a hopeful allure about the start of a new year.
Read More
5 Lessons from 5 Years of Marriage
A week ago, August 1st, my wife and I officially celebrated 5 years of marriage. No doubt, marriage has been the craziest, life altering journey either of us have experienced. It has changed us and shaped us in ways we expected and ways we never would have imagined. We have gone from young idealistic twenty-somethings, to exhausted parents pursuing careers.
I still consider myself very much a rookie at marriage, a struggling rookie at that, but here are five things I have learned along the way...
Read More