There’s a great need for godly leaders. So many today are lost and misguided. While only One can lead us all the way home, we need fellow pilgrims to help us along the road. It’s hard going alone while forging a path for others to follow. While everyone wants to have someone they can look…
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Why I Am Not Going to College
“What are you going to do now that you’ve graduated?” is a question that the recent high school graduate learns to expect and can come to dread. It’s not the question itself that is the problem so much as the expectations that simmer behind it, the limited selection of ways people anticipate you to answer….
Confronting Controversy with Grace
Last time we talked about the importance of asking thought-provoking questions; today, let’s take it a step further and venture into the realm of conversations. After all, the two are close companions. Since we already met the quirky Question, let’s make our acquaintance with the (hopefully) calmer Conversation and see what we find. controversial conversations…
What’s in a Question?
When was the last time someone asked you a question that made you think? For me, it was not long ago when I had the opportunity to talk with an older believer about some topics on my mind. After peppering him with questions about spiritual life and growth and listening to his answers, I explained…
Seeing the Light (a poem)
Click. The memory snapped in a picture frame.A girl smiles back at me from the album page, Dark hair in pigtails and bright eyes sparkling back.Rubbing the plastic, I remember the past. What did she think about? What was her deepest fear?What dreams did she imagine for the time that is now here?Her gaze is radiant,…
Dear Church (Letter from a Teenager)
Dear church, We’ve always had a complicated relationship, you and I. But don’t worry—I’m not leaving you. Not now, and—by the grace of God—not ever. Over the years we’ve known each other, we’ve had our share of highs and lows. You’ve stretched and surprised me. There have been times you surpassed my expectations and times…
Why I Believe My Generation Is Not Lost
If you want to spark an interesting conversation, here’s something to try: ask a few older adults (and if you are one, ask yourself) what they think about the younger generation. Depending on who you ask, you’ll probably get answers that range from downright dismal to tentatively hopeful. Chances are you already know some of…
All Things New: a Schedule, a Series, and a Step Forward
Sometimes writing feels like you’re straining to see in the dark, reaching out and trying to find a little light. Then when you find it, you don’t keep it to yourself—you carry it back to those waiting for you. As someone who stepped away from writing publicly for a few months and is now emerging…
Why I Won’t Be Blogging for a Few Months
I’ve decided it’s time to take a break from blogging for a little while. It’s not that I’m tired of writing. Far from it. The past several months have been wildly fruitful writing-wise, producing thousands of words’ worth of blog posts and newsletters, articles for blog swaps with fellow writers, and pieces to submit to…
B-Sides Songs and Ordinary Faithfulness
Sometimes I feel sorry for B-sides songs. It doesn’t seem fair. Lesser-known songs can be just as good as—sometimes better than—more popular ones. They can be musical and lyrical masterpieces. Even if they’re not amazing, they still play an important role in rounding out an artist’s catalog. But since they’re not chosen for radio play,…
No Marble Saints
We all long for someone to look up to. It’s tempting to put someone on a pedestal and make them a model of flawless faith. But in this world, there are no marble saints. I once read an illustration that brought this home. Author Harold Sala tells of two sets of statues depicting Jesus and…
Behind the Words: My First Author Spotlight
Writers can be mysterious types, hiding behind our notebooks and peering at you curiously over the tops of our glasses before tucking ourselves in a corner where we can observe and muse in solitude. You never know for sure what’s going through our minds until it spills onto the page. Today a tiny part of…