The Cracks That Let In The Light Of God
Some weekends just catch you off guard — not with fireworks, but with God showing up in quiet, unexpected ways. A biker rally. A conversation about grace. A priest who met God on mushrooms. The Spirit moves how he wants, through whoever he wants. None of us sees the whole picture, but sometimes, through the cracks in this world, the light gets in. And that’s enough.
The Right Way Around
We all want to get better. But lasting change rarely comes through self-effort alone. The road that works — the only one that really heals — is the one that starts with humility and leads straight to Jesus. It’s where weakness isn’t a liability but the beginning of strength. Don’t wait until you’ve tried everything else. Start with the only way that actually works: the right way around.
A New Kind of Life
Love, at its deepest, always costs something. It’s not just sentiment—it’s sacrifice, presence and patience. We discover this not just in marriage or parenting, but in ordinary, daily encounters with neighbors and friends. The “frets and rubs” of life, as C.S. Lewis called them, are part of how God shapes us — how he teaches us to love like he does. And that’s the beginning of a new kind of life.
The Order of the Towel
It wasn’t heroic. It wasn’t glorious. It was just dirty feet and a towel. But when Jesus knelt down, he showed us the full extent of his love. Not with a crown, but with service. Not from a throne, but from the floor. He met a need no one else wanted to meet. And he told us: now you go and do the same.
The Spirit Who Says Go
Sometimes all it takes is a whisper. A quiet “Go.” That’s how Simeon found himself in the temple courts that ordinary day, holding the Messiah, wrapped in baby-soft skin and holy promise.
Learning to Take Joy in Our Work
We weren’t made to work just to survive, or to prove our worth. At its best, work is participation — in what God is doing, in healing and reconciling the world. But that takes reframing. It means asking whether our work reflects his purposes. It means letting go of the lies about status and success, and learning to take joy in serving.
Contemplative Prayer: Being with God
Contemplative prayer isn’t about elite spirituality or saying the right words. It’s about relationship. About learning to simply be with God. Not asking. Not analyzing. Just showing up.
The Gift of Lament
Lament doesn’t chase away sorrow — it honors it. In the hush of a hospital room or the hush of a sanctuary, something sacred happens when we let grief speak. Not fix it. Not explain it. Just let it sing, like a melody half remembered that somehow still brings peace. God meets us there, and that meeting changes everything.
Exercise: Ten Thousand Miles
I’ve always preferred adventure to exercise — real movement with meaning. But lately, I’m realizing that staying strong isn’t about vanity; it’s about faithfulness. Peter Attia’s “Outlive” reframed health for me: not just living longer, but living better — being fully present to love and serve. Paul said, “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” For me, that prize is loving well, for as long as I can.
Worship in the Old Testament
Worship isn’t about what moves us — it’s about who God is. The Psalms make that clear. They give voice to grief, celebration, trust, awe. Lament doesn’t cancel faith. Petition doesn’t crowd out praise. Worship rooted in God’s holiness and steadfast love isn’t forced or flashy. It’s honest, expectant, reverent. That kind of worship still reshapes hearts — ours and the generations watching.
Why Do Our Bibles Keep Changing?
Bible translations don’t change because the message shifts, but because language does — and so does scholarship. New discoveries and evolving usage lead to periodic updates. That’s not a threat to Scripture; it’s part of its careful preservation. Even Crossway’s English Standard Version, once declared “final,” is now being updated again. These changes remind us how God’s Word is both rooted in history and actively stewarded in the present.
Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard
What if spiritual formation isn’t an extra part of the church’s mission — but the whole thing? That’s the shift Dallas Willard urged pastors to make. His vision wasn’t about more programming, but about returning to the heart of discipleship: becoming like Christ from the inside out. When churches take this seriously, the visible and invisible realms of God’s kingdom begin to overlap in everyday life.
Job’s “Sanctuary Experience” and Mine
Job wanted answers. God gave him presence. In the middle of heartbreak and accusation, God didn’t explain the pain — he met Job in it. And that was enough. When our own questions go unanswered, and lament turns raw and desperate, we too are invited into something deeper: not just to hear about God, but to encounter him.
How Come Some Catch the Spark of Faith and Others Do Not?
Some people get knocked sideways by hardship and walk away from faith. Others get hit harder and lean in. Their trust deepens. They hold fast. It’s always made me wonder — why them? Why does the spark catch for one person and not another? Maybe grace has a mind of its own. Maybe some just catch a glimpse of God so real, they never forget what they saw.
The Sabbath Saves Us from Achievement and Productivity
The Sabbath doesn’t shame us for burning out. It meets us there and offers something better. It exposes the lie that we are only as valuable as what we produce.
‘The Last Rodeo’ Perfects Angel Studios’ Faith-Based Formula
Angel Studios finally gets it right. “The Last Rodeo” pairs authentic faith with a moving story and sharp filmmaking. Neal McDonough leads a cast of seasoned pros in a drama that doesn’t preach but still speaks to the soul. It’s the kind of faith-based film we’ve hoped for — honest, grounded and actually good. If this is the future, it looks promising.
‘The Damned’ — A Surprisingly Haunting Meditation On Faith And War
Minervini’s “The Damned” isn’t just another war film — it’s a quietly arresting portrait of human souls caught between violence and faith. With non-actors improvising dialogue and a visual style echoing Malick, it offers something rare: a war story grounded in character and conscience. It never preaches, yet still reveres belief. What remains is human, haunting — and full of space for meaning.
We Are Way Too Trusting
We trust lies too easily. “You’re not enough.” And we believe it. But God says something different — something truer. You’re his child, loved and seen. Created with care. Walked with daily. Maybe it’s time we stop agreeing with everything else and believe him instead. Real freedom begins when we trade the whispers of doubt for the steady voice of truth.
Ministry of Movement: Banning Liebscher and Jesus Culture
From youth group worship nights to a global movement, Jesus Culture’s heartbeat has always been encounter. What started at Bethel became a call to cities everywhere: come alive to God. Banning Liebscher’s voice in this generation isn’t just about revival energy — it’s about becoming rooted in identity, shaped in hidden places and released with purpose. Revival isn’t a moment. It’s a lifestyle. A long walk, one surrendered step at a time.
Canterbury Cathedral Seeks To Reclaim Its Pilgrimage Legacy
Pilgrims once traveled from across Europe to reach Canterbury. Now, with a post-pandemic hunger for meaning, that legacy may be returning. Torin Brown, the cathedral’s new Pilgrim Officer, is helping reestablish Canterbury as a spiritual waypoint — a place where modern seekers, like those of old, walk with questions and leave changed. At its heart: sanctuary, story and a God who still meets us on the road.