Wonder and Whimsy
Some mornings begin with questions — spoken quietly to God before the day gathers speed. In those unguarded moments, wonder and whimsy return: the scent of rain, the warmth of sunlight, the small mercies of being alive. Prayer becomes less about answers and more about presence. And slowly, in stillness, we remember that life with God is not only duty — it is delight.
Personal Spiritual Retreats: Fresh Water Your Soul
“I’m so tired,” I once prayed — and the quiet that followed felt like an invitation rather than a solution. Jesus’ words echoed: Come to me… and I will give you rest. Retreat isn’t escape from real life; it’s returning to it rightly. In unhurried time with God, our frantic pace slows, distractions settle like silt in water, and the soul finally drinks from the rest it has been seeking.
Why I Own a Bee Suit
Last year I bought a bee suit and started keeping two hives in my backyard. It’s not productive in the usual sense. It won’t advance my career or help me check more boxes. But tending bees reminds me of something our culture forgets: we weren’t made only for work. We were made for restoration too — quiet practices that bring us back to ourselves, and back to God.
‘I Can Only Imagine 2’: One Of The Best Faith-Based Films Ever Made
The first “I Can Only Imagine” proved faith-based films could compete. The sequel does something harder: it grows up. Instead of promising that success or prayer erases suffering, it lingers in what comes after the dream. Bart Millard’s fame doesn’t shield his family from pain, and faith doesn’t tie everything up neatly. It offers presence, not escape — and that honesty gives the film surprising weight.
To be Perfectly Human
In the dark before dawn, I feel how miraculous it is to be here — skin tingling in the cold, sky turning from ink to pink, everything quietly holy. My thoughts still scatter, crowded and clumsy, but I speak them into the air and ask Jesus to be with me here. In movement and stillness, garden and keyboard, I’m learning a simple practice: be present, receive the sacred and call it home.
The Shopkeeper: A Short Story
A shopkeeper builds a beautiful mountain world indoors — streams, cliffs, seminars, certificates, the best maps money can buy. People come in droves, hungry for the peaks and leave with souvenirs that look impressive on a shelf. One day, someone asks about actual excursions. The answer is telling: guiding is inefficient. And quietly, the mountains remain mostly untouched — real, risky and waiting.
Gratitude and the River of Life
Gratitude doesn’t start as a feeling for me. It starts as a decision to look. To slow down long enough to notice beauty still offering itself: a warm coffee cup, December sunlight, a quiet house. Fear tells me everything is fragile — my body, my people, my time. Gratitude doesn’t deny that; it refuses to let fear narrate the whole story. It reminds me I’m held, even here.
Further Up and Further In
Some places wake something in us we didn’t know had fallen asleep. They remind us that beauty is real, desire is good and the story is not winding down but opening up. The gospel does not shrink our longings; it redeems them. The invitation still stands: further up, further in — toward more wonder, not less.
The Weight of Being Yourself
There’s a rare freedom in people who know who they are without needing to prove it. They live open-handed — rooted, unashamed, fully present — able to carry both joy and grief without closing down. This kind of identity isn’t self-made or self-protected. It’s received. And when we stop grasping for ourselves, we begin to feel the steady weight of being truly alive.
From Wonderblind to Wonder-Full
Wonder begins when we stop assuming we already see. Jesus’ invitation — come and see — is a summons to wakefulness, to reimagine the world as shot through with divine beauty. Every moment, every face, every leaf in sunlight hums with his presence. Apprenticeship to Jesus restores our sight — turning us from wonderblind to wonder-full, alive again to the shimmering grace of all things.
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.
Created for His Presence
We weren’t created for shallow moments or vague spiritual vibes. We were created to know the Presence of God — not as a concept, but as a person.
How To Know the Mind of Jesus
Knowing Jesus isn’t about collecting facts. It’s about learning his mind, his ways, his heartbeat. Scripture becomes a means of connection, not just comprehension.
Nobody Is Above Serving Others
Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve — and he calls us to do the same. No title, platform or gifting exempts anyone from the call to serve.
Embarking On A Christian Pilgrimage Through Art
What if the antidote to our word-weary faith isn’t more information, but awe? In “Heading Home,” philanthropist Roberta Ahmanson leads a pilgrimage through cathedrals that once preached through gold, glass and grandeur. Her mission? To awaken a church dulled by screens and sermons, reminding us that beauty still speaks. Maybe, just maybe, what we need is to look up again — and be changed.
Faith Comes From Revelation, Not Logic
Faith isn’t built on airtight arguments or intellectual gymnastics. It’s not something you reason your way into. The most devoted believers don’t talk about logic winning them over. They talk about revelation.
How to Fast
Prayer and fasting go hand in hand, unlocking a level of spiritual power Jesus himself described as limitless. Fasting silences doubt, humbles the soul and makes space for faith to rise. When we fast, we realign with God, shifting our reliance from logic to trust. Some breakthroughs require more than words — they require a heart so attuned to God that his power moves unhindered. What if fasting is the missing piece?
The Growth of Productivity and the Fall of Stillness
Our world glorifies productivity, yet silence is where we meet God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, ‘Teaching about Christ begins in silence,’ but how often do we truly stop? We measure progress, check off boxes and chase efficiency — but what if our striving drowns out God’s voice? Maybe the most vital thing isn’t doing more, but learning to be still and attend to his presence.
Religious Pilgrimages Are Back In A Big Way
People are walking again. Not just down the street or through the park, but across countries, over mountains, into places thick with history and humming with the prayers of those who came before. The Camino. Mecca. Lourdes. The sacred routes that once defined devotion are alive again, drawing seekers from every corner of the world. What’s behind the resurgence? And what does it say about our hunger for something more?
The Intimacy and Mystery of ‘The Secret Place’
The secret place with God forms identity, heals wounds and deepens intimacy. It’s where heartbreak becomes transformation — where rejection refines, not defines.