thoughts on life and faith
20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm - Proverbs 13:20 On the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, I hang out with a ragtag group of twenty-somethings. As the facilitator, I hope that I am able to teach them something about life and grace, but the … Continue reading A Different Sunday Morning
Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.' For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." - Matthew 9:13 The Christian faith is, at its core, more diverse and colorful than … Continue reading Open Minded, Full Hearted
11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. - Psalm 16:11 We are often guilty of marketing Jesus unfairly. In our culture of incessant advertising, we can unknowingly try to "sell" people on Jesus using rewards and benefits in … Continue reading He Is Present
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25 I am quickly approaching a decade spent at the same church. … Continue reading A Love Letter to the Church
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the … Continue reading When You Don’t Want To
"Hello, Matt!" the few early morning baristas welcome me. I have come to expect this sort of treatment after countless days spent within its cozy walls. We have formed a bond over time, and though it is their job and essentially I am paying them for companionship, we have a certain understanding of each other. I … Continue reading Coffee and Being Known
"The spiritual life is, then, first of all a matter of keeping awake. We must not lose our sensitivity to spiritual inspirations. We must always be able to respond to the slightest warnings that speak, as though by a hidden instinct, in the depth of the soul that is spiritually alive." - Thomas Merton We all … Continue reading Your Spiritual Sense
"The spiritual life is first of all a life." - Thomas Merton We think in categories. Black or white. Republican or Democrat. In an attempt to understand the world around us, we strain to put structure to the expanse of life. In recent years, this only seems to be more pronounced. Yet with a little examination, … Continue reading The Lively Life of Living
24 Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. - Proverbs 16:24 "Nice suit" the woman said to me across an interview table. This was unexpected given her barrage of rapid-fire questions and general disinterest. It caught me off guard. I barely remember not getting the job, I do remember … Continue reading Words Left Unsaid
4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. 5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. - Proverbs 23:4 The beautiful thing about the life lived after 30 is the slow death of the need to impress. There is something … Continue reading Get on the Floor
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