Job message series

Category

Restored and redeemed

I REALLY like sports. Like, a lot. On my phone, I have approximately 3 pages of apps, which I believe to be fewer than most people, but more than my mom. A few of them are on there, simply because I cannot delete them (Apple says so). Some of them are used for my biking adventures. Quite a few of them appear on there to help me manage the needs of HILLCITY. And the rest, they are there so that…

The answer of opportunity

I’ve been pretty open on this forum about my struggles with anxiety and unwanted thoughts. It is not a fate I would wish on my worst enemy, and it has greatly raised my awareness of, and empathy level for, those who struggle along with me. Over the past ten years, I have had WAY too many experiences and exchanges to share here - with people a lot like me - that have been uplifting, impactful, and inspiring, and have changed…

The WHOLE story

Sometimes people tell you that when you’re feeling down, you should read the Bible. I think it seems like a good enough strategy at first glance - but I also think that HOW you choose to do it is important. For example - there is a well known strategy, used by many over the course of time, where the reader decides to open their Bible to a random page and allow God to speak to them through the words of…

What I know

We were sitting in the front yard of one of my students late in the spring, having walked there for one of our last youth group meetings of the year. The topic of conversation, was God’s ability to redeem people and things, despite our sinful tendencies. One of the students asked a question about a Biblical example of redemption, and a volunteer jumped in with one about God’s blessing the result of David and Bathsheba’s “sinful” indiscretion, by giving him…

Good stuff & bad people

Earlier this week I was scrolling through news on ESPN on my phone, when I read the following headline: “She said yes; Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez engaged to be married!” I clicked the link, and was taken to an Instagram post showing her hand on a beach somewhere, with the largest “rock” I think I have ever beheld with mine eyes. And if I’m being honest a thought I’m not all that proud of ran through my head. “How…

The fear of the Lord

It’s something I’ll never forget. The only time I have ever seen my step-dad actually angry. Like raised his voice, and most likely his blood pressure angry. Like stopped me dead in my tracks and made me reconsider all of my life’s goals and dreams angry. Like, I’ve known the man going on 31 years and it’s never going to happen again I am sure, angry. And let’s just say it wasn’t caused by something you’d expect.  My brother and…

God is in control

 I have to admit something. I don’t understand music videos. Not like, I don’t understand why they exist or the place they have in the industry - but like, when I watch them, I don’t understand them. I consider myself artistic, although not an “artist.” I have played in bands, and perhaps even flirted with the idea of making a video or two, and yet, when I watch the music available online today, most of them are lost on me.…

But, it’s not my fault…

Against my better judgment, I am going to do something here that I rarely do - mention politics. I am sure little good will come of it, but I’m feeling lucky today so here goes. I am not a member of a political party. I vote based on who I think my values and ideals most closely align with, regardless of their political affiliations. Some people say I am wasting my vote, others say that it’s about weighing the lesser…

Better together

It was one of the scariest things I have ever done. I gathered a room full of people who I had led for two years, people I felt probably looked up to me, people who trusted me and thought of me as someone to share their struggles with - and now I was about to share my struggle with them. What would it cost me? Their trust? Their friendship? Their respect? My job? After all, this same issue had cost…