About a month ago I was wandering through the Seattle Art Museum, and I happened upon this piece about which I was terribly confused. Mind you, I’m rather terrible at museums because I find everything more funny when people are quiet and serious.

This piece struck me immediately, mostly because I had no idea whatsoever what it was. I stood there staring at the brush strokes which seemed uneven and chaotic, the colors which seemed lumped in haphazard patterns, the texture that seems accidental. I glanced at the title, hoping for some clarification and found the plaque that read, “The Serenade, Venice.” Behind me, my mom was standing toward the middle of the large room when she saw the look of confusion on my face. She motioned me to pull toward her saying, “It’s hard to see the beauty up close; … Read More »

Every year around this time we find ourselves searching our lives for moments to celebrate and promises to make. New Year’s resolutions and promises take on lives of their own and the gyms fill quickly. This is not a new process for you, or anyone, yet every year we seek to be pleasantly surprised with the newfound energy that will hopefully find us on the way.

As I was sitting in a meeting with my pastor, he made a comment in passing that caught me very off guard. He said, “How do you see your future? What if God has something completely different in mind?” He stated this and moved on, but this comment sent my brain spiraling toward a verse I had read in I Kings 19:21.

“So Elisha left him (Elijah) and went back. He took his yoke … Read More »

Few things get people as excited as the change in seasons. If you have any contact with social media at all, you will see a wave of hashtags, pumpkins, and flannel hit the screen at an alarming rate.

What is it that we love about this fall season? Is it the sweaters and boots? The opportunity to watch the trees drop their fiery leaves to the ground? Maybe it’s the trips to the pumpkin patch or the new pumpkin flavor options everywhere you turn.

Whatever it is, it’s a time that brings a special feeling to the hearts and taste buds of many. It’s a time where most will drop what they’re doing and step outside for a moment in the fresh crisp air.

We go through seasons in life too. There are moments of warmth and life, moments where things … Read More »

There’s something undeniably awkward about a group picture—the awkward shuffle of bodies and careful positioning of shoulders, shirts, and elbows that makes me feel like I’ll end up looking like a mannequin with chronic pain, no matter what.

The trick to it all is catching the perfect victim to be your photographer; the perfect combination of bossy, kind, and goal-oriented. You see, you need someone who is willing to take a group of self-centric humans and somehow herd and silence them for long enough to snap that perfect picture. In the moment, the only one who understands why it matters where you put your arm is the photographer. It takes someone who can see the big picture to really understand the details that will affect the outcome.

In I Samuel we find a story of two kings. Both were called … Read More »

Everyone has had that moment when they look back and wonder how in the world they got in the mess they’re in now. The series of events leading from good intentions to bad results sometime will shock even the most observant of Christians.

So how do these events get so off course? I am proposing that it is possible that you were never truly on course. Let’s flip to the last couple of chapters in Judges and talk about the events that happened in the land of Israel.

In Judges 19-21 we find the story of a land that had yet again turned from God. They lived the way they wanted to, free of boundaries and submission. This wasn’t a new state of being for Israel; they spent hundreds of years living on the opposite side of God’s blessings.

So why … Read More »