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Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash When I first started dating Allison, I was driving my old Toyota Sienna Minivan. It's really a miracle that she would ever ride in the thing, as I will describe. This minivan was on it's last legs. In fact, it was on it's last legs' last legs. The minivan had a huge dent in the back where the trunk had to be slammed shut, from when I backed into a city bus. The driver's side window didn't work, and neither did the air conditioning. One day while driving in the rain, a puddle claimed the majority of my muffler. The minivan was the loudest car on the road everywhere we went, and conversation was a struggle. I barely had money to get oil changes, so there was no way I could afford a muffler fix. All of these car troubles were happening while I was doing Reading Corps and was flat broke. It seemed to me that at any given point, this minivan was going to crap out on me, and then I'd be screwed. However, at the time I was ...

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash A New Journey Bananas? You may have seen on Facebook, my recent oopsies, pictured to the right. In raising support as I enter into ministry, I have crafted this support letter and have been mailing them out to people in my sphere to see if they want to partner with me in the gospel. I've worked really hard on this letter, and want it to be really nice. This letter to the right is one of 60 copies where the word begins  was cut off of the headline. This happened when I printed off my USB drive at Staples. I had already committed to the print job, and in fact had paid for it, when I realized the mistake. Somehow in transferring the file, the entire headline didn't copy. This left me with a less than perfect support letter. How was I going to handle it? My immediate reaction was not great. I called Allison and was noticeably upset about the cost of the job and the fact that it left me with imperfect support letters. I didn...

Photo by Erik Zünder on Unsplash Big words make us sound important. Big words make us sound smart. Big words make us feel special. Big words make us seem like we are "in the know." Are big words a big "do not enter" sign? Does the way we use our words present a stumbling block to the unchurched? Jargon, or special 'insider' language has the potential to alienate others because of it's ability to isolate them. When we use big words, or special words within Christianity towards outsiders, we can actually be serving to confuse them. How is a non-believer supposed to know and grasp what the word sanctification  means? In relationship we can explain and unpack it, but if we are using the word flippantly or with the expectation that others immediately understand, it can be harmful. When I started to come to faith from an unchurched background, there was much of the Christian jargon that I had to wrestle with before I gained some level of unders...

Photo by  Johannes  on  Unsplash In light of turning 30 yesterday, here are 30 random thoughts I have today and as I reflect on life. One of the greatest freedoms in life is the ability to laugh at yourself. "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle," is great advice. So far, the riskiest things I've done in life have proved to be the most rewarding. Forgiveness is for the forgiver. There is immense power in letting go of a grudge. Empathy is one of the most mature of all skills. The ability to get into someone's perspective is a remarkable gift.  I'm always surprised to see people spell the word lose with two O's. I have spent way too much of my life watching TV. Way too much. The best thing I've ever done was putting my faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins. It is my prayer that all would come to see the beauty of Christ. One of God's greatest mercies to me is showing me that every good gift in life isn...

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Belize was getting the opportunity to stand atop the Mayan Ruins in two of the many preserved archaeological sites in Central America. As a part of our trip, we were able to visit Cahal Pech and Xunantunich in Belize. The above photo is a picture from El Castille, the massive castle structure atop a tremendous hill just miles away from Guatemala.  El Castille (pictured below) was the apex of Mayan society in this region. Only the highest authority was able to tread up the large steps and stand atop the structure. The ruler of the Mayan people in this region, the person who stood atop El Castille, was like the Pharoah of Egypt, believed to be a god and have a direct line to the gods. It was the aspiration of all the citizens who encamped around El Castille to be that ruler.  I was thrilled to get to learn about the Mayan culture, which was so far ahead of its time in terms of the calendar, and many other technological adv...