Sometimes you have to just stop and create space.
I am grateful to be able to do so this week. Not everyone has that freedom or privilege.
My gratitude is overflowing.
The sunsets in Panama City Beach, FL are second to none.
Finished reading: Iron Gold by Pierce Brown 📚
It was a struggle to get into this one but it got better and better. I am anxious for book five to become available from the library!
2.3 What to Keep, What to Let Go?
In this episode, I explore how faith can unravel without collapsing. I walk through a practical way to tell the difference between the core of Christianity and the packaging around it, offering questions to help you sort through doubt, grief, and uncertainty with honesty. My focus is on what remains when old assumptions fall away—especially the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, grace, and love as the center of theology.
This man. He will be missed. May God raise up another. Well done, good and faithul servant.
Wendell Berry has gone to be with the Lord today at the age of 92. He was one of those authors that have influenced me on a profound level.
I am grateful for his words that live forever in so many.
I think this eulogy from C. Christopher Smith - Author hits the perfect note.
There’s a new episode for The Pastor Next Door coming tomorrow. Until then check out this highlight from last week.
Faith isn't certainty in outcomes, it's a relationship.
Abide - Crushing the Myths of Self, Comfort, and Speed
Listen to the unabridged sermon here: Abide - Crushing the Myths of Self, Comfort, and Speed
In our household, we have two family mottos that get repeated constantly:
- God is sovereign and good. We need this reminder often because the world is messy, tricky, and difficult.
- Reality is our friend. (Coined by my wife, Amy.) Because the world is broken, facing reality honestly—rather than living in wishful thinking—is essential.
These two principles frame Jesus’ final words to His disciples in John 15 and 16. Sitting in the Upper Room, the disciples were in a state of emotional shock. Communion was over, Judas had departed, and Jesus had just dropped the news that He was about to be executed.
Knowing their grief, Jesus offered them a foundational truth: to truly live, we must abide in His love. But to abide in Christ, we have to dismantle three common myths that poison our spiritual lives.
I have crossed the Rubicon. I get sore after my lifts. To stop being sore, I need to lift again. 🤣
I resonate with this quote from James Clear, ““Long-term thinking changes short-term actions. Spend a little time today doing things that will benefit you in ten years.”
Next week, I am going to post the podcast as a video in the podcast feed. I am curious to see if it shows on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube as video.
I bumped into this quote from Simone Weil today. What does it look to be rooted in your life?
I really don’t enjoy leg day. It’s hard.
I really love leg day. I can do hard things.
What happens when faith fails?
I tried to be a bit more succinct to keep this episode of The Pastor Next Door under 20 minutes for those of you that prefer to watch a video. Thanks to micro.blog I can host the video episode right here! I hope you enjoy it.
2.2 When Faith Stops Working
What happens when the faith framework you grew up with slowly stops working? In this episode of The Pastor Next Door, I sit down to explore the quiet, unglamorous moments when prayer feels flat, answers no longer satisfy, and emotional certainty fades away.