Category Spiritual Markers

It's hard to genuinely BELIEVE. Sometimes the night is most dark and the trials most deep that they obscure our vision. It's in such moments that God is most near. We may not see or sense Him, but He is there. It's the sweaty, relentless duty of our mind to recall and to remember His promises, by faith. Even if you can't see, He is there.

The steadfast love of God means that we can rest secure in our relationship with God even when we ourselves are not steadfast. Even when our circumstances are unstable. And even when our minds race with anxiety and fear.

In our culture, April 15 is always awful, simply because it's Tax Day. However, when the church calendar falls like it does today, this "in-between" day can be a day of sober yet joyful reflection. It's in-between Good Friday and Easter. In addition, for those of us in Blacksburg, Virginia, it is a weekend of remembrance. It's the 10-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32.

A sermon I preached on March 27, 2017 seemed to resonate with many, and I had a lot of comments about it from members and guests. I've provided a link to the sermon for listening, but here are some thoughts from the message about how NOT to determine God's will (and also some thoughts on how TO determine God's will).

How does U.S. President Donald Trump resemble 6th century BC King Cyrus of Persia? If you want a quick history lesson and an interesting comparison, read on.

I spent the first week days of 2017 at the 20th anniversary of Passion. 55,000 students gathered to worship and seek God together at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. It was surreal to worship with another generation of students, as a pastor, in a different state and reflect on how God has impacted my life through this movement and ministry with collegians. Here are a few thoughts.

Last year, I wrote a post about those who "fear the Lord" from Psalm 15:4. I came across the post in my TimeHop feed today, and strangely enough, I'd read Psalm 15 this morning. I thought it appropriate to revisit the post and mention some of the people who have inspired me this past year.