Shake yourself from the dust and arise. Loose the bonds from your neck.
Have you ever had a moment that seemed to transcend your current reality and circumstances and filled you up with so much weighty joy? The kind that if you try to recreate it when it's gone, like a junkie chasing a high, or that second bite of cake never as good as the first, you… Continue reading Deep Joy: Echoes of Eden
There will always be opposition. No matter the type of work, no matter how beneficial, there will always be naysayers and deniers opposing it. This is especially true for those doing the Lord’s work. When we imitate our creator God, and build for him rather than ourselves, the world takes notice and then tries to… Continue reading Opposition Is Inevitable
December 13 is Taylor Swift’s birthday. I hate that I know that. Last year on December 13, I noticed a disturbing trend: evangelical pastors and professors simping for Tay Tay. On the surface, that almost seems understandable. Swift has made a global impact and changed the music industry. Swift has been on the same tier… Continue reading Evangelical Feast Days
“I should just quit.” That’s what I thought to myself one morning months ago while driving home from a particularly discouraging jiu-jitsu training. I had been stuck on the bottom again with the air smashed out of me, I had missed takedowns, and got submitted over and over. “I’m not improving, and I’m going to… Continue reading On Quitting
Author’s note: I am not sure why I have chosen to write this, except as a catharsis. I have no application, no lesson here. Only lament. If you like doleful essays, then read on. Perhaps you have had a similar experience. If so, please share in the comments. “I think your dad has dementia,” the… Continue reading Dementia
Cover art by Caleb J. Saenz I’m a man of tradition. I went to Texas A&M, and they have made a whole cult out of tradition. It makes me feel secure that I have the context of history behind me. If someone figured it out once, why reinvent the wheel? If such and such process… Continue reading Sent: Missional Reflections for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
The book of Nehemiah is a manual for those living in exile to contend for the future. As God’s people, we cannot do that without his hesed. Hesed is one of those tricky Hebrew words that have no direct equivalent in English. We translate it variously as “unfailing love, loyal love, devotion, kindness, often based… Continue reading Hesed When It Doesn’t Feel Like It
I named my blog "Awake! Put on strength!" because I wanted to challenge others as I also challenged myself. For years I had been asleep, then Jesus changed my life and I started following him. The calling of my life is to know Jesus and help others know Jesus. I write to wake myself up… Continue reading The Sleeping Church
© Dario Bajurin/stock.adobe.com, and liberated from https://www.britannica.com/place/Pergamum To conquer:1: to gain or acquire by force of arms: subjugate (ex. conquer territory)2: to overcome by force of arms: vanquish (ex. conquered the enemy)3: to gain mastery over or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition (ex. conquered the mountain)4: to overcome by mental or moral power: surmount… Continue reading To the One Who Conquers
If The Well Community Church were to receive a letter from the Lord, I believe it would resemble the one addressed to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1–7. We care deeply about sound doctrine and contending for the faith, but this sometimes leads us toward hardness rather than softness. A member once mentioned visiting… Continue reading The Ephesus Dilemma: Fighting Well Without Losing Love
