Spirituality
Hath God Said?
I have a three-year-old son who’s learned the authority that comes with citing a higher power. “Can I watch a show? Mommy said yes. Can I have candies? Mommy said yes. Can we go for a walk? Mommy said yes.” He tacks the magic words onto the end of his own ideas and hopes no one…
Read MoreDon't Be a Friend of Sinners
When I was growing up Christians didn’t hang out with sinners. Sinners hung out at bars and Christians avoided them – bars and sinners both – so as to not spoil our testimony for the Lord. After all, one drop of muddy water ruins the whole glass. It was of utmost importance to avoid all…
Read More5 Reasons I Am Reformed
I had a bad experience with Reformed theology. But my bad experience is by no means representative of Reformed theology, nor of those who embrace it. Rather, I’ve found that some of the most genuine, humble, and thoughtful Christians I know consider themselves Reformed. Especially Nate Pyle. He’s a pastor/blogger who I’ve grown to respect for…
Read MoreWhy We Left the Church (Our Stories)
We are an entire generation with the broken pieces of our religion scattered on the floor around us. We are the children who learned fake smiles too early, who found all the right answers dissatisfying, who know what it’s like to sit in a pew with our hearts a thousand miles away. For us, Sunday…
Read MoreThe Problem with 'Church'
We have a problem. “Church.” I hear this word a lot, but lately it seems that we’re mostly talking past each other. Words only work as long as we can agree on a shared definition. The problem with “church” is that it means so many different things: The global body of believers in Jesus through all…
Read MoreCenterfold Church
Sometimes you forget you are a Bride. On Sunday mornings you trade your wedding gown for the perfect skin of a magazine model. Produced, choreographed, airbrushed, packaged, sold for consumption. The countdown timer signals the bass drop and with a practiced smile you self-consciously raise your hands (for maximum visual impact). Sometimes you forget you are…
Read MoreWhen Theology and Story Collide
The word “story” has become a bit of a cliché by now. Words only have meaning because we agree that they do, but most days I’m not even sure what this one is supposed to mean anymore. When I was in college a few years ago, it was all we talked about. We weren’t video editors…
Read MoreThe Happy Ending
Justin Robinson is a friend, a filmmaker, and an all-around cool guy. He’s one of the most ambitious and hard-working gentlemen I know on both ends of the camera, plus he does stunts and loves Jesus. I really appreciate what goes on inside his head when he thinks about films, and I’m very stoked that…
Read MoreSafely To Arrive At Home
“Here I raise my Ebenezer, Here by Thy great help I come And I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home.” I can’t think of any better words to begin this story. This morning I was thinking about that old hymn while I was getting ready for work, about raising an Ebenezer to remember the work of…
Read More5 Reasons I Reject Unconditional Election
“Unconditional election is God’s free choice before creation, not based on foreseen faith, to which traitors he will grant faith and repentance, pardoning them, and adopting them into his everlasting family of joy.” – John Piper Once upon a time, I stopped believing in God because of unconditional election. I couldn’t get over the question…
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