Happiness is overrated. Our current cultural moment insists that my subjective feeling of happiness should guide even the most significant spheres of life—marriage, work, familial relationships, to name just a few. Building your life on the shifting sand of a slippery and subjective internal experience is a path to disaster, yet so many people have … Read more

On this recent Fourth of July, I enjoyed some downtime with my family in Ocean City, NJ. The holiday was filled with fun and sun, culminating in a beautiful fireworks display over the boardwalk as patriotic songs rang out over the beachfront. Everywhere I looked, men, women, and children were dressed in red, white, and … Read more

At the outset of this year, I committed myself to growing as a writer both in skill and in quantity. In my role as a teacher and preacher, I have written thousands of words a week for over a decade, and I’ve enjoyed seeing some other short pieces published in a few denominational publications. This … Read more

“Did you ever reconcile with your dad?” I was asked this question after last Sunday’s service, where I preached on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. In that sermon, I talked about the striking similarity between my life and that of the ungrateful younger son who demanded his half of the inheritance … Read more

If you are anything like me, you know what it is like to experience the sweet and sometimes painful longing of nostalgia. The feeling is hard to accurately convey, but it can be intoxicating as memories of days long gone wash over our thoughts and imagination, piercing through the ordinariness and challenges of our present … Read more

Good Friday is an important date on the calendar each year as churches across the globe pause to remember and reflect on the death of Christ in preparation for the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. Not to be confused with the materialistic chaos of“Black Friday,” it is called “good” because, though we remember the brutal torture … Read more

Immediately after a generous offering was collected for building the Tabernacle, God called individuals from among the people to play key roles in its construction. He identified them by name and then equipped them for the work. We learn that Bezalel and Oholiab (never caught on as children’s names) were filled with “the Spirit of … Read more

“In the life to come, we will love God more truly because we will finally have an unclouded appreciation of his love for us. Our love for others will also be transformed. In the light of God’s love in heaven, nothing and nobody will be unlovely. Can you imagine a life where you know, without … Read more

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Thanksgiving is the outward expression of a grateful heart. We “give thanks” because we are aware of and grateful for things in our lives that we have received. This means that in order for us … Read more

“It would be interesting to know what it is men are most afraid of. Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what they fear most….” (Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment) In his insightful book The War of Art, author Steven Pressfield identifies the greatest challenge for every creator and creative endeavor. The experience … Read more