I'll admit, it's hard for me to rest. I like to have something in front of me to do, to see, to be immersed in. I have to fight for stillness and calm. Maybe you can relate.
It's funny to contrast that sentiment with the times when I have intentionally made space for rest and the peace and encouragement from God I've experienced in those times. Every time I wonder, "Why don't I do this more often?"
Read MoreQuick, before you keep reading, look around you wherever you are: how many people are enraptured with their phones or have headphones plugged in or haven't looked up from that iPad in a while? (Psst, if you're reading this on your phone or tablet, you might be that person)
Chances are, we've all been that person. The integration of always-on, smart technology has been a subtle shift over the last decade, but one that is now noticable to even the casual observer.
Read MorePicture this scenario for me:
What if we all stopped talking to each other? What do you think would happen?
What if we stopped caring about the real needs in our communities, stopped dreaming about creative ways to meet them?
What if we stopped pursuing truth in all facets of our life and experience?
Read MoreFor the past few weeks, I've been preparing for an upcoming race. It's not a long thing, but let's just say my prep has been...lacking. Borderline non-existent.
I really do enjoy running, and I'd like to get to a place where I'm able to participate in longer races more confidently.
As I've been reading about longer races, I've come across an interesting component most of them include: the pace sweeper. This is usually a runner, car, or bike that sets an average pace for runners to gauge their performance during a race.
Read MoreEver feel stuck in a quandary between two open doors in life? Both seem good, but you can only walk through one. What do you do?
Here's some good news about open doors: With Christ, we don't face open doors alone, and they have greater significance than just for us.
Read MoreDo choices scare you? Maybe not like a slasher flick or that roach you know is somewhere in your kitchen, but scary nonetheless? We all face a glut of choices every day.
Don't believe me? Walk in to your nearest Circle-K and see how many choices there are just for Coke products and dried meats.
When we're faced with choices like that, we have some options before us:
Read MoreSomeone looking around at the landscape of American churches today might think to herself that art and the artistic spirit are relocated to the sidelines. She might see church more as a well-oiled machine or a carefully crafted production than a canvas for God's creativity. In some ways, she might be right.
But it hasn't always been that way.
Read MoreYou know that feeling you get after a really good conversation with somebody? You feel like you were heard and appreciated just for who you are. You come away feeling inspired, encouraged, challenged; maybe all of those things at once.
That experience can sometimes be just what you need to keep moving forward in life.
Read MoreI recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Dustin Lunceford and Christi Castleberry, two Vintage Partners and Masters students in Marriage and Family Therapy at NOBTS, to discuss the issue of mental health and how it relates to Christianity.
You can find Part 1 of our conversation here. We pick up in Part 2 looking at how families and church communities can point people struggling with mental illness to Jesus.
Read MoreFor the better part of my college experience, I struggled with depression.
I was a Christian, but I had allowed flaws to develop in how I viewed God and how I viewed myself. The lies I believed and my emotional state wreaked havoc on relationships in my life with the people I was close to.
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