god-centered community God designed you for community (1 Peter 2:4–5; Eph. 2:19–22). He made you with a desire to connect with other people who can grow with you, cry with you, sharpen you, encourage you, and laugh with you. No matter your stage or season, all of us long to find people we can simply […]

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) For more of my life than not, the idea of “unceasing prayer” felt a little like one of those ultimate marathons—the kind where people run 100 miles and leave the rest of the world hanging in the balance of awe and unbelief that such a feat is humanly possible […]

an unexpected morning I awoke on my kitchen floor, shaking with cold and shock, blood trickling from my mouth. Touching my lip, I found it swollen and terribly tender under my fingers. I took a few breaths in the darkness, hearing the refrigerator’s hum behind me, and tried to recall what had happened. In a […]

We trust people who are like us. Think about who you vote for, who you sit next to in church, and who you let watch your kids. It’s people who are like you. We constantly surround ourselves with like-minded people because we trust them. We want to follow leaders who think like us because we […]

When Stress Changes Our Plans In 2015, my Labor Day did not go according to plan. Instead of spending an enjoyable day with friends, I sat in an emergency care center learning that I had shingles. One of the diagnostic questions the doctor asked me was if I had recently been under significant stress to […]