Heart &amp; Emotions

When the Wine Runs Out

Sitting at Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square, I had to lead another Bible study. But I'd already studied the Bible with five...

Grace

Angered By Grace

In the spring of 2009, a student I discipled, whom I'll call Rob, went on a missions trip to Honduras. Unfortunately, on...

Following Jesus

When You Feel Invisible

I was standing in the foyer of a massive megachurch, watching everyone else do what I couldn't figure out how to do. Eve...

Loneliness

When Everyone Else Is Panicking

I told myself I'd stop reading about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and get back to work, but that was at least an hour...

When the Storm Won't Stop

I gave up sleeping and grabbed my iPhone. 2:47 a.m. The morning couldn't come soon enough, even if I was dreading going...

Nowhere Else To Go

I showed up at the building to collect my items and say goodbye, but a security guard met me outside the front door with...

Divisive Love

"I appreciate what you're doing, but I can't get involved. I hope you understand." I did understand. Our family had two...

Love

Come and Drink

I went to the morning prayer meeting because I was running on empty. The grind of planning our annual summer conference...

Reflect: Found by Jesus

Assurance of Salvation

You're Not a Christian

Who am I to question someone’s faith? It’s the kind of accusation that abusive leaders use to destabilize and control. E...

Discipleship

I Just Couldn't See It

"For five months I've perceived you as being arrogant to me. So I've been praying for you every day and trying to start...

Reflect: The Answer You Didn't Want

Comfort

DoorDash Jesus

For ten years after college, I worked as a campus minister. So, my income depended on the sacrificial giving of others....

When You've Got Nothing Left

Before I turned 30, I broke out with shingles. My body was telling me something my pride couldn't admit: I was doing too...

Rest

The Word is With Us

My Mom said the rocks would be amazing. I believed her, but sitting in the car for hours made me wish I was back home. S...

God's Presence

The Life We Are Dying to Kill

I once got incredibly angry at one of my roommates because he wrote a blog with what I considered bad theology. I felt I...

Grace

Reflect: Living Water

When God Already Knows

"How's your week been?" I asked him. He started talking about the stress of his studies. It was safe terrain, and I knew...

Shame

The World He Loved

We love John 3:16 because it feels safe. It's an inspirational thought printed on bumper stickers and In-N-Out cups. But...

Going to Jesus

We were sitting at Flour in Boston because I couldn't resist their croissants. As I caught up with an old friend, I ask...

Worship

When Success Feels Like Losing

I watched my friend Nabeel Qureshi captivate a room for an hour, telling story after story. Afterwards, I saw the line o...

Reflect: Plans for Jesus

Following Jesus

God's Grace Is Enough

I remember staring at my phone, willing myself to pick it up, but my arm felt like lead. I needed to raise support to ke...

Holiness Happens When We Stop Hiding

I was twenty-four, running through a park near Waynoka Avenue in Memphis. Mile two, maybe three. The cold air burned my...

Community

The Weight of a Fresh Calendar

A fresh paper planner smells like anxiety. It's the feeling that if you can just organize the boxes right, you can final...

Between The Door and The Rooster

My friends kept inviting me to hang out with them and Sam. They were patient and kind with him, whether he was depressed...

Love

Who Is Blind?

"This is the first time I've been able to sing a worship song since my pastor abused me." I didn't know what to say. As...

Healing

The Water That Doesn't Run Out

We were expecting a fabulous meal at the ski lodge's steakhouse. High ceilings, mahogany leather chairs, elegantly dress...

When Outsiders Get It First

"I just called everyone on my phone and told them about Jesus." I was stunned. I didn't even know she was a Christian....

Sharing Faith

What Anxiety Gets Wrong About Tomorrow

After resigning from a ministry job as a whistleblower, I suddenly realized I was unemployed. We anticipated that our in...

When Nothing Has Worked

At one of the lowest points in my life, I'd been hurting for so long that I didn't know if the pain would ever go away....

Hopelessness

Convenient Amnesia

A best-selling apologist called me to talk about Ravi. He agreed that Ravi was a liar, a bully, and a predator. Then he...

The God Who Flips Tables

The story about Jesus flipping tables is awkward. It's used both to rationalize posting rage bait online and to attack J...

Justice

Defending Your Faith Without A Philosophy Degree

After I came to faith, my family and friends often asked me difficult questions. The big discussions in my teenage years...

Apologetics

True Friends Might Wound Us

When I was fifteen, my grandfather asked if he could talk with me for a moment. I could tell from the tone of his voice...

The Exhaustion of Self-Creation

When Facebook first arrived at my college, I remember the rush to set up a profile so everyone could know who I was, wha...

Grace

When Disappointment Is Doubt

If any organization should have represented God well, it was Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. I worked there. I...

Doubt & Questions

A Beautiful Waste

When I graduated from Rhodes College, all of my friends were getting traditional jobs that came with salaries, benefits,...

Following Jesus

When Prayer Feels Like a Performance

My friend and I met up in Bellingrath Chapel at Rhodes College, where we'd agreed to pray together for an hour. The sile...

Prayer

Reflect: Look at Jesus

The Debt You Could Never Repay

I was at Crunch, on the second rep of my bicep curls, and without warning, I nearly dropped the weights. "I just want to...

Forgiveness

The Unlikely Disciple

The discolored, funky-smelling jerseys made middle school P.E. bad enough. But the worst part was when teams were picked...