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Not a Laser, a Light: Reflecting on Encouragement
I live in the neighborhood all Midwestern dads reminisce about. Every morning, kids march past my house and up a hill to the elementary school. In the afternoon, they traipse back, climbing through my yard, which is also uphill. They don’t know it yet, but someday they’ll boast to their kids, “When I was your…
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Of The Making of Much Content There is No End: Reflecting on Ecclesiastes and Instagram
My Instagram feed is filled with “marketing experts” offering advice on producing endless content to build up a personal brand. But, why? These self-proclaimed “experts” have built massive followings of people who are desperate to gain followings…but for what? We have created a culture of people who are eager to be famous just for the…
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7 Similarities Between Christian Encouragement and Spirit-filled Singing
As I’ve plunged into the deep end of exegesis and research this week, I’ve found even more similarities between encouragement and singing than I expected. These are not fully developed premises, but I hope these basic points and scripture citations inspire you to dive in for yourself. Encouragement and singing are both:1. Characteristic of God…
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A Few Lessons from Pruning My Grape Vines
When we first moved to Iowa, we were met with tremendous fruitfulness—and not just spiritually! Upon moving into our home, we found a young apple tree, a mature cherry tree, and two lush grapevines. I was enchanted. Having grown up in Phoenix, I was used to planting ill-fated gardens each year only to watch my…
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Dressed in Splendeur Podcast
Anyone who knows me knows that I am always thinking ahead. I journal because, if I don’t, I forget to look back and give thanks for the wonderful things God has done in my life. My recent conversation with Lydia Summer of SPLENDEUR Magazine and Podcast was a much-needed time of reflecting on God’s goodness.…
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Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard v. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Hate Watching” and Our Cult of Self-Justification
Yesterday night I flipped on the TV (mistake number one) to see that a recap of the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial is already—barely a year later—available for streaming. Not only is it available, it is currently the top trending series on Netflix. I couldn’t help reading the description: Revisit the explosive trial that…
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Singing Our Way to Gospel Culture: Seven Things We Do When We Sing Hymns Together
I spent the last week studying and discussing gospel culture, which is, most simply, the unity between Christians that flows from union with Christ. The majority of my classmates were pastors, so we spent a lot of time talking about how to foster gospel culture through preaching and shepherding. Naturally, I was concerned with how…
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Reblog: Accepting Ministry as Ministry
Today I’m attending a class on honor and encouragement, and it reminded me of this post from early in my ministry. Enjoy!
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10 Women’s Ministry Events I Would Actually Enjoy
I have a confession: I have never been a big fan of women’s retreats, teas, conferences, and the like. It’s not that I dislike ministry or women or brunch (trust me, I LOVE brunch). Really, I just have a hard time sitting still and talking without a shared activity or passion. I think more women…
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Three Reasons You Don’t Feel Joyful During Musical Worship
Have you ever sat through a church service and wondered, “Why don’t I feel anything?” Or been told by a worship leader to “make a joyful noise” while you’re just wondering how you’re going to stay awake, let alone rejoice? You’re not alone. Keep reading for three reasons you might not feel joyful during worship…
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Social Media and Sabbaths
It’s Saturday evening, and I am filled with relief. Tomorrow, at last, is a Sabbath. Sundays are not restful for me. I rise earlier than other mornings and practice for an hour or so before my first church service, where I play the organ and direct the choir. After this, I snatch a few donut…
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Three Ways Musical Roots Teach Us About Love
I am always amazed by how music—even music theory—images certain theological concepts. Enjoy! 1. The Root Provides Identity In music theory, the “root” is the note by which a scale or chord is named (C is the root of a C major scale, and so on). It is the foundational pitch that gives the scale…
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