Embracing the Void: All-In on Ego Death and Becoming “Me”
“If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.“– Matthew 16:24 I get an idea and I have to go for it. It’s one of…
The Immortality Key: A Bridge To Get Me On My Journey
The Immortality Key was one of those books that came to my attention in just the right way, and I had to investigate. Since getting sober, it has been a…
“Fearing Church Planting” – A Drunk Pastor REWIND
Before moving to Missoula to plant a church, and ruining everything through my addiction, there was this personal blog called Valid Ambiguity. Looking for a throwback post for some easy…
You Already Have Everything – An Addict’s Reflection on 2 Peter 1:3-10
2 Peter 1:3-10 is a passage that smacked me in rehab three years ago. It’s one of those where the writer of Scripture lays out a big picture, offering a…
The Book on the Samaritan Woman at the Well: Updates and Reflections
A bit ago, I posted about writing a book on the Samaritan Woman at the Well. It’s underway but has evolved, grown, and shifted. I need more time with her.…
“Do Not Let Your Left Hand Know…” – Secret Acts and Public Faith
Jesus still goes a bit further with "Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing." At least, my brain thinks he did. Of the other measures Jesus called you and me to take to ensure that we don't mess it up, this one is pretty messed up and borderline impossible.To do this, literally, you have to ensure that all the thoughts and thinking involved in moving your right hand don't even cross to the other side of your brain. Our brains have two hemispheres, and each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body. These hemispheres are bridged through the corpus callosum, lobes, brainstem, cerebellum, and others.
Returning From the Abyss: Faith, Salvation, & Real Life
It’s been a minute since a Drunk Pastor blog post had gone up. The Existential Hangover Newsletter subsequently is waiting for me. In my personal, daily life, starting and running…
From Honesty To Heresy:Rethinking What We Hold Certain
For years, I felt like a fraud, an imposter. It's something psychological like many people experience. I was a pastor, but deep down, my own beliefs were at odds with the doctrines I preached. I had a self-destructive habit of preventing myself from being fully authentic. I wasn't healthy. Leading a church terrified me. This internal conflict eventually led to a breakdown, and it took a rock bottom to force me to confront my fears and the issues within the church itself. I'm not the only one. It's amazing what a simple shift in perspective can do…eh, church?
Jacob’s Legacy: Fatherhood, Faith, And Forgiveness
Jacob's family has drama and issues. We can forget that these stories are about humans and that it was messy and not so cleanly scripted as we read them. Jacob was selfish and his family was a crap show. When his favorite son falls prey to the children Jacob fathered, Jacob's lifelong pursuit has born its fruit. He now swam in the wake of the mess he made.
Avoiding Change: Why We Don’t Believe People Can
In a last post on faith, I mentioned that I love Ted Lasso. Allow me to show some more of that love. In the previous seasons, Roy Kent, a quiet,…
