Have you ever been literally punched in the gut? Those of us unfortunate enough to have experienced this sensation know a couple things. First, you literally cannot prepare yourself for the reverberating pain that you are going to experience. It is radiating, sharp discomfort that seems to last and last. Action movies don’t do justice to the toll even a minor injury like this can take on the body! Second, it will stop you in your tracks. You have no choice but to confront the pain that you are experiencing and let it sink in before you can move on…

It was a sobering moment when I realized I had become complacent and had begun going through the motions of my faith rather than being active and engaged. Christian complacency can look like different things for different believers, and it’s dangerous because it is easy - all you must do is sit back and go with the flow. This is because complacency does not require discipline, accountability, or action. Because of these things, a life of complacency can be appealing to many, making it a dangerous tool that the enemy uses against us…

We all want something. At any given point in time, we are pursuing a goal or setting our lives on a certain trajectory. Right now you might be getting ready for college, or to get your driver’s license, or to get a job. If you’re like me, you like to have a plan. I don’t plan out my every move, but I tend to have a few steps I know I need to take to get where I want to go. It’s comfortable having a plan. It makes me feel like I’m in control…

He came into the world He created, born in a manger on a night in Bethlehem. He came quietly, but his coming was the moment the tide began to turn. The world had long ago rejected its maker, it would soon reject Him too, as it was written.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Ah, winter in the Northwest! What’s not to like? Well, maybe the gray skies hanging low over the leafless trees still dripping from a recent downpour, the mushy mossy grass that sprays mud on your shoes, and the dark nights that arrive early and stay too long. Maybe that? Yes, definitely that. Deep down we know spring is coming, but for now it seems like things will never change…

Valentine’s Day — You either love it or you hate it. You either have somebody, or you don’t. It’s the one holiday that’s all about love. Looking forward to celebrating with that special someone makes for a day filled with excitement. But for those without a significant other, Valentine’s Day can feel like another holiday you just have to get through…