Do you ever find yourself judging those whose appearance/job/background/etc. may be different than yours? Who would you say are the “despised ones” of our generation?

I want to share a few thoughts about friendship (and a few hot takes) to encourage you and hopefully challenge you on your journey of finding friends and being a good one. I’ll be honest - I’m going to say somethings that might not sit well with you at first, but stick with me!

Change is hard. It is also inevitable. So how can we find comfort during seasons of life where things are uncertain, hopeless, or unpredictable? How do we find rest when we feel like life is spinning outside of our control?

All throughout the school year, I fought God. I didn’t pray to him, I didn’t thank him for everything I had, and I still resented him for what had happened. I still went to church with my family on Sundays, but…

What we know for sure is that words are not intrinsically evil. There are no combinations of sounds that are automatically sinful. Words are vehicles for information and attitudes, and you and I both know those can be sinful! The point is that there are a lot of gray areas when it comes to swearing, and you’re going to have to use discernment…

For five years, I worked as a waiter at a country club restaurant in Seattle. Slacks and ties, fine silver, crystal glasses…it was kind of snooty, really. But the best part of the job was that once per shift, every waiter was allowed to eat an “employee meal.” Basically, this meant we got to eat free food off the menu of the restaurant– and pretty incredible food, at that…

Based on my experiences working and living in secular environments over the past decade or so, here is a framework that I have found helpful!

Some battles have odds that seem overwhelmingly stacked against us, but this verse reminded us that any situation we face was not ours but belongs to Jesus. The fight, the outcome, and the glory - it all belongs to Him.

It’s pretty obvious that gardens are a big deal to God. You can’t get very far in reading the Bible without coming across some kind of garden or a metaphor regarding trees, plants or seeds. In fact, the Bible begins and ends in a garden…