My wife Melody and I are very intentional about what we wear and how we look. We believe God, who wonderfully and fearfully made us, wants us to be kept the same way, and really, we both just like to look good. For her, it’s from the hairstyle, to make-up, lipstick, outfit, shoes, bag, overall color combination, and even the sunshades. For me, it’s much less (obviously!): a well-ironed outfit (emphasis is on the “well-ironed”) and just the right footwear to go with it, and the right attitude, or “swagger.” Earlier this month, we had planned to go to the Six Flags amusement park in New Jersey ..read more

WRITTEN BY: Cresean Hughes One of the happiest memories of my childhood is the day that my grandfather taught me how to tie a tie. To this day, tying a tie brings back deeply cherished memories of him and that particular day.  Once I got a little older and went off to college, tying a tie was certainly an important skill to have, but I also had this urge to stand out a bit more. I wanted to learn how to tie a bow tie. Bow ties always seemed so unique and stylish, and I thought wearing one from time to time would be a great way to express myself, my individuality, and my personality.  ..read more

WRITTEN BY: EMILY COPELAND Keep calm and carry on. That mantra works well in many areas of life, but it’s not so easy to keep calm or carry on when your faith is chipping away little by little.  Let’s face it, keeping your faith isn’t an easy feat. There are truly tragic things happening nearby and around the world. We face complicated relationships with our families, friends, and coworkers. Then there are the daily challenges we all face that can just wear us down.  3 Things That Can Destroy Your Faith  1. Words  Words have power. Kind words can encourage us when we’re d ..read more

WRITTEN BY: Lindsey Daly Eight hours and forty-three minutes The level of shock that I felt cannot be fully put into words. No, this wasn’t the average amount of sleep that I was getting in a night (with an infant and a toddler under my roof). It wasn’t the total number of hours I had spent reading my Bible in a week, playing outside with my kids, or grabbing coffee with friends. This was the number of hours I had clocked on my phone. IN A DAY! How in the world had I spent almost an entire waking day on my phone? Even typing out that last sentence conjures up my gag reflex. I feel simultaneo ..read more

WRITTEN BY: Emily Copeland When we welcome someone into our home, it’s not uncommon to receive questions about the two jars of marbles on display. The cool thing about that is it gives us an opportunity to share our vision for intentional parenting. In other words, it gives us a chance to talk about parenting with purpose.  It’s hard to believe it now, but we had nearly a thousand marbles in each jar when we first began. That was enough to represent every week from birth to eighteen for both of our kids. All these years later, our jars are more empty than full. That’s because we remove a ..read more

WRITTEN BY: Wil Smith What Is My Purpose? What is my purpose? This is one of the most asked questions among Christians right after they have put their faith in Jesus or have taken the step of baptism.  I was there just about five years ago. My journey began with a challenge from a friend; he said, “Before you start each day, give God your yes. Say yes to anything he is asking you to do and as you say yes, watch what he begins to do.” After that first “yes” there was a hunger for a relationship with God, an eagerness to know what was next. I wanted to know what big thing he was going to as ..read more

Your Questions About Baptism Answered If you’ve been gathering at The Journey for any length of time, or even if you just recently walked through the doors, you most likely have heard talk about baptism and you may be wondering just what the hype is all about. Maybe you’re even questioning if this is your next step, but how do you know if it is? As we dive into the “why, what, and who’s” of baptism, we hope that you will find the answers you are searching for and that this will help guide your decision to go all in with Jesus!    WHY BE BAPTIZED? Those who are baptized are following ..read more

The Space In Between WRITTEN BY: Teresa Lyn Barton Have you ever found yourself in the space in between hopeful expectation and a reality that seeks to pry your fingers loose from the tentative hold they have on to hope? Maybe that promotion at work you anticipated getting was awarded to another, and now you are left to sit in bitter disillusionment. Or a relationship that you’ve invested so much in is falling apart. The addiction that no matter how hard you fight to rise above just keeps pulling you under. That miracle you’ve been praying for years for feels like it is falling on deaf ears, a ..read more

A Guide For Personal Prayer Prayer. What is it exactly? Have you ever struggled to find the “right” words to pray? Wondered, “Am I even doing this correctly?” Or maybe you hesitate because you suspect God would never even listen to you anyway. If you’ve ever struggled with any of these doubts, you’re not alone in that! We know what it’s like to not know “how to pray”! So, we’d love to come alongside you in this by providing this simple guide that will help answer these questions as well as propel you into a deeper relationship with God.  Here is what lead Pastor Mark Johnston has to say ..read more

Closer WRITTEN BY: Anthony Reid Most of us have a number of different titles or roles by which we are known. Whether it is brother, friend, mother, father, professor, or even Eagles fan, each of these names or titles tells us something about us. And so, as we wrap up our Day 22 three-week devotional, we hope that we have helped you learn a bit more about “What’s In A Name?” Through this devotional journey together, we have intentionally taken the time to look closely at the names used to refer to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit but also what these names reflect about their character, promises ..read more