“The empty tomb stands as your guarantee of help today and gives you hope for what is to come.” This was the first year I’ve walked through a Lenten devotional leading up to Easter. (I read “Journey to the Cross” by Paul David Tripp.) I plan on doing one every year now (maybe the same one. It was that good.) I didn’t really know what to expect from the Lent devotional. Would it talk about the characteristics of God and how Easter reflects them? Would it walk through the last days before Jesus’ crucifixion? Yes and yes. But most predominantly, it reflected on the sin inside man that led Jesus t ..read more

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This text is probably familiar to you. It is what Jesus utters on the cross before His death. You may also know it from the psalm that Jesus is quoting: Psalm 22.  Psalm 22 is an example of a prayer of lament. What does it mean to lament? According to the Oxford Dictionary, lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.  Though we aren’t sure of the specifics, we can tell David is crying out about a horrible situation. He feels like his enemies are winning, he is despised and mocked.  On the other hand, we know th ..read more

Most people probably know who Taylor Swift is, and most people also probably know that she is currently on The Eras Tour — a concert experience taking fans through her first 10 albums (or eras). With a 44-song setlist and a runtime of over three hours, it is a spectacle. I know firsthand. I saw her on the first night in Atlanta.  Many people are spending hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to see her show. People are camping out to have early access to the merchandise trucks. Concert-goers are putting together elaborate costumes. Some people have even spent hours handcrafting their outfi ..read more

We have an upcoming 3-day work trip to Louisana at Dogwood which got me to thinking about what are some tips I would give to people traveling for work purposes for the first time. Traveling and working can be a tricky combination, but with a plan, it doesn’t have to be!  Do you remember your first work trip? My first one was with a co-worker to Miami. I was not prepared at all to balance work obligations with the desire to see the city and take in a Marlins baseball game. We came back with too many stories that didn’t involve the conference we were supposed to be attending. Since then I’v ..read more

Leadership makes a huge difference in company culture and morale. Leaders can have the power to build up a company or be the reason for its downfall. When considering a leadership role in your career there are many things to consider. If you have the following traits your next fit could be a leadership role. 1. You enjoy helping and mentoring  If you are looking at the individuals on your team and you don’t want to pour into them, then a leadership role probably isn’t for you. Leaders should want to mentor their fellow employees. They should want to help, teach, and nurture them. Everyone ..read more

There are many fascinating stories in the Bible about ordinary people doing courageous things. David and Goliath is about a shepherd boy killing a giant no one else even dared to face.  Noah, ridiculed by everyone in the community, built a boat to save his family from the great flood.  Esther, a young Jewish girl, faced the wicked Haman who sought to annihilate the Jewish people.  Moses, prince turned shepherd, led the Israelites out of Egypt with the entire Egyptian army at his back.  Rahab, a prostitute, risked her life to help the Israelites conquer Jericho on ..read more

Beach Reach this year was truly amazing! Between both Beaches (Panama City and South Padre), the numbers were exciting to see. Beach Reach student missionaries:   Gave 36,685 people free van rides Engaged in 18,186 Gospel conversations Prayed with 13,922 people Led 374 people to Christ Praise God for what He has done! Continue to pray for those with whom the Gospel was shared, as well as pray that the students who served will finish out the semester strong on their own campuses. We wanted to highlight a few stories so that you could see just a ..read more

When you get to the end of your twin marathons – known often for campus ministers as Fall Semester and Spring Semester – it will be time to get curious about whether or not you have rested at all during the course of these two long stretches of the academic calendar we all live by. Are you exhausted? Ready to quit? Thinking about other work which may be less taxing? These are all signs you may be suffering from a lack of true rest. Of course, there can be other reasons behind those thoughts and feelings. They deserve to be explored. However, the best way to explore them is to first get some re ..read more

The words hit my ears like a foreign language.  I had just been told that in order to go into college ministry I would need to “raise support” for part of my salary.  “Raise support?” I knew what it was in general – I had done fundraising many times for short-term mission trips. But raising support for salary was a different thing, an unfamiliar thing.  Over the next several months I prayed, I processed, and I learned about what is involved in raising support.  What I learned then, and in the seven years since, has transformed how I think about support raising.  To be ..read more

Diamonds are stunning but how do you know if you are getting the best diamond possible? The Gemological Institute of America created a grading system known as the 4 C’s of diamonds or the International Diamond Grading System. The expert jewelers at Isbell are breaking down the 4 C’s of diamonds into easy-to-understand terms so you can know you are getting the best quality diamond at the right price! Cut Cutting a diamond is the process of taking a rough natural diamond and shaping it into a sparkling diamond suitable for jewelry. A diamond gemstone can be equal with others in clarity, color, a ..read more