There are certain phrases that Christians use that I struggle with. These phrases typically fall within the category of Christianeses, bits of insider language that lack clarity without preexisting knowledge. Many of these phrases are found in Scripture but entirely divorced from context and are therefore used incorrectly (ie, “hedge of protection,” Job 1:10). Others, like “follow Jesus,” are significantly less peculiar but can still lack clarity, especially if you’re unfamiliar with Christianity as a whole. What Does it Mean to Follow Jesus? Following Jesus is shorthand based on Jesus’ repea ..read more

For the last few years, I’ve sat with my cursor hovering over the “submit” button but could never push it. Something always felt like it was holding me back. And maybe something was. But was it fear? The Holy Spirit? Honestly, I can’t say for sure. But for years, I’ve wanted to continue the seminary journey I began way back in 2015. This week, I’m finally doing it as I begin working toward a Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies through Redemption Seminary. Why did I wait so long? Realistically, even working at a slow pace, I should have been finished a degree years ago. However, clearly didn’t ..read more

The longer I study the Bible, the more I appreciate how challenging it can be to translate the text effectively, especially into English. Where we might have one word for a particular object or emotion, Greek might have four. They all mean the same thing, but they have nuances—a range of meanings that, together, give us a comprehensive picture than our one English word can. Love is a great example of this. Throughout the Bible, there are several different words that are translated as love. And the particularly studious among us might be inclined to dig into the nuances of those words. This c ..read more

My church has been studying John’s Gospel together for more than a year. Every week, we’ve explored how this book lives up to its purpose: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31, NET). I almost wish the book ended with these words. After all, they carry a powerful weight. But if the book ended there, we would miss out on something else, something beautiful in John 21. This chapter serves as the epilogue of John’s Gospel. It is also an invitation, one that begins with breakfast. An Invitation to Breakfas ..read more

It happens to every writer eventually. We’ll be plugging away on a project for days or weeks, making varying degrees of progress. Ideas and sentences flow. Then we hit a wall, and try as we might, we can’t seem to get past it. We’re stuck. But how do we get unstuck? Is it just a matter of waiting it out, or can we take any steps to get back in the groove? While every writer is different, here are four actions I’ve found that help me whenever I’m stuck and can’t seem to move forward. Take a break When I get stuck, it’s usually because I’m tired. I need to take a break, so the best thing I can ..read more

So. Aliens. Maybe. Maybe not? Depending on how inclined you are to pay attention to such things, you may have already tuned out. But in my house, this has been a topic of conversation since the congressional hearings on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) were held in July 2023. What surprised me most was the person who initiated these conversations: my wife. This area is not in her typical area of interest. (Anything with an air of the speculative typically falls into my realm.) But something about this has captured her attention, and since it has her attention, I want to pay attention as w ..read more

I was not prepared for the culture shock I experienced in 2016. That was the year I moved from my home country—Canada—to the United States. But I didn’t just move to the United States. I moved to Tennessee. To the South.1 Flannery O’Connor, a Southern Gothic storyteller, describes the South as hardly being Christ-centered but “most certainly Christ-haunted.”2 There is less of a certainty or conviction that Christianity is true and more of a fear that it may be. Here, a thin veneer of religiosity covers up the crud that is out in the open in a post- or pre-Christian culture. People might go t ..read more

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’re probably familiar with the mountaintop experience cliché. Inspired by Moses ascending the mountain at Sinai to meet with God (Exodus 19:3–25; 24:17–18), this concept is meant to describe a special awareness of God’s presence and love for us. A keener sense that he is with us than we might otherwise have. I’m sure many of us have had this experience at one time or another. It is a good thing when we do. But we also need to be careful in what we assume about such experiences. Specifically, we need to recognize that, just as the sort of c ..read more

I love the Psalms. I keep coming back to them. Some are continually stuck on repeat in my head and heart. One reason I love the Psalms because they are the most “human” part of the Bible. There is an earthiness to them that reminds us that helps us see that God cares about the entirety of the human experience. That includes those times when we wonder if God is listening. If he sees—or if he even cares. Those moments when we find ourselves asking, “God, where are you?” Why Are We Afraid to Ask? Psalm 10 opens with that very question. “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you pay no att ..read more

In 2023, I did something I’d been considering for a long time: I deleted the app formerly known as Twitter from my phone.1 I’d been a regular user since 2009. Back in the day, it was a great experience in part because you could have actual dialogue. Now, not so much. Dialogue has been replaced with factionalism. Where you could once meaningfully engage with people you might disagree with, it seems the expectation is that we’ll condemn one another instead.2 It’s all so unreasonable. I don’t have much interest in that. Part of why it’s so unpleasant is that factionalism requires you to draw har ..read more