Something dawned on me the other day. I realized I don’t know what “good” looks like. And by this, I mean that I do not truly know what is good for me. It is not that I do not know the difference between good and evil in my own actions, but that it’s not always clear in the moment whether an experience or event benefits me or not.  For example, I have told the story of waiting for the woman who would become my wife to return to me. (If you haven’t heard this story, you can listen to it here.) However, while re-telling it at a talk I recently gave, I understood something I had not thought ..read more

Kris Vallotton, a senior pastor at Bethel Church in California, once said, “We would never trust a person who lies to us as much as our fears do.” What he means is that we often allow ourselves to succumb to believing that fear is more than just an emotional response to something we do not want. Furthermore, we usually think that if we are afraid of something, it must be bound to happen, or it will really hurt us. In this way, we allow our fear to influence us to hold incorrect beliefs and sometimes even make poor decisions based on those beliefs. I am not saying that things you fear will neve ..read more

There is a false understanding that some people have, in which they think that unless they work for a church or ministry, then their job is separated from their faith and really does not have an impact on others spiritually. I recently spoke with a Christian car salesman who, after hearing what I did, downplayed his own job as comparatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I could not disagree more, and not just because I needed to buy a car that day. There is a great need for Christians basked in God’s love and holiness to enter into the world through various occupations where they ..read more

For the past month and a half, I have had a lot of conversations with people about certain situations that have either happened or have not happened, that could have changed lives for the better. I too have fallen into this pattern of thought that if only I had made a particular decision or taken this one action, things would look different in a way that I would not have to worry as much. However, this is not the right way for me to look at my life, as it removes the extraordinary loving care of God that He demonstrates for me in His providence. So, what is this providence we speak of? It’s Go ..read more

To describe my work in offering our one on one mentorship meetings to those we serve, I often tell people that it is a mix between life coaching, spiritual direction, and inner healing. Life coaching and spiritual direction make sense in today’s world, but for those who still have not heard of inner healing, more explanation is needed. The concept of inner healing is easy to grasp; it is healing that happens within the heart, but what exactly does this mean? Also, what exactly does inner healing do? To answer this question, let’s first look at why humans need inner healing. To cut straight to ..read more

Do you have something in your life that you care about and feel overwhelmed by the need to make it work out or end up with certain results? Often, people can put too much pressure on themselves to meet certain standards, achieve certain desired results, or even have things in their lives look a certain way. It can be a lot of pressure that causes stress, heartache, and even physical illness. God has a better way of handling these things. In trying to handle my life filled with things I care greatly about, I have caught myself striving and attempting to control. I have put some of these things ..read more

Wouldn’t it be weird for me to follow my wife around the house and watch her without speaking or interacting with her? It would be even stranger if she sometimes shouted, “Oh, please help me!” and I ran and did the dishes or another chore, but then I ran off without a word or smile. This would not be a very good relationship. However, this is how many people tend to think of God. A common belief is that He watches us live our lives and occasionally will help us with something if we ask enough. Or the people He likes the most will get a miracle occasionally. God is more than a “bad husband.” Li ..read more

Starting a prayer life was the best decision I have ever made. Eighteen years ago, I turned away from a miserable life of addiction. Actually, after years of struggling and being unable to quit, I walked away from all of my addictions, and there were several, in one day. However, there was a build-up to that moment when I dropped that 12-pack of beer out of my moving car window (sorry, Dawsonville Police Department and anyone who had to deal with that mess). I was able to arrive at that moment when I not only turned away from drinking but also from drugs and other nefarious behaviors because m ..read more

The Bible is much deeper than you could determine from only a casual reading. A more thorough perusal can yield tremendous insights about not only the people of the past and their experiences, but also your life today. Yes, it was written and even addressed to our ancestors. It is written with languages, genres, writing styles, terminology, and euphemisms that were more easily understood by people long ago than by you today. However, it is still directed to you as well. This means it is up to you to understand it and not walk away when you find it difficult. Some might try to limit Scripture t ..read more

I will be completely honest with you. When I responded to God’s call and started Zenith Ministries three and a half years ago, I struggled with answering this question. I had all sorts of thoughts to share on what we do and what I hoped this would accomplish, but I was never quite satisfied with how to explain them. I have a poetically inclined mind, so I often share an analogy for Zenith based on an experience I had preparing a hill on our property that my wife eventually turned into a garden. I can share the analogy another time, as I am still partial to it, however, right now let’s go into ..read more