All Our Hopes and Fears

"[T]here was more than merely hope that lay in an animal trough in a small town called Bethlehem that night the angels appeared to startled shepherds and announced the birth of a Savior, their Messiah and Lord. Something capable of instilling a fear deeper and wider than hell itself lay swaddled on top of the straw too."

Job, James, and Jesus

[A]t the very same time that we continue to ask our Father in heaven to "lead us not into temptation," nevertheless we continue to rejoice when we find ourselves in that very place. Even there God is with us. Even there God is sovereign over every last detail of the situation. And even there God has a good end in mind for his beloved children.

What We Find “Beneath Old Grey Olive Trees”

I don't think it's hyperbole to say that "All torturing questions find / Answer beneath those old grey olive trees." The answers that linger there with Jesus in Gethsemane may not be exactly what you would have hoped for, but they are the answers you need.

Waiting To Get Wet

"We had decided to take a step out of our boat and see if the raging waves would hold us up. That morning outside the supermarket, our feet were still falling—hadn't hit the waves yet—and it wasn't looking like the waves were going to be able to hold us up. In fact, I was wondering if car trouble meant we shouldn't just fling ourselves back in the boat, that is, return home, put our pajamas back on, and spend the rest of the day binge watching Columbo."

When God Falls Silent, Or So It Seems

"God may utter his words at a given time, but his words are unlike our words that slowly get dispersed as they reverberate through the air and eventually cease. When God speaks his words, they continue to resound into eternity future. Just as God exist in the eternal present, so do his words."