What do we do when we’re obeying Jesus but joy feels absent? When faith feels more like obligation than delight? Rather than abandoning duty, we need to expand our Christian imagination and rediscover the beauty already embedded within it. The good and the beautiful are not rivals — they are really the same.

Pastors can quietly assume their people don’t have the appetite for theological depth—but real conversations tell a different story. God’s people are often more curious and hungry for clarity than leaders expect. Pastors may be surprised by how eager their people are to grow when given the chance.

Christians are sometimes told not to worry too much about the end times, but our views of the future shape far more of our present than we realize. From political engagement to cultural posture, eschatology quietly directs how believers live. Theology is never abstract—it always finds its way into practice.

Jesus understands our limitations more deeply than we realize—not in theory, but by experience. Though He was the Creator of the world, He chose a life bound by space, time, fatigue, and growth. In His self-emptying, Jesus did not exploit His divine power but relied fully on the Spirit. In doing so, He shows us both a Savior who sympathizes with our weakness and a way of life empowered beyond it.

Raising a soon-to-be teenager begins long before they turn 13. As my son approached his teen years, I realized how much our earlier habits had strengthened our bond. Intentional rhythms can do the same for any parent and child.

You don’t have to be a perfect father. That job is already taken by our heavenly Father. But we have a longing to be intentional and instructive. Here are three things I’m glad I did when my firstborn son became a teenager.

We can assume our emotions arrive one at a time—sadness first, then joy once the sorrow passes. But Scripture paints a more complex picture: we can be “grieving, yet always rejoicing.” In embracing both joy and sorrow, we open ourselves to the presence of God and others in a more honest, healing way.

It’s easy to confuse perfectionism with excellence, but they’re not the same. Perfection demands flawlessness and leaves us exhausted, while excellence invites us to honor God with faithfulness. This post explores how to spot the difference.

Is it okay for a follower of Jesus to experience unhappiness, even feelings of depression? How should a Christian think through this dilemma? In this post, we explore a word of comfort and a caution from a written classic.

It’s been said, “Context is king,” and that “a text without a context is a pretext for a prooftext.” Context is the one thing we can’t miss when reading the Bible. If we read the Bible in context, we will find ourselves experiencing the full benefits of God’s Word.

Every spring, approximately 2.4 billion people in the world celebrate Easter. But who exactly is welcome to this celebration? Who is Easter for? This post offers a short, non-exhaustive list of those welcome to celebrate Easter according to the historical accounts of Jesus’ resurrection.

Much like the classic game “Two Truths and a Lie” there are also three versions of forgiveness. Two of them are cultural counterfeits and one is a true and beautiful version of forgiveness. This post unpacks these three versions and invites us to the path of greater freedom.

Forgiveness from the penalty of sins. Freedom from the power of sin. Freedom from the presence of sin in eternity. These are incredible benefits to what Christianity has called “salvation.” And yet these are not the greatest benefit of getting saved. There is still one privilege that surpasses them all.

This was the question an individual recently asked me. What if I told you that Jesus as our substitute is utterly foundational to what makes Christianity good news? Rip out the idea of Jesus as our substitute who makes atonement for our sins? It’s akin to ripping out the very foundation of a house which will no longer be able to stand.

Do you operate out of gospel security or gospel-less insecurity? Gospel security happens when we live from a deep-seated belief of our core identity as a child of God. To neglect this turns us into fearful performers who need to achieve and earn the love of God and the respect of others around us leading to perpetual exhaustion. This post looks at two evidences of gospel security from the life and journey of the Apostle Paul.

It’s been said that “Trust is hard-earned, easily lost, and difficult to reestablish.” What does it mean to be trustworthy? How do I regain trust once I’ve lost it? This post answers these questions by looking at the life of the Old Testament prophet, Daniel.

No one wants to be the person lacking self-awareness. It places a lid on one’s personal relationships and professional development.  But what if I told you that unless coupled with two other “awarenesses”, self-awareness alone is insufficient, if not potentially dangerous?

Gospel centrality, the thought that the work of Christ—His death and resurrection—as being foundational and the lens through which we understand all things discipleship used to be popular. Is this still relevant in the current life of the church? Or is this now an outdated question in light of cultural shifts?

It’s a common experience for new parents or parents of young kids to feel like their experience of God has taken a dramatic turn. In this post, I make a case for why the simple discipline of going to church will make all the difference for you and your family.

In the last few weeks, I’ve had multiple conversations with Jesus-loving parents of young kids who have expressed a spiritual wrestle and frustration in the new season of parenting. What do we make of the new season of parenting? This piece serves to encourage those who find themselves there.