Search Results for: church

Lessons learned from climbing the Rockies The day was clear as we cautiously climbed our way up the steep northern slope of Challenger Point, a mountain summit in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Colorado Rockies. There are only ninety-five other “fourteeners” in the United States, and Challenger Point towers 14,087 feet into the…

A disciple-maker once said, “Justin, you must learn to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.” When I first heard those words, I was conflicted. On one hand, I wouldn’t say I liked the statement because I wanted results. I enjoyed the results of all the hard work I did for Jesus. Results that looked good…

“You!” The shift in tone cracked through the dusty lecture hall, abruptly interrupting the monotonous drone of the lesson. All eyes turned away from their studious notes or distracted doodles to focus on the weathered professor. “Hey, you!” the professor repeated, capturing the attention of every freshman in my Intro to Old Testament class. We…

Abiding with Jesus in the Chaos: Navigating Addiction, Parenting, and Faith “What is that annoying sound? Why won’t it stop?” I look at the clock, it’s 2 am. My phone is ringing and it’s an unknown number. My thoughts are racing, and my heart is pounding. I frantically grab my phone and sit up in bed…”hello…hello”…silence….

According to any personality test I have ever taken; I always scored in the 98th percentile of extroverts. Even before my relationship with Christ, being around others left me energized and felt life giving. In my walk with Christ over the years I am learning the value of relationships; especially within the context of disciple…

“Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”” John 2:17 NLT What picture comes to mind when I envision Jesus going into the temple for Passover, seeing the animal-sellers and the money-changers, making a whip to drive out the animals, and flipping the tables of the dishonest…

“But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”” ‬‬ John 2:5 NLT A Wedding Miracle. Turning the water to wine. Jesus’ first miracle. One thing I’d never considered about this miracle is Mary’s perspective. Why was she so concerned about the wine running out? Was this the wedding of a family member or…

“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day. John 1:39 NLT ‬‬““Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.” John…

“At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” Mark‬ ‭1:12-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬ The wilderness temptation account is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Mark offers only two verses as a summary of…

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (CSB) A NEW BEGINNING Several months ago, the Lord transitioned my family and me to a new assignment back in my home “country” of Texas. As we left one church to serve another in pastoral ministry, we left a…

All of us wrestle with these questions: Why am I here?  What is my purpose? What is my reason for existence? Am I making a difference or just taking up space? These questions haunted me through my high school and early college years. I sought to gain approval and purpose through performance, achievement, and pleasing…