Category Archives: North Village Church

Embrace Ownership at North Village Church: A Guide

Owning the vision of North Village Church makes all the difference!  Owning the vision means every person sees the church’s purpose as their personal responsibility, not just a support system for someone else’s vision.

What does it look like to develop an “owners’ mindset?”

What’s the Difference?

Helper MindsetOwner Mindset
“Let me know what you need.”                  “Here’s something I can do to move us forward.”
“That’s pastor’s / staff’s job.”                  “This is our mission—and I’ve got a role in it.”
“I help when it works for me.”                  “I show up with consistency and commitment.”
“I’m here to receive.”                  “I’m here to invest—my time, energy, and heart.”
“I notice problems.”                  “I bring solutions with grace and initiative.”
“This is a church.”                “This is my church.”

How to Live as an Owner

1.    Show Up Like It’s Your Living Room

Welcome others like you’re hosting them in your own space. Look for the new. Smile. Initiate.

2.    Speak Life and Vision

Talk about the church like it’s yours. Encourage others. Protect the unity. Avoid gossip.

3.    Take Ownership of Your Spiritual Growth

Don’t wait to be spoon-fed. Dig into Scripture. Ask questions. Be discipled, and disciple others.

4.    Pitch In Without Needing a Title

See a problem? Fix a problem. Owners take initiative, whether it’s picking up trash or praying for someone.

5.    Pray Boldly for the Vision

Learn the vision.  Own the vision.  Pray as someone who’s locked in, not locked out. Ask God to move through us, not just some people.

Reflection Questions

  • What would change if I saw this church as my responsibility?
  • Where am I waiting for permission instead of walking in purpose?
  • Who am I intentionally building up here?
  • What do I bring to the mission God has given us?

Engaging in Immigration Conversations with Compassion

What do you do in those moments when you are at work or a family gathering, and someone makes a reference toward a cultural / political event? Fight or flight or freeze? One of those cultural conversations right now is around immigration, and now more than ever we need to be learning how to lean into those conversations instead of avoid.

As a follower of Jesus, immigration isn’t just a political issue, it’s a people issue. It’s also deeply theological. And as someone who believes the gospel shapes every corner of life, including how we talk about borders and belonging—I’ve been asking, How do I speak about immigration in a way that’s faithful to Scripture and neighborly in spirit?

Especially in a place like Austin, a city that prides itself on being inclusive, justice-oriented, and wonderfully weird, the way we engage matters just as much as what we say, therefore, I wanted to provide some encouragement when we find ourselves in those conversations.

Let me offer some reflections on how we can enter this conversation winsomely: with truth, compassion, and humility.

Start with Stories, Not Soundbites

Most people have an immigration story, whether it’s their great-grandparents who came through Ellis Island or a neighbor who crossed a desert last year. Stories have a way of softening walls that data and debate only harden.

I recently met a man whose journey to the U.S. took over a year, and the process for him to get citizenship in the United States took over 10 years! But the real story wasn’t how far he traveled, it was why.

He had been manipulated by people in his country that told him they had created a way for him to get into the country legally, and it was expensive! Him and his family gave them so much money, only to find out the process was to sneak him into the country.

When we begin with real people, we remind everyone that immigration isn’t just a policy issue. It’s a person issue.

Root the Conversation in Shared Values

As a follower of Jesus, I start with this: every person is made in the image of God. That’s non-negotiable. And because of that, I’m called to care to care about others and extend compassion toward those who are hurting or struggling.

At the same time, I also believe in the importance of order, justice, and systems that work. That doesn’t make me cold-hearted. It means I care about both compassion and structure, and I don’t believe we have to choose one or the other.

That’s the tension many of us feel: How do we love our neighbor and respect our nation’s laws? That’s a holy tension, not a political problem.

Understanding Austin’s Heartbeat

Austin, where I’ve planted roots, is a city of contrasts. It’s progressive, but still deeply Texan. It values independence, but also community. It welcomes everyone, while being a fairly divided city ethnically and economically.

Here’s where I find common ground:

  • Austin values about justice — and, as a follower of Jesus, so do I.
  • Austin values diversity — and, as a follower of Jesus, so does the kingdom of God.
  • Austin believes in local action over national gridlock — and the Church has always been a grassroots movement.

But there are also tensions:

  • Austin often resists institutional voices, and as a pastor, I get lumped into that category.
  • The city prefers nuance over certainty, and my biblical convictions can sound too rigid if I’m not careful with tone.
  • Some reject the idea of borders altogether, while I believe in the value of lawfully ordered immigration.

Knowing these dynamics helps me approach conversations with humility, not just truth.

How to Talk About Immigration Without Starting a Fire

Here are a few ways I’ve learned to engage the conversation, especially with neighbors, coworkers, or congregants:

  • Ask better questions:
    “What’s your family’s immigration story?” “What challenges does Austin experience because of immigration?” “How do you think a city like Austin benefits from immigration?” “What would a just system look like to you?”
  • Name the tension:
    “I feel caught between the heartbreak of broken systems and the need for secure borders. But I want to be someone who listens more than lectures.”
  • Focus on people, not politics:
    We can disagree on policy and still agree that every person deserves dignity.

The Church’s Role in a Time of Division

The early church was full of immigrants, refugees, outcasts, and people who didn’t “belong.” Paul says in Ephesians 2:19, “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household.” That’s the kind of community we’re called to build.

The gospel doesn’t erase borders, but it does erase hostility.

What would happen if we, regardless of political leanings, followers of Jesus became known for welcoming the outsider, respecting rules and laws, advocating for justice, and treating every person as someone Jesus died for? Sure, it’s a lofty goal but that’s the opportunity for the local church in this conversation today.

A Path Forward

Let’s not settle for the shouting match. Let’s become porch people, not just protesting people. Let’s build conversations and learn from one another. Let’s lean into conversations instead of avoiding topics. And let’s trust that the God who watches over nations also sees every individual soul.

If you’d like to explore ways to serve immigrants in Austin, we have a group of people from the Ukraine who meet regularly in our building and a church from Nepal who gather in worship on Sunday afternoon’s. These are great people and great ways to get a front row view into their experience.

Still Standing: A Night of Comedy + Life + Hope

The 5-Day Humor & Hope Challenge

Building Resilience One Laugh, One Story, One Step at a Time

Let’s be honest: life can feel like a roller coaster you didn’t want to ride.

Some of us are raising teenagers, losing loved ones, trying to keep marriages alive, or just trying to get the dog to stop chewing Amazon boxes. (Why is cardboard the forbidden fruit for a dog?)

As a pastor for 25 years, a husband for 26 years, and a dad to two grown children, I’ve learned the hard way that life isn’t about avoiding the storm. It’s about learning how to dance in it, and sometimes laugh so hard you forget it’s raining.

That’s why I created the 5-Day Humor & Hope Challenge, a simple rhythm of encouragement to help real people (like you and me) build resilience through laughter, faith, and small honest steps.

If you’re tired, burned out, or just looking for something to lighten the load, this is for you.

Day 1: Own Your Mess—Then Laugh!

Let’s stop pretending we’ve got it all together. That’s exhausting. The truth is, some of your best moments, the things that bond you to other people, are the stories you’re tempted to hide.

Like the time I had to walk my mom (who had schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s) into her facility because we couldn’t provide care for her at our house. It was horrible. It was one of those moments where you curl up on the couch in the fetal position.

There wasn’t much in life that prepared me for those days. But laughter helped carry me through it.

Scripture: “A cheerful heart is good medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22)
Action: Tell someone your funniest hard story this week. Let them laugh with you, not at you.

Day 2: Laugh WITH Your Spouse, Not AT Them

Marriage isn’t built on perfect communication or flawless date nights. It’s built on punchlines, patience, and being willing to forgive each other when you forget to cancel that Amazon order for the third time.

We’ve had seasons in our marriage where it felt like the only thing keeping us together was the mess—but laughing with your spouse is a real gift!

Scripture: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Action: Think of one ridiculous memory that brought you closer. Text it to your spouse with a, “Can you believe we made it through that?”

Day 3: Give Grace to Your Family’s Weirdness

Every family is weird. Some are just better at hiding it.

But when you start giving grace instead of judgment, when you see your dad’s addiction or your mom’s mental illness through a lens of compassion, it opens the door for deeper healing and humor.

Resilience in families comes when we stop needing people to be perfect and start celebrating their progress.

Scripture: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
Action: Say this prayer: “God, help me laugh more than I lecture today.” Then try it.

Day 4: Choose Hope When It Feels Optional

Hope isn’t passive, it’s practiced. It’s what you choose when you’ve buried people you love. It’s what you hold onto when you feel like giving up would be easier.

It’s not denial. It’s defiance against despair.

Scripture: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)
Action: Write down one hard thing you’ve made it through. Title it: “I’m still standing.” That’s your reminder.

Day 5: Share What’s Real (Not Just What’s Right)

People aren’t looking for polished faith. They’re looking for honest hope.

You don’t have to be the expert. Just be someone who’s still in it. Still praying. Still messing up. Still laughing. Still standing.

Scripture: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Action: Call or message someone and say, “Can I tell you something real?” Then do it. That’s how light gets in.

Final Thought: You’re Not Failing—You’re Building Resilience

If you made it through this blog, guess what?
You’re doing better than you think.

You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep showing up, with a little more grace, a little more grit, and maybe a little more laughter.

And if you ever need someone to remind you that God still works through broken people with Costco outfits, I’m your guy.

Navigating Anxious Thoughts After the Hill Country Floods – What Families Need to Know

Our family has lived in the hill country for over 20-years.  We’ve seen summers without any rain.  Specifically, in 2011 the days were so hot and dry the city council of Austin issued a mandate for the city to pray for rain!  

You can imagine our surprise in 2025 when it rained so much that rivers flooded, dams broke, and we experienced some of the greatest pain in the Hill Country that we have experienced in decades.  

In those early morning hours, the Hill Country community was hit with devastating floods that disrupted homes, schools, and everyday life. In moments like these, families face not just the physical aftermath, but also the emotional ripple effects that follow, especially for our children. 

You can also imagine the anxious thoughts everyone is experiencing right now.  How does someone move forward after experiencing so much tragedy?  How does a family decide to send their child to a summer camp again after something so tragic?  How does a person not get these rushed feelings of panic every time it rains?  How do we not just stay busy to stay distracted?

I had the opportunity to sit down with my wife, a Licensed Professional Counselor, who serves students and their families in the Hill Country area, and she has had a front row experience with these questions and here are a few things she recommended:

Acknowledge the Impact

First and foremost, let people know they are seen. This has been a traumatic, overwhelming time for many. If your family is hurting, displaced, or unsure of what comes next, please know you are not alone, and your feeling is valid.

Emotional Reactions Are Normal

Children may not have the words to describe what they’re feeling, but they’re processing the loss and fear in their own way.  Unfortunately, most children in the Hill Country have been affected by these floods or know someone who was affected.  

Some children may act out, others may withdraw. Some may suddenly cling to you, have nightmares, or feel anxious about the weather. These responses are not signs of something “wrong.” They’re signs of something real.

As parents and caregivers, your calm presence and listening ear matter more than perfect answers. Simply acknowledging your child’s feelings, “That was really scary, wasn’t it?,”can help them feel safe and understood.

Rebuild Routine Where You Can

One of the best things you can do for your child in this season is to restore rhythm where possible. Whether it’s consistent mealtimes, bedtime routines, or walking them to school, familiar patterns offer emotional stability when the world feels uncertain.

When I was speaking to a family about one of their children possibly going to summer camp this year I validated those feelings.  Summer camp is a wonderful opportunity for children.  Then, I encouraged the parents to simply ask their children, “Do they want to go to summer camp?”  Different children are going to respond to this tragedy in different ways.  

Talk Honestly—but Gently

Kids don’t need every detail, but they do need honest reassurance. Let them know the adults around them are working hard to keep them safe. Use age-appropriate language to answer their questions and remind them that it’s okay to feel sad, angry, or scared.

Watch for Ongoing Signs of Stress

In the weeks ahead, watch for ongoing signs of trauma: trouble sleeping, appetite changes, withdrawal from friends, or constant worrying. These may be signs your child needs more support—and that’s okay. There is help, and healing is possible.

Remember, life is loud, and when life is really loud, sometimes we can forget some of the true promises that we have held onto for so long.  Stress makes us forget and question, we aren’t thinking clearly in times of stress.  We can forget God’s truth.  We can forget God’s character.  We can forget God’s promises.  We can start to lose sight of who we are also!  

And sometimes, when we go through all that forgetting we can latch on to stories and ideas that aren’t true.  Things like:

  • “You need to figure this out!”
  • “God doesn’t care.”
  • “Everyone else has it easy.”
  • “People are going to think we are weak or stupid.”

It’s in our moments of stress and anxiety that we need to identify practical ways to help us remember the truth!  Things like:

  • Memorizing Scripture.
  • Writing out our prayers and asking, “Are our prayers consistent with God’s Word?”
  • Sharing our thoughts with others, and inviting them to tell us when our words aren’t consistent with God’s Word.
  • Listening to worship music filled with the truth of God’s Word.

You’re Not Alone—Resources Are Available

If your family needs help with housing, food, school supplies, or emotional care, please don’t hesitate to seek our support from your school or local church.  

And if you, as a parent, are feeling overwhelmed, please know your mental health matters too. You don’t have to be strong alone.  It’s in these moments that our thoughts and emotions can be fueled by lies.  Lies about ourselves.  Lies about God.  Lies about our future.  Sometimes we will even recognize those lies, and still our mind can become hijacked by those thoughts that just aren’t true.    

If your group, school, church, or organization would benefit from a conversation about helping kids process trauma, rebuild resilience, or simply navigate hard times as a family, Holly would be honored to speak to them. Whether it’s a small group of parents or a community-wide event, she’s available to share tools, stories, and hope.  Reach out to me and I will get you in touch with her!  

Why You Feel God is Distant: Lessons from Daniel’s Prayer

There are times in life when we are crying out to the Lord and we feel like He doesn’t hear us.  Sometimes the Lord “feels” distant because He is stretching and deepening our faith to trust Him.  Sometimes there are supernatural things at work that we don’t see like in the book of Daniel. Consider Daniel 10:12:

12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 

In the context of Daniel 10 we see Daniel has been given visions from the Lord about hardship and difficulty that was coming for Israel.  In response, we see Daniel turn to fasting and lamenting through prayer as he imagines how difficult this is going to be for him and his people.

But, while Daniel is praying the Lord speaks to Daniel through a vision of an angel and the angels says to Daniel, “Do not be afraid.”  This isn’t a rebuke for Daniel about being afraid.  This is an encouragement from the Lord so as to say, “Daniel, you don’t have to be afraid.”  This is the Lord lifting Daniel’s eyes to look to Him and trust in Him.  

In addition, the angel says to Daniel, “From the first day that you set your heart and humbled yourself before God, your words were heard?”  Take that in for a second.  When you read the rest of the passage on your own you will see Daniel has been praying for 21-days, so that in those 21-days of prayer Daniel must have had moments where he was thinking, “Lord, are you listening?”  Lord, do you care?  Lord, can you hear me?  And in verse 12 the Lord reminds Daniel, “From the first day you started praying, I heard you.”  Isn’t that good?  Look at the next verse:

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing in my way for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

I want to go slow here, because this might be new for some of us, but verse 13 is teaching us the reason for the delay is demonic activity.  Do you see it in verse 13?  The Lord heard Daniel’s prayers on the first day (vs. 12) but He was delayed because “the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing in my way for 21-days.”  That’s demons!

In verse 13, Gabriel the angel says, “Those demons were giving me some trouble until Michael, the arc angel, comes to help him.”  Isn’t that wild to think about?  There are a couple things to consider when we think about angels and demons.  

First, the angelic / demonic realm can be very exciting for some of us today because of movies and television shows but we must remember that angels are simply messengers.  

Angels are powerful.  Angels are beautiful in appearance, but God’s Word actually teaches us that angels are in awe of humanity as the gospel works in humanity and through humanity, so let us not get too distracted by angels.  

It is the same with the demonic.  People will ask, “How do we know there isn’t a demon behind every rock?”  There is!  There is a spiritual realm all around us, so that everywhere we go there is spiritual activity at work.  

In Christ, we don’t need to be afraid of demons, but we do need to be aware.  In Christ, we can’t be possessed, but we can be oppressed / discouraged / distracted by demonic activity, so we don’t need to be afraid, but God’s Word is pulling back the curtain of the heavens so that we see there is spiritual activity at work in our marriages, parenting, church, thoughts, and world at every level at all times.

So the next time the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers the way that we want or as fast as we want it’s possible it’s because there is a spiritual war taking place in our lives, so that we can trust the possible delay isn’t because He didn’t hear or doesn’t care, because we know from Daniel 10 He hears every word of every prayer.  

Trying Stand-Up Comedy: A Pastor’s Perspective

In 2022 I was sitting around with some friends around a campfire and said, “I am going to try to do an open mic.”  Everyone in the circle laughed at that idea so I thought I was off to a great start!  I’ve worked as a pastor for 25-years and during sermons I have found moments to involve humor but I started to think to myself, “Could I make strangers laugh?”

Creating laughter in a sermon isn’t that hard.  Most people in attendance on a Sunday are there to learn about God through His Word, so if the pastor says something slightly funny you can get a pretty good laugh because they weren’t expecting you to be funny.  But people show up at a comedy club to laugh and laugh quickly, so I thought trying an open mic in Austin, TX would be a good challenge.

Needless to say, all of 2022 came and went and I never made any progress on that open mic.  In 2023 my friend asked me again, “Have you done the open mic?”  I said, “What?”  He said, “You said you wanted to do an open mic, you should give it a try.”  I spent all of 2023 thinking about what I would say at an open mic.  It’s harder than you might think.  You have 3-4.  You get up on a stage.  Bright lights are shining in your face and the audience has this attitude like, “Say something funny.”  It’s terrifying!

In January 2024 I visited three open mics in Austin, TX; Cap City Comedy Club, Creek and the Cave, and Comedy Mothership.  If you don’t know, Joe Rogan moved to Austin in 2020 and opened up Comedy Mothership, so hundreds, maybe thousands of men and women have moved to Austin to try their hand at comedy, so there are plenty of opportunities.  

In January 2024 I signed up at Cap City Comedy Club and the host called my name to the stage for me to deliver 4 minutes of what I had spent 12-months thinking about and trying to come up with something funny.  It was a blur!

My wife was in the audience.  You can go to my Instagram Page to see some of the clips but it was a complete blur.  People will tell me that it’s easy for me to try stand up comedy because I am used to being on a stage as a pastor.  It is familiar but preaching a sermon and doing stand up feels completely different.  

When I was done I walked off the stage and told my wife, “I don’t ever want to do that again.”  She said, “Great!  You tried something new!”  But by the time I got to my car I thought to myself, “I bet I could come up with something funnier.”  The next week I signed up again, got picked and it went worse!  Honestly, the most painful experience is to stand up in a room full of strangers and try really hard to say something you think is funny and they just sit in silence.  It’s horrible!  

New Show: Clean Comedy for a Cause: January 25, 2025

But the same thing happened again.  I got off the stage, regretted trying it again and by the time I got to my car I thought, “I bet I can figure this out.”  Eventually through a conversation with another friend she encouraged me to talk about being a pastor.  My first thought was, “I am never getting up in a room full of strangers and talk about being a pastor to be funny.”  I didn’t want to make fun of my faith.  I didn’t want to make fun of people in the room.  I didn’t want to make fun of the church.  But the next week I had a couple of ideas, so I signed up again, got picked again and actually got a few laughs.  

Ever since then I have been trying to pull out the funny of being a pastor.  Most people in Austin have never met a pastor and aren’t really sure what pastors do in their everyday lives, so it creates an opportunity for something interesting immediately.  

The best part has been meeting the men and women who have moved to Austin to try stand up comedy.  People are coming from all over the country and some from all over the world!  It’s been pretty fun!

Right now my goal is to try an open mic once a week and try to keep coming up with ideas.  90% of the ideas aren’t funny but every once in a while I will hear a chuckle and it makes me want to keep trying.  Along the way I get to talk about my faith with other comedians, answer questions about being a pastor and hopefully give people a different perspective on what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Most Common Questions:

  1. Are you really a pastor?  Most people think I am doing a bit as a “pastor.”  Making fun of Christianity / religion is pretty common at an open mic, so most people aren’t sure what to think when I stand up and talk about being a pastor.
  2. What made you want to try stand up comedy?  I wanted to see if I could make strangers laugh.  It’s pretty fun!
  3. Are you just testing out material for your sermons on Sunday?  I have tried ideas from Sunday at an open mic and I have tried ideas from an open mic on Sunday morning and so far they don’t work.  I tend to keep them separate.
  4. What makes you think you are funny?  I don’t know.  I like to laugh.  I like to be around people who laugh. 
  5. What’s your dream for comedy?  I am already living my dream.  I get to work as a pastor talking to people about Jesus.  Being able to earn the right to do that at a comedy club in Austin would just be a bonus!
  6. How do you reconcile being a pastor at a comedy club where people are talking about things that are offensive?  Open mics might be the greatest example of free speech!  People say anything at an open mic and the more shock and awe in the joke creates tension and the more tension creates an opportunity for laughter.  At this point, I try not to think too much about the content and instead appreciate the man or woman trying to craft something together that could be funny.  
  7. Anyone ever told you that you look and sound like Nate Bargatze?  Yes!  A lot!  In 2015 I would have people come up to me after a sermon and say, “Have you heard of a comedian named Nate Bargatze?”  I immediately became a fan of Nate Bargatze’s comedy!  But I am not trying to look or sound like him.  Technically, I am older than Nate, so he looks and sounds like me, just a lot funnier and talented!
  8. Can pastors drink beer?  I get this question pretty often because open mics are at clubs / bars and I want to support these locations making space for comedy so I will try to get a beer while I am there.  God’s Word is actually neutral about alcohol.  Sometimes alcohol is described as a blessing / celebration and sometimes alcohol is described as a curse / grief but drunkenness is clearly contrary to God’s Word.  
  9. What’s the name of your church?  It’s North Village Church.
  10. Can I listen to any of your sermons?  Sure!  Here’s a link!
  11. What kind of church do you pastor?  It’s a non-denominational church.  We are really big on Jesus and the Bible, so on Sundays I will teach through books of the Bible and try to go verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter.
  12. Can I come to visit?  This question is pretty common!  Most comedians are out late on a Saturday, so to turn around and show up to a worship service on Sunday morning is a challenge but it’s been great to see new friends visit on a Sunday morning.  Anyone is always invited to show up to a worship service on Sunday morning at 10:30am.  We sing 3 songs, I teach for around 30 minutes and then we close with 2 more songs.  We’re pretty casual, so just come in what’s comfortable for you!

New Show: Clean Comedy for a Cause: January 25, 2025

Praying for the Presidential Election

The presidential election is a pivotal event that shapes the future of a nation. As earthly citizens, we have a responsibility to participate in the election. For those who are followers of Jesus, prayer is an essential part of the election process, offering a way to seek guidance, express concerns, and pray for the well-being of the country. But how do we pray thoughtfully and effectively during a presidential election? Here are key ways to approach prayer during this significant time.

1 Timothy 2:1-3, “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

1. Pray for Wisdom

The first step in praying for an election is to seek wisdom—not just for yourself, but for all voters and leaders. It’s easy to get swept up in the emotions, partisanship, and media blitz of campaigns, but prayer can help center your mind and heart. Ask God for clarity in understanding the issues, candidates, and their platforms.

2. Pray for the Candidates

Whether you support a specific candidate or not, praying for all presidential candidates is a way to show humility and compassion toward others. Remember, candidates face intense scrutiny, pressure, and temptation. They need strength, moral stability, and guidance in their decision-making.  Especially pray for the candidates to know Jesus and follow Him!

3. Pray for Unity

Elections, especially presidential ones, can be divisive. Families, friends, and churches sometimes find themselves at odds over political issues. As a follower of Jesus, we want to pray for unity. More than the next president, our country needs godly men and women who know Jesus and are following Him!  Jesus is the only One who can bring true and lasting unity.

4. Pray for the Leaders Already in Office

While much attention is on the new candidates, it’s important not to forget the leaders who are currently serving and those who will continue to lead regardless of the election outcome. 

5. Pray for Fairness in the Electoral Process

The integrity of the electoral process is critical for democracy. Unfortunately, there are concerns about fairness, fraud, or disenfranchisement. Prayer for justice, transparency, and fairness is vital in ensuring a smooth and just election.

6. Pray for Personal Peace and Trust in God

Amidst the tension, it’s easy to feel anxious or overwhelmed about the future of the country. Prayer can help you find personal peace, trusting that God is sovereign and in control, no matter what happens in the election.

7. Pray with an Open Heart

One of the most important aspects of prayer is humility. When praying for the election, be open to the possibility that God’s will may differ from your own preferences or expectations. Ask God to reveal His wisdom, and be ready to follow where He leads.

Conclusion: A Call for Prayerful Action!

As the presidential election approaches, prayer can play a central role in calming fears, promoting unity, and seeking God’s guidance. It reminds us that, while we have the privilege and duty to participate in democracy, the ultimate authority rests with God.

By praying for wisdom, justice, unity, and the well-being of all involved, we take a step toward creating a more peaceful, fair, and compassionate society—one where love and justice guide the way, regardless of political differences. As you pray, remember that your voice is not just heard in the voting booth, but also in the quiet moments of reflection with God.

Living Out Our Faith in Jesus with Others

Sometimes we hear people say phrases like, “It’s just me and Jesus.”  Or we might hear people say, “I don’t like going to church, I just do my own thing.”  It makes sense.  People are messy.  Sometimes I refer to people as “porcupines.”  If you get close enough to people we are going to eventually “stick” one another.

But by avoiding people and avoiding the risk of getting “stuck” we are also missing out on some great moments; depth of life, depth with the Lord.  One of the ways we can nurture our relationship with others is to get others involved in our relationship with Jesus.  

When we read Scripture we don’t see many examples of “Jesus and me” as people grow in the Lord.  We see a lot of life-on-life with a variety of different people as people grow in the Lord.  In the first century, that pace of life might have been more natural but what does that look like today?

Here are six examples:

  1. Prayer walks:  Gather a few friends to go on a walk in prayer.  This can be done as a group.  This can be done on individual walks.  This can be through praying out loud or this could be done in silence.  At the end of the walk, the group can share what they heard from the Lord during the walk.  
  2. Scheduled moments of silence:  Similar as above.  Gather a few friends.  Pick a place and time.  Share with one another afterwards.  
  3. Reading Scripture:  Similar as above.  Gather a few friends.  Read a passage.  Discuss afterwards as a group.  
  4. Serving others:  Starting to see a pattern?  Pick a spot. Gather a few friends. Serve other people.  Discuss afterwards as a group. 
  5. Fasting:  Yep, you got it!  Gather a few friends.  Pick a time and type of fast.  Pick a place to eat afterwards to break the fast and discuss.  
  6. Evangelism:  When’s the last time you shared the gospel?  What if you got a few friends to meet at the park or a pub and prayerfully asked the Lord to help you meet someone new so that you could simply let them know you are followers of Jesus?  Who knows where the conversation might go!  Oh yeah, you’re definitely going to want to discuss afterwards.  

We do these types of things when we play on a team or meet as a group to read a book. Why not apply those same patterns with our faith in Jesus?  If you find it difficult to grow in your faith in Jesus by yourself, then invite others to grow with you.  

If you aren’t sure where to start, you can always make a post on Realm as a starter to see if anyone is interested.  

Having Fun!

90% of the time when I ask a teenager to pray for something they will usually include the “having fun” in their prayer.  At first glance, it could look shallow for a follower of Jesus to pray about “having fun” but “having fun” might be one of the top three things we pursue in life.  

Don’t get me wrong.  There are things in life that aren’t fun and those things in life should be pursued with diligence.  There are times we should weep.  There are times we should grieve the weight of life.  We live in a broken world of pain, war, disease, famine, and heartache.  There are many parts of life that aren’t fun, which is why it is more important than ever to “have fun!”

Sunday morning worship should be fun.  Sharing a meal with family and friends should be fun.  Trying new things should be fun.  Accomplishing a difficult challenge should be fun, at least at the end!  

When was the last time you spent time with friends or family and laughed?  I don’t mean a meme that was shared through a text thread, which can be funny.  I mean a time where you told stories and laughed, made memories and laughed.

Of course we all love when those ”belly laugh” moments of life occur organically.  And if that is the pattern in your life, rejoice!  But in my experience I have found that laughter doesn’t occur as organically as it did when I was younger.  Instead I have to schedule in laughter.  Doesn’t that sound horrible?  But, it’s true.  We can stick to our guns, “Laugh organically or nothing!”  Or we can schedule in some fun.  Here are some simple ways to schedule in fun:

  1. Game Nights:  Yes, it takes planning.  Yes, it’s hard to even get 3-5 people to sync up their calendars.  But it can happen!  Austin even has pubs where you can get drinks, food, and board games!
  2. Schedule A Day Off Work:  I know, that sounds crazy!  Take a day off work to have fun but it doesn’t make sense to keep working and never have any fun either!  If necessary, take a day off work.
  3. Invite People Over:  I know, it means we have to clean our house a little but nobody expects perfection.  And I know, we think our house isn’t big enough, nice enough, stylish enough or whatever “fill in the blank” that keeps us from inviting people into our home but having people over can create some of the best moments of having fun.
  4. Coffee Before or After Worship:  Gathering for worship is already in the schedule.  Why not get up a little early or stay a little late to swap stories with people?  If children are involved, sometimes spouses can take turns connecting with other people and the other spouse can get the children ready that morning.
  5. Go See A Movie:  I know, it might sound wild but people still like going to the movies.  Plus, if you have had a long day, long week, anyone can watch a movie.  Preferably a funny one!

In the end, it doesn’t matter what we do or where we go as long as we are creating opportunities for laughter and fun with one another.  If you don’t feel like you are developing those types of relationships then get involved in one of our Ministry Groups on a Sunday morning.  Serving together is a great way to get to know other people and most of the time we have fun when we are serving others for God’s glory.  

Friends or Family?

Recently I was talking with someone and they said, “My friends are my family.”  Doesn’t that sound nice?  On the surface it makes sense.  Our friends are the people we see more frequently.  Our friends are probably the people we are more likely to ask for help.  Our friends don’t have a history of awkward experiences from the high’s and low’s of life, so it makes sense why we would drift toward friends as family.  

God’s Word teaches us when we come to faith in Christ we become family in the best possible sense.  Our friends are often people who look like us, think like us, laugh when we laugh, cry when we cry, so many times we are attracted to friendship with other people because they are mirroring our interests and our qualities.  

But the church is made up of people who are different from us.  It’s what makes the local church beautiful.  The church is made up of men and women, young and old, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, and not always but sometimes we will also find different ethnicities and different cultures.  What a gift we have in the local church!

Check out how Luke describes this family-like support in the newly established church in Jerusalem:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:44-46

Remember, “all the believers” in this context consisted of more than 3000 people.  They weren’t all living in one house or sharing a single bank account. But they clearly did their best to remove the barriers that divided them into individual household units. They were generous with their money, their possessions, their space, and their time. And they were in and out of each other’s homes and lives.

Can you imagine what that would look like today? Being involved in our friend’s lives is probably something that happens naturally.  We probably work in similar fields as our friends.  We probably have similar interests as our friends.  But God’s Word calls us to invest in our church family who have different interests and different backgrounds, so that we might be strengthened in our faith in Him.  Here are some simple ways this could take place:

  • Look to meet 2-3 people on a Sunday morning.
  • Write down their name to help you remember.
  • Ask someone about their weekend.
  • Prayerfully consider how you might encourage someone in a meaningful way.
  • Pray for someone on Sunday morning.  
  • Ask someone out to share a meal. 
  • Invite someone to your group.  
  • Exchange contact information with someone.
  • Meet someone new during the “meet and greet.”

Living like this is counter-cultural, so the first step is probably going to be getting out of our own way. After all, many of us might not even relate to our biological family or friends this way. At times, it will feel hard, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. You’ll open yourself up to rejection, you’ll get hurt, you’ll need to ask for forgiveness. All of these are signs that you’re doing it right. And, through the transition, you’ll also find life, love, security, and freedom to be your authentic self. 

What Does It Mean To Be A Godly Man?

A question I am often asked by other men is, “What does it mean to be a godly man?”  Is it just about reading and knowing the Bible?  Is it just about character?  Is it just about being able to provide godly counsel?  Here is a quick outline:

  1. Fully convinced God exists.  You are convinced the God of Scripture created humanity in His own image (Genesis 1.) A part of being made in His image is that we reflect His glory, therefore, a person couldn’t possibly become a godly man without being fully convinced in God.
  2. Sin is destructive.  In Genesis 3 we see sin enter into the story of humanity so that everything and everyone we see today is fractured in sin.  Do you believe this?  Are you convinced of this truth at the global and personal level?  You must!
  3. Complete hope in life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus is God in the flesh.  Jesus has come to take our sin at the cross.  Jesus has come to conquer death through the resurrection.  Are you captivated by this truth?  Are you in awe of this truth? (1 Corinthians 15)
  4. Love for God’s Word.  Do you love the Bible?  Do you love reading the Bible?  Do you love talking about the Bible?  How could we become godly men if we don’t love God’s Word?  (2 Timothy 2)
  5. Obeying God’s Word through faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.  This is key!  God’s Word isn’t about following rules.  Godliness isn’t trying really hard to look like God.  Godliness is walking by faith in Christ every day until we are face to face with Jesus. (Romans 1)
  6. Convinced of stewardship.  None of this world is ours.  It all belongs to God, therefore, in Christ, we are all managers or stewards of resources, talents, and gifts from the Lord.  The sooner a man sees himself as a steward instead of an owner, the sooner he will grow in godliness. (1 Peter 4)
  7. Taking responsibility.  We are going to fail as men.  Failure is going to happen spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally; therefore, when those moments come into our life we would do well to stop making excuses and embrace responsibility.  (Proverbs 28:13)
  8. Repentance.  Repentance means to acknowledge our sin and turn from our sin as we trust in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.  God’s Word teaches us it is the kindness of the Lord that leads to repentance.  Repenting of sin daily is a mark of a godly man.  (1 John 1:9)
  9. Teachability.  Are you able to learn from others?  Are you so convinced of your wisdom that it is hard to consider others might have something better?  Are you curious about life?  Are you curious about others?  Is there humility about you so that you are convinced that God’s glory shapes how you see yourself in Him? (1 Peter 5:5)
  10. Servant-Leadership.  Do you enjoy putting others before yourself?  Do you enjoy dying to your flesh?  Do you enjoy perseverance?  These are all marks of godliness.  Waiting to be asked.  Waiting for the applause of men.  Waiting for someone else to take responsibility.  These are marks of spiritual immaturity.  (Matthew 20:26)
  11. Live Courageously.  Take risks by faith in Jesus.  Put yourself in a place that is spiritually uncomfortable.  If the Lord brings an opportunity, take it!  Open the Bible.  Pray out loud.  Volunteer to help.  Give money away.  Initiate that conversation with that person that you have been thinking about.  Godly men walk by faith in the Lord instead of themselves.  (Joshua 1:9)
  12. Biblical view towards money.  Money isn’t evil.  Money is a gift to be used for His glory, therefore, learn to steward money.  Learn to give money away.  Learn to bless others.  Learn to make as much money as you can but know that a large salary is going to take their pound of flesh.  Rarely will a man get a large salary and freedom.  
  13. Friends with other men.  Lone rangers are going to have a hard time building godly lives and godly character.  There’s no way any one man could see all his blind-spots.  He needs other men to help him grow.  He needs friends that will have honest conversations with him.  (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
  14. Perseverance.  Life is hard.  Following Jesus is hard.  Living faithfully is hard.  You’re going to want to quit.  You’re going to want to give up.  Godly men stay faithful.  Godly men keep trusting the Lord.  (James 1:12)

The fact you have taken the time to read this article is a sign of the Holy Spirit at work in your life.  Praise God!  You want to grow and mature in Christ.  Praise God!  God’s Word calls us to be rooted and established in our faith in Jesus.  Start today!  

A godly man can change the direction of friendship, change the direction of his family, change the direction of generations to come, therefore, don’t wait but seek the Lord.  Start growing in Him today!

Leadership: Law of Influence

Maxwell’s definition for the ​Law of Influence​ is that “​the true measure of leadership is influence nothing more, nothing less.”​  Ask yourself, “Who are you influencing?”  It starts with self, spouse, children, extended family, co-workers, neighbors, family, etc.  And what are we influencing people toward?

Leadership is often misunderstood. Here are the top 5 myths people tend to believe:

  1. The Management Myth – Leading and managing is NOT the same! Management focuses on maintaining systems and processes. Leadership is about moving people in the right direction.
  2. The Entrepreneur Myth – Not all entrepreneurs are good with people. If you can’t influence people, you can’t lead.
  3. The Knowledge Myth – Just visit any university and you will find people with a high IQ or countless titles, but with an extremely low leadership level. Leadership has nothing to do with education or IQ.
  4. The Pioneer Myth – Some believe that anyone who is out in front of the crowd is a leader. But being first isn’t always the same as leading. To be a leader, you must not just be at the front, but also have people intentionally coming behind you, following your lead and acting on your vision.
  5. The Position Myth – As Stanley Huffty said, ‘It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.’ You don’t need a position to lead. And even if somebody takes away your position, they can’t take away your influence over the lives of those who follow you.

​When it comes to identifying a real leader… don’t listen to the claims of the person professing to be the leader. Don’t examine his or her credentials. Don’t check their title. Check their influence. The proof of leadership is found in the followers.”​ He ends the chapter with a famous leadership proverb, “​He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.”​

There are 7 major areas you must look into to evaluate your leadership influence:

  1. Don’t Wait for Titles:  You don’t need to be in charge to influence.  Imagine the person who shows up to work with a bad attitude.  Are they influencing?  Of course!  Imagine the neighbor who goes above and beyond, not because they are on the Neighborhood Watch, but because they care about their neighborhood.  Everyone loves living next to those types of neighbors.  
  2. Character: If you want to increase your leadership level, you MUST focus on character. The more consistency we have between our private life and our public life, the greater potential for influence.  
  3. Take Inventory:  The more clarity we have in our spheres of influence the more likely we are to take advantage of those influencing opportunities.
  4. Knowledge: Information is vital to a leader. Even though knowledge won’t make you a leader (see The Knowledge Myth above), it’s necessary if you want to become a great leader. Do your homework, spend time to get to know your industry, your environment, your team, your clients, as you try to lead.
  5. Experience:  When opportunities arise, say, “Yes!”  Just like knowledge, experience isn’t everything but experience doesn’t hurt.  The more time you have in the battle the stronger you will get in your influence.
  6. Competency:  Just like knowledge and experience, competency doesn’t determine influence but executing on objectives is going to only strengthen your potential for influence.

In the end, our greatest source of influence is through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Through faith in Jesus we are reconciled to God and empowered through the Spirit to bring incredible influence into the lives of others.  

Sometimes we don’t even have to say a word!  Sometimes just our mere presence will bring influence toward others and it isn’t because of our knowledge, experience or character but because the grace of God moves in us and through us for His glory!  

Parenting Teens with Social Media

How about those Amish?  Am I right?  There is no argument that social media influences people, therefore, how do parents and children interact with social media from a godly perspective?  It would be easy to fall on the extremes; social media will never enter my house or be completely consumed with social media but I think God’s Word provides an answer that is a little more complicated.  

The pattern throughout God’s Word is to be sent out for His glory (Matthew 28.)  I understand the desire to want to buy a piece of land in the middle of nowhere and create a commune of people who will keep our children safe but we know that isn’t true or realistic for most people.  

Therefore, as followers of Jesus we have to wrestle with practical decisions of how we engage the culture of our day just like Jesus did in His day.  Jesus was born into a point in history, lived under the rule of a government, interacted with the culture of the day, identified Himself with an ethnicity and yet Jesus came to establish His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, so what does that look like for us today as we raise children and interact with social media:

  1. What does social media look like in your life personally as a parent?  How much time are you on social media?  What influence does social media have on you?  The more we can understand the draw and allure of social media in our own life the easier it will be to guide our children.  
  2. We never wanted to give our children the impression that we were scared of social media.  Social media isn’t greater than the glory of God.  Social media isn’t the forbidden fruit that our children can never see.  Social media is just a device but we want to have a plan for social media.  
  3. See this as discipleship.  As parents, we get to disciple our children.  We get to teach them about the world.  We get to show them our love for Jesus and His Word is greater than anything we will ever find on social media.  Is it hard?  Yeah, it’s really hard but we can either equip our children to engage technology or they will leave our house one day and the world will disciple them in technology.  
  4. Create a vision for your child’s life.  Start at 18 when they launch out of the home and write down what you want them to know, capable, understand, accomplish, and then reverse engineer what you need to teach them before they launch out of your home.  We re-evaluated this goal every year and it shaped how we approached their teen years.  When our children reached 16-18 we were able to clearly identify, “Do these things, be responsible in these areas, you get more freedom with social media and technology.”
  5. Give them homework to learn about social media.  They will roll their eyes but we teach our children how to do laundry, how to drive cars, how to brush their teeth; why wouldn’t we teach our children about social media.  See resources at the end.  
  6. Delay social media as long as possible.  If your child is asking for social media at 10 push it to 12.  If they start asking at 13 push it to 16.  It doesn’t matter what age they start, push it out as long as possible.  Our goal was for our children to not get social media until they were 16.  
  7. Delay with crumbs.  Our children started asking around 10 and we said, “Yeah, maybe one day?”  The next time they asked we said, “Yeah, we should talk about that.”  The next time they ask, “Yeah, we need to do that.”  It’s not passive.  It was our plan to push them off as long as possible and then we started with baby steps.  Our 14-year old daughter started with a flip phone in 2017.  Yeah, she hated it.  But we said, “Let’s see if you can keep up with a flip phone and in time we can upgrade.”  Then we upgraded to an iPhone Touch.  She didn’t like that either but at least it looked like a phone.  Our son started off with an iPhone, yeah his sister was bitter, but in the beginning he could only make calls, then he could text, then he could use the web but with screen time.  His freshmen of high school year he got Instagram and his sophomore year we removed screen time.  Their senior year of high school we remove all oversight and want them to experience complete autonomy before we launch them into the world.  
  8. Monitor usage.  Our understanding from the very beginning was that everything online was public, so we can look at your phone at any moment, which means they are responsible for the decisions they make with the phone.  You can look at the search history, their timeline will show you what they like to watch, their trash to see what they deleted  are just a few ways to monitor their phones.  When you see something that is concerning, use it as an opportunity to draw them out and ask questions.  Remember, we aren’t prohibiting social media, we are training our children how to live in a world that is full of darkness and temptation.  (Also, our children, still today, have access to our phones.)
  9. Create boundaries with social media in the home.  When our children were younger they couldn’t take their phones into their room.  We wouldn’t let them bring it in the car.  We wouldn’t let them bring it to the table.  As they get older, as they display responsibility, we allow them additional freedoms but they still can’t bring it to the table for a meal and we ask them to stay off their phones when they are in the car.  Again, we give this same challenge to ourselves, and it’s hard.  
  10. Have a plan for consequences.  No matter what plan you come up with there is going to be failure, therefore, taking the phone can’t be the consequence every time.  Get creative.  It can be running laps, doing chores, paying money, creating a do-over; but they need to see you are trying to help them learn hard lessons in life and either mom and dad can provide a little consequence or the world is going to bring a much more painful consequence.  
  11. Watch how your children interact with social media.  Watch their attitude when you ask them to get offline.  Watch what they look at online.  Observe their attitude before and after and use those observations to have conversations with your children to help them see how social media is influencing them.  At first they will say, “Social media doesn’t influence me.”  But hopefully, before they launch out of our homes, they see social media’s influence.
  12. Social media isn’t inventing new sins.  Our hearts are wicked.  Sin is crouching at our door to destroy us, therefore, as parents we want to teach our children how to be on guard against sin, how to see the brokenness of our souls and how to find forgiveness and strength in Jesus.  
  13. Encourage your teenagers as much as you can.  You’re an adult.  You see 100 things they miss, therefore, it’s really easy to focus on those 95 things they miss and overlook the 5 things they are doing really well.  If they don’t believe that you are for them and are trying to help them, they really aren’t going to care what you have to say about social media.  
  14. Life isn’t just about having fun.  This is a harder lesson to teach then you might imagine.  We spend the first ten years of parenting telling and modeling to our children that their safety and security is our primary focus.  Then, we spend the next 10 years helping them to see we won’t always be there to take care of them.  It’s a difficult transition.  Therefore, helping our teens to see there are responsibilities in life we need to take care of first and then we can have a little fun is a long process but we have to take care of the responsibilities first.  

Lastly, if you are reading this article and you feel like it’s too late for your child!  Don’t worry.  It’s never too late to have this conversation with your children.  Perhaps there are some habits and patterns that can be coarse corrected?  Perhaps there are some conversations that need to take place?  

But it’s never too late to grow in our faith in Jesus.  It’s never too late to turn from darkness and turn toward the light made available in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.  It’s never too late to have a conversation with our children, so take heart, the Lord is working.  Turn to Jesus and ask for His help!  

Resources:

  • Holy Spirit.  Plead for wisdom.
  • American Girls Social Media and the Lives of Teenagers.
  • Feeding the Mouth that Bites You by Kenneth Wilgus (History of teenagers in chapter 2 is helpful.)
  • A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Social Media by Mark Oestereicher (Chapters 4-5 are good for parents and teens to read together. Chapter 6 is good for parents.)
  • Screen Smart Parenting (Chapter 15 on ADHD, anxiety and how social media influences us. Chapter 16 on agreements with social media and specific ages.)
  • Your Identity in a Selfie World by Kristen Hatton:  A short book that provides great gospel conversations over areas like comparison, body image, eating disorders, materialism, etc.  (Great to read through and discuss with your teenager.) 
  • How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
  • CBS:  Why Can’t We Put Down Our Smartphones

Practical Steps with Grief

Over the last few years I have received a lesson in grief that I wasn’t looking to learn.  My mother passed away in 2021.  My brother passed away in 2022, and just recently my father-in-law passed away suddenly.  

When my mother and brother passed away so close to one another I reached out to a class called Grief Share.  Grief Share is located in most cities and a great resource to help people learn about grief and acknowledge grief practically.  

There are 7 primary lessons I learned through Grief Share:

  1. I learned about grief. Grief is the emotional reaction of sorrow.  Sometimes grief can be brought on by loss of a loved one, physical or emotional pain or a type of suffering we might experience in life.  It’s possible in our culture in the United States we are so uncomfortable with grief that we might only think of grief in the “most horrible” situations.  But it would be better to see grief on a spectrum. There are different levels of grief.  There are different levels of intensity as we go through seasons of grief. 
  2. Death isn’t a normal part of life. People will say things like this when you experience loss.  However, the Bible teaches us that God created us to experience eternal life.  Death in fact, is the result of our sin, therefore, grieving, sorrow, sadness and mourning are all appropriate ways to respond to death. 
  3. God grieves. Again, God created the world to be perfect, therefore, any death we see in the world is grieving to the Lord.  So much so He took on flesh to take the ultimate death upon Himself, so that we don’t have to grieve for eternity. 
  4. We can grieve intentionally or accidentally.  Grief is going to come out of our soul at some point.  We can ignore, suppress, avoid, escape but at some point grief will come to the surface, therefore, don’t shy away from grief.  Even scheduling moments in your day or week to acknowledge the pain of death and the hope we have in Jesus can be helpful. 
  5. Don’t try to go through grief alone. You don’t have to open your heart and mind to everyone but it is good to have a few trusted friends who will weep with you in grief.  We need godly friends who will acknowledge our pain and remind us of the hope we have in Jesus. 
  6. You can get trapped in grief. Grief is alluring.  There is something attractive about giving ourselves over to sadness, therefore, we want to always invite Jesus into our grief.  Jesus cares about our grief.  Jesus is familiar with grief and sorrow. Jesus has overcome grief, therefore, we want to grieve with Jesus. 
  7. Learn from your loss. Going through the loss of a friend or family member is difficult, but there are valuable lessons.  Have you prepared necessary legal documents? The investment in a notarized will is essential.  Have you communicated to your spouse about financial details?  Have you had important conversations?  Every day matters.  Going through grief can help us appreciate every day and make the most of those opportunities.  

Most of all, I have found rekindling our relationship with the Lord in the midst of grief can be the most difficult.  When we experience emotional pain or loss it often touches us in the deepest part of our soul, which is many times set apart only for the Lord.  

Before grief there is this deep part of our soul where only the Lord had ventured but in grief there is a pain that breaks into our soul, so that we might find it difficult to distinguish between grief and the Lord.

It’s okay.  We don’t have to rush back to that place but we do want to build a process of restoring those parts of our faith.  It may take time, but if we take intentional steps, we can definitely get there.