What if you said “Yes” to every opportunity?

Last updated on: June 9, 2019 at 10:10 am By David Rupert

No” carries such powerful holds on our lives. It represents a crutch of safety and a wall of comfort against the uncertain. It protects our time, money, and resources. But "no" also strips us of curiosity, discovery, and wonder. It keeps us from the experience of God's blessing. Saying “Yes” to every opportunity put in front of me has been a monumental, life-changing decision. I've discovered the joy of walking into the unknown. I’ve met people and traveled to places that my wildest drea Read more

Dinner with strangers – How a single meal can change minds

Last updated on: May 27, 2019 at 6:41 pm By David Rupert

Saying Yes doesn't mean you have to go across the world. Sometimes you just need to go across the street. Or in this case, just talk to someone across the table. Read more

Napping in the Gethsemane (When apathy and empathy collide)

Last updated on: April 18, 2019 at 8:38 pm By David Rupert

The prayers were agonizing. They were so intense that red sweat stained his white robe on this blackest of nights. The sorrow was excruciatingly deep, painful and overwhelming. Jesus said he felt like dying. A pall hung over the olive garden, an unsettling silence punctured only by His agonizing plea to His friends, “Stay here. Keep watch with me.” Despite the urgency of His appeal, Peter, James and John missed out on the eternal significance of the moment. After all,... Read more

The Irony of Notre Dame: Weeping for a Beautiful Church That No One Attends

Last updated on: April 16, 2019 at 11:10 am By David Rupert

I did find it ironic that so many Frenchman wept at the destruction of the building, and yet there is no weeping that the church itself is empty of congregants. I’m praying that as they rebuild this church that they will also rebuild the body of believers. A church building without a church is just another pretty façade. And we have plenty of those. Read more

She uses “Yes” in her art to tell a deeper story

Last updated on: April 11, 2019 at 9:30 pm By David Rupert

I came across this amazing Santa Fe Artist, Bernadette Freeman, who goes by the name Deco-Collage. She has mastered Decoupage, which is essentially gluing paper stacked on other paper. But her projects go beyond my 7th grade art project. Her projects use thousands of bits of paper, all composed in a mosaic that is explicitly detailed up close and incredibly cohesive from a distance. Her Lincoln portrait hung in the White House for several years before returning home. The portrait... Read more

Is a Simple Gospel Realistic?

Last updated on: March 24, 2019 at 9:36 pm By David Rupert

Jesus steered clear of religious talk and jargon. He spoke simply and plainly. He found the sinners where they lived and then communicated with them in a language they could understand. Read more

Color Blind — I Don’t See What You See

Last updated on: March 12, 2019 at 9:01 am By David Rupert

Maybe I live my faith too simply. But it comes from the reality and realization that there are variations about what to believe. I cling to a few basics about my faith and leave the spectrum to others. I know full immersion people, baby sprinklers and three-times dunkers. And I love them all. “Believe and be baptized.” I’m not sure the fine details are all that important. It’s the converted heart that God cares about. Pre trib. Post Trib. Mid trib. Bottom line, is that he’s coming and I need to be ready. The fundamental belief that we must all think and act the same way, denies the creativeness of God Himself. Read more

The Miracle Staircase – When Others Change Your Life

Last updated on: March 2, 2019 at 9:39 pm By David Rupert

Building the stairway to your dream might seem impossible to you. You don’t have the tools. You don’t have the background. And then right at the end of your prayers, at the end of your patience. A man knocks on your door, riding a donkey. You take a breath and nod your head in trust. You don’t know how it happens. You don’t know all the details of the work. But you know the process is happening. Eventually, the saw and the hammer go quiet, and the door closes. The carpenter is gone, and you are left with a miracle. Read more

“Love Your Neighbor,” Is there room for moderation?

Last updated on: February 26, 2019 at 11:58 pm By David Rupert

David Brooks of the New York Times wrote an interesting article proposing a simple Agenda for Moderates. He proposes a New Big Idea – one that isn’t so new but freely borrowed from the biblical books of Leviticus and Matthew. “Love Your Neighbor.” In case you don’t know the reference, Leviticus 19 says this: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance... Read more

So What If It’s Old? In Praise of Worn-Out Things

Last updated on: February 10, 2019 at 8:36 pm By David Rupert

I held it in my hands. The checkered blue pattern was familiar, but the lines were blending into each other. There were holes in the elbows and another near the tail. I pushed my face into the soft fabric and smelled the faded memories. I can’t get rid of this shirt. It was one of those medium-weight shirts, a wool Pendleton that I’ve had for 20 years. It’s the kind you wear on a cool autumn evening or a spring day... Read more

Who cried at the tomb of Lazarus?