In this season of my life, I have identified a singular and driving focus. I want to be okay with living with less. This is not just a minimalist trend for me. It is a spiritual necessity. As part of my rule of life, I have started a weekly practice of throwing one thing away each week. I do not mean trash. I mean something I have collected or valued that no longer serves a good purpose. It is a... Read more
Many of us have unfinished projects, unchecked to-do lists, and incomplete tasks. If not, ask your parents, spouse, or co-workers, and they will remind you about something that they are waiting for you to finish. Sometimes, we get really bothered by the number of things we have left unfinished. There are things we still need to think through, decisions we need to weigh out, repairs that need repairing, and decisions that need to be decided. Some projects, lists, and tasks... Read more
There are many churches and church movements that say they want revival. They host conferences about it. We are asked to pray for it. There are personalities writing books predicting it. Churches are selling us a narrative that the whispers and echoes are already happening in their midst. If you have been following the conversations, at the same time we are told revival and renewal are coming, many of the very movements that once promised renewal are now being questioned,... Read more
For the past few weeks, I have been blogging through a series called Hard Conversations. This is also a series that is being preached on Sunday mornings at River Corner Church. This blog series isabout staying present with one another when life, faith, and relationships get complicated. Instead of withdrawing or reacting in moments of disagreement and difficulty, we’re exploring how God calls and equips us to remain united in love — even when we disagree. Why bother to remain... Read more
This leads a quiet life, I feel called to from 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12, is more than a good idea to me; it has become a conviction that governs who I am, what my schedule looks like, and what I say “yes” or “no” to. It shapes my values, my ministry focus, and even my schedule. I understand myself, first and foremost, as a follower of Jesus, drawing near to God and seeking first the Kingdom of God and its right... Read more
A few weeks ago, we started this Hard Conversations blog series by naming something most of us feel but don’t always say out loud: it’s hard to have conversations with people who think differently from us. We are living in a cultural moment where it feels like there are more tribes and sharper lines than ever. Differences aren’t just differences anymore; they are lines drawn for war. Our ability to look at situations objectively is clouded by political convictions, conspiracies,... Read more
Lent is a season for examining the heart, leaning into surrender and honest confession. Coming on the heels of Valentine’s Day, it may also be an opportunity to reflect on what truly holds our affection. In that way, Lent becomes more than a time of repentance; it becomes a time to remember how to guard the heart and re-center it on what matters most. In the 1940s, the town of East Petersburg was dealing with a serious outbreak of typhoid... Read more
Three weeks ago, we began this blog post series on Hard Conversations by acknowledging something many of us feel: it can be difficult to have conversations with people who think differently from us. This is also a sermon series at River Corner Church. Cultural, ideological, personality, and theological differences are inevitable. We encounter people who believe and think differently from us on our social media feeds, around the Thanksgiving table, at work, in our church communities, at the gym, and... Read more
When I began the Lead a Quiet Life blog on Patheos in October 2023, it was anchored in a single passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12. That verse had already become a guiding word in my own life a few months earlier, and I was increasingly convinced it carried a prophetic challenge for the church today. In one of my earliest posts, A Journey to Unravel the Ties of Consumerism in a World and Church Obsessed with Excess, I wrote about the... Read more
Last week, we began this blog series by naming something many of us already feel deep in our bones: it is hard to have conversations with people who think differently from us. In that blog post, I looked at Jesus’ prayer for unity. If you are new around here and want to get to know me, click here. Cultural, ideological, personality, and theological differences are inevitable. We encounter people who see the world differently from us on social media, around... Read more
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