Authentically leading and empowering others to flourishing life in Christ
All in Culture
As the new year begins, I’m not drawn to bold resolutions or declarations about what I’m going to accomplish—because boldness doesn’t guarantee reality. Instead, I’m committing myself to a posture of process: identifying what matters, trusting God’s work over time, and staying open-handed to the formation He is doing. Growth doesn’t come from chasing outcomes, but from faithful presence within the process God is shaping.
High school sports are meant to form character, not erode it. What we model from the stands matters more than we realize. This reflection names how yelling at officials is quietly damaging education-based athletics—and why the responsibility to change doesn’t start with rulebooks, but with us.
Christmas Day arrives quietly, after the noise and expectations begin to fade. At the center of the story is a simple truth: God chose nearness. God did not wait for ideal conditions. He came near anyway. Emmanuel is not something to be explained or achieved, but a presence to be received—right where we are.
Every day, something is competing for our attention, quietly shaping how we see the world and respond to pressure. As I prepare to teach, I’m reminded that message preparation often requires heart preparation—clarity of words usually follows clarity of attention. In a world that constantly demands reaction, faithfulness begins by choosing what deserves to shape us.
I’ve spent the last year and a half fully engaged in pastoring here at home, but this season feels like a call to give again—to add something to the world through words. I’m convinced this is a season to contribute, not just consume—to offer a voice that helps others slow down, refocus, and run after the one God has placed in front of them.
I was recently made aware of a streamer who has made some new waves through the youth culture space. Let me tell you about a new kid on the social media block, The Sketch Real. You might be thinking that because he is a streamer that your kids don’t know who this guy is, but the reality is that his videos and clips of his videos are beginning to go viral and move from the Twitch and TikTok spaces over to YouTube and Instagram.
If anything was obvious throughout 2020, it was division, selfishness, and pride—the ever-present sins in the heart of humankind. After reflecting on the past year and the things that transpired in our community, our country, and our conversations, I’ve come down to one aim: Love Others Well
Let’s be savvy. Let’s be wise. Let’s trust smart people. But above all, let’s be confident that this too shall pass and we will be better because of it and there isn’t a storm that is going to cause the truth of the gospel to somehow become untrue.
I think defending the unborn is a worthy engagement, if that is all we do to promote life, we have missed a pretty significant part of Jesus’ clear value of life as a whole. If we are going to fight for the unborn, we should fight for the born, too.
