"How will I ever be able to make a marriage work when I have only ever seen marriage fall apart?" 

"Living in a relationship that demands my vulnerability will only force the ugly parts of me to the surface - no thanks." 

"If I get married who I am and what I want in life no longer matters." 

"I will never be able to reach my full potential as a married man as I will only let a woman down as I feel as though I have let myself done."  

These are the ideas that shape marriage in our society - maybe even in...

Traditionally on this day, many families gather together and read the story of Jesus's birth. Some may even partake in the Lord's Supper as a way of reminding themselves that with the gift of Christ's life came an astonishing possibility - a possibility of life everlasting.  

One of the most subtly beautiful moments in the Bible happens a few chapters before the telling of Christ's birth. It is the story of Mary going to visit Elizabeth. The story reads:

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,...

Matthew 26:6-13 

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying "Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring...

Wendell Berry, poet, essayist, and novelist renowned wrote about the strength of a Sabbath. While the majority oft his time of year is spent trying to hustle and bustle around to figure out the perfect table scape and gift for that special someone, what would it mean for us to stop and truly embrace what it means to celebrate as we sabbath - DO rest?

We cannot stop decades of tradition - turkey, dressing, and sweet potatoes have to be made and gifts will be bought. But rather than watching yet another holiday season fleet by, take the time to ruminate on the following Wendell...

The title of this article may catch some of you off guard. Dr. Erin Dufault-Hunter, Christian Ehticist and Professor at Fuller Theological Seminary knew she was on to something as she made the analogy in class one day. She made this realization based on the reaction from the classroom of her students who quickly began to listen somewhat more intently than they had the previous two hours. This statement is not one that many would make, but its profundity is spot on.  

What comes to mind when you think about a motorcycle or riding a motorcycle? 

SpeedPrecisionVarious...

Election day. There is something largely powerful and intimidating about this day in the history of our great nation. All too often people's political opinions are shaped by the popular voice, personal opinions, and familial obligations. But what would happen if we began thinking about politics as an issue centered arena rather than a person centered arena. Fuller Theological Seminary publishes a campus article journal called the Semi. Last week's edition included articles written about the issues that were being addressed rather than particular political parties...

We live in a culture that places most anything with the accessibility of a click, call, or a charge. We want to get something to eat - we can go online, place the order, and have it delivered to us without ever having to change out of our pajamas. Much of what we need in this world is accessible to us within the reach of our own experience. What about our accessibility as a spouse? 

Much of what makes marriage so impactful is the ability for spouses to connect with one another on different levels. We enjoy doing shared interests with one another. We often...

Can you imagine what it would be like to know from the birth of your son or daughter that you only had a certain amount of time with him/her. You were told that be the age of 33, he/she would be sent to a town, persecuted, and then murdered all on your behalf. Outrage. Right? 

It is doubtful that many of us would simply continue in bringing this little one into this world knowing his/her impending future. But, God did not hesitate. He knew without any doubt that from the moment life was inhaled into the lungs of His son that there would be a day when...

Consider this - what would happen if we all put down our phones, looked at our spouses during an entire meal, and had an actual conversation with the love of our life as they are sitting in front of us? Our world has told us that we are only as memorable as our last Tweet, Post, Instagram, Blog, Status update, Hoot, or any other form of social media attempt at feigning connection. This. Is. Sad. What is even more sad, is the amount of conversation going on about how sad it is - and then NOTHING CHANGES. 

Rhett Smith, therapist at the Hideaway Experience, author,...

I would be happy to help with the fundraiser IF I can rearrange some things on my schedule.

I will work out tomorrow IF the weather is better.

I plan to have a conversation with my husband IF he can make it home before 6 o'clock tonight.

I intend to buy my wife flowers IF she apologizes for ignoring me last night.

I will work on my marriage IF my spouse does.

Our family will start to tithe IF we can just make it to the end of this month.

We will work for our family to mirror Christ IF we can just get these kids through elementary school.

I...