In high school, I heard a teacher say that if you speak to God then you're praying, but if God speaks back to you then you're crazy. That statement came from someone claiming to be a person of faith. The lesson? For Christians and those who are not, the concept of God speaking to people, let alone speaking to you,…
*This is a follow-up post to my article Did Jesus Really Say We Shouldn't Judge? *** “Only God can judge me.” It’s a famous Tupac song. Some people think it’s a cool tattoo. It’s pop culture theology. But that phrase is way more loaded than we realize it is. Only God Can Judge Me? Let’s address a few things about the…
“Ideally there would be resolution for a song of faith for me, but there’s no resolution in this song…I want it to feel like a mad prayer.” Country artist Hunter Hayes describes his creative process for his latest single “Dear God” and my gosh are those sentences packed with truth that we just. don’t. talk. about. enough. Whether you follow…
I read a comment online this week that said, “as Christians we aren’t called to judge anyone but to love everyone.” Sounds great, doesn’t it? But do you know that it’s actually a little untrue? Based on my observation, “judge not lest you be judged” is one of the most misquoted verses and misunderstood concepts by Christians and non-Christians…
What would it take for you to feel successful in life? Really. Take some time to think about that. For me it’s how many visitors I get to my blog every month, or when my songs are finally published and people know my music, or when my passions finally become my actual job and source of income, or when…
What is my purpose in life? What's my calling? I feel like we all put so much pressure on ourselves to figure this question out, whether we call ourselves Christians or not. So let's take some pressure off. Sound good? 3 Misconceptions About Calling When we process the question, “what is God’s calling for my life?” or “what is my…
*This is a follow-up post to my article Can Christians Listen To "Secular" Music? My thoughts here will make more sense if you read that post too. *** As Christians, most of us understand that we're supposed to be set apart for Jesus and live differently from the world. I can tell you from observation and from my own personal…
*This is bonus content for the blog, Can Christians Listen to 'Secular' Music? In the blog, Can Christians Listen to 'Secular' Music, we started answering the question, "what about consuming entertainment/content that may portray sin or include ideas that don’t agree with God’s Word?" You can read that blog for context. For now, here are some practical steps and questions…
If you grew up in church like I did, you know that one of the most taboo things you can do in Christian culture is listen to "secular music” or be a secular entertainer. But is that really how God feels about secular arts and entertainment or is it just church tradition? As a lifelong lover of music, entertainment…
Is Jesus real to you? I mean really. As real as your best friend is to you. I believe so many people - even Christian people - understand Jesus as God, or a religion or a concept, but don’t have a grid for really knowing Him in a relationship that is personal, deep and interactive. I mean it…