Today is the first day of 2018, and like many people, I sat down with my Big Chief writing tablet and my #2 pencil and began to map out the next twelve months of my life. I have personal goals, spiritual goals, and goals for this website, some of which I’m super excited to introduce …

In our adult class on Sunday mornings at Hillside, we’re currently going through the books of 1&2 Peter. It’s an exhilarating read, albeit a somewhat-depressing read at times. If you’re unfamiliar with the book (or if it’s been a while since you’ve studied it), the basic premise is this: be prepared to suffer for the …

What do we really know about Job? We know that he suffered (a lot). We know he had some really awful friends who gave him some even worse advice. We also know that he struggled to justify himself in the face of an overwhelmingly popular opinion that he had committed some grave sin somewhere. But …

“…And God rested on the seventh day from all the work which He had done.” Such a nondescript, straight-forward verse like this located at the beginning of Genesis 2 seems like it almost doesn’t fit in the hustle-and-bustle creation narrative of Genesis 1. There, God has literally created everything under the sun – including the …

For a long time, I’ve wondered about the purpose behind Jacob’s interactions with angels. There’s one story about him seeing a vision from God of the angels going up and down the ladder (Genesis 28:10-17), as well as one with him wrestling a being that we find out later was at least sent from God …

You know the feeling. That deep, sinking feeling you get deep down in your gut that only rears its ugly head when you’ve committed some type of sin and the only person that knows about it (besides you) is God. It doesn’t even have to be that bad of a sin; just something simple that …

Despite what the title says, allow me to be very clear: I love diversity. I love having people from all different types of backgrounds, social classes, talents, interests, and races present as part of our local congregations. They bring a lot of different viewpoints to the table whenever we discuss different matters – each one …

What are you looking for in a Messiah? That was the question posed to the two disciples of John the Baptist in John 1:38, after John proclaimed Jesus to be the “Lamb of God” in verse 36. Turning to see these two men following Him, Jesus asked “What do you seek?” That’s a good question …

I don’t know where I heard this, but one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given when it came to prayer is this: set a timer for five minutes and try to pray the entire time. It shouldn’t really be that hard; after all, we sit in drive-thru lanes at fast food …

I have many faults, but comparing myself to other people ranks near the top. As someone who has struggled with mild cases of both depression and anxiety disorders most of their life, I am acutely aware of the fact that looking towards the “greener grass” of other people’s lives is one of the fastest ways …