I was cleaning up recently after all of the holiday festivities and I picked up a stack of conversation cards that I have. On one of the cards is the question, “Is there something that you feel God might be calling you into this next year?” This got me thinking about my own calling. Heartland just installed elders and the question of “calling” has been a topic of extensive study for me personally ...  Read More

One of the primary messages that our culture screams at us is the need to be efficient in every area of our lives. In fact, much of our culture is based on the ability to get more things done in less time, while utilizing fewer resources. This creates the feeling of intense pressure on us to measure up and “prove ourselves useful” as we inevitably attempt to cram more into the day and to get as ma...  Read More

One of the things my children love to do is go on walks. Going for a walk usually means them taking a scooter, or balance bike, or some other toy to ride through our neighborhood as they think about a destination. Recent destinations include a pond, or a certain house with Halloween decorations, or a little book nook. It never ceases to amaze me how different my two older children are. My daughter...  Read More

As I have discipled countless men over the years in areas of struggling with sin, and as I have been discipled by others in the same way, I have recognized a pattern of tension that exists in our counsel. Many will say that the way you die to your flesh and deny the passions of your former self is to experience the love of God for you. As God’s love is poured out into your heart, you reciprocate t...  Read More

Be Still: Patience is a VirtueI love to hunt. Some of my earliest memories are my dad, my uncle, and myself all heading out into the field to hunt deer in the winter or turkey in the spring. Those were some great times of fun and fellowship. However, they were also great times for learning life lessons. The majority of the lessons learned center around stillness. Stillness involves exactly what yo...  Read More

I have been thinking a lot lately about the beautiful simplicity, and also the great difficulty, in living a gospel-centered life. On the one hand, the calling on our lives is very clear and quite uncomplicated — we are called to remain in Jesus and find life and contentment in Him. On the other hand, our restless hearts consistently wander away from His presence and drift away from our true iden...  Read More