2:42

I can’t explain the excitement I feel! This Sunday night, my wife and I will be inviting a group of our brothers and sisters from church into our home for the first of many Sunday nights of fellowship. We will be gathering to encounter authentic relationships and to fuse the lives and journeys of those who live by faith. I know that this will be a time to grow in our awareness of the bond we share as believers that supersedes our denominational, social or economic backgrounds. I pray these nights will be filled with raw encounters of authenticity and that these encounters will cause us to dive deep into the depths of God’s heart as we experience the richness, complexity, and enjoyment that genuine community brings!

Morning Gospel

The flesh always resists what the soul hungers.

It’s amazing how much I hate getting up early. The air outside of my bed feels arctic and the sensation of being awake feels completely foreign. But somehow the early morning hours awaken my spirit and direct my mind towards God like no other time of the day. This morning I sat in a coffee shop at 6am in East Nashville and soaked up the air of daybreak. The café had a sliding garage door open to a veranda and let in a cool, consistent morning breeze. A contemplative spirit arose within me as I let my soul awaken at God’s gentle beckoning. The quiet gave me the opportunity to ponder, once again, the beauty of the Gospel. I was quickly reminded of my own sinfulness, even after years of “sanctification”, and the contrast it bears to the purity and holiness of Christ. How quick I am to resist community; how quickly I fall into spiritual apathy; how easily I sin against God and those around me. The sacrifice of Christ and its dramatic effect on this sinner’s existence once again stirred my affections for Him.