She began to voice her disgust with churches in our area and how the pews are full of sinners. She ranted about how local pastors weren’t holy enough to recognize the calling on her life and how no one would give her a chance. She linked this to the idea that she made them uncomfortable because she “called out” their unrighteousness…

It was a fun day. From the road, one could see multiple bright-colored jumpers gently swaying with excitement. The bold splashes of blue and yellow invited on-lookers to join the celebration, to drop the seriousness and revel in childlike joy. There was an ice cream truck serving up swirls of bliss and the fire raging from the BBQ pit wafted aromatic smells that lifted anyone’s countenance. It was the end of summer…

I am always tempted to choose words that are encompassed in comfort. On the other hand, God chooses words saturated in uneasiness, because if we become complacent, we tend to become lazy, distant, and stagnant. So, His words for me have always been tinged with discomfort for the purpose of spiritual and practical development.

It is important to say healthy goodbyes to hard things and to properly grieve the losses and disappointments of the past year. It is necessary to name the pain and permit yourself time to question and lament. Yet, in the same space, we must also recognize that we are not betrayed or forgotten by our Lord.

When was the last time you felt wonder? Do you remember the last time your senses were overwhelmed and you froze in amazement, inhaling with great awe? Where were you and what was happening?

This past week, many families began the season of celebrating and incorporating a variety of traditions - some rooted in generations past and some birthed new in hopes of leaving a legacy. Often celebrations and traditions are necessary to help remind us and recalibrate us to the importance of godliness, thanksgiving, and worship.

Here, in California, we can only dream of real fall. We decorate with fake leaves instead of raking up real ones. We buy sweaters only to layer them over t-shirts so we can take them off by mid-afternoon. We visit pumpkin patches in our flip-flops and drink pumpkin cold brew because the hot lattes are just too much.

It was my honor to sit down with Pastor Rich Guerra, the SoCal Network Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, last week to discuss my book. In this video, I answer important questions about God’s Big Ask and highlight some of the behind-the-scene victories and challenges of writing this book.

All the anticipation, all the countdowns, all the preparation, sleepless nights, hours staring at jumbled words on a screen, and the whispered prayers through gritted teeth have led to this moment. Publication day!

God knew what you would need to hear before you even knew you needed to hear it. Words were written on cold mornings that wouldn’t be necessary until the hot summer days of pain. Chapters were planned two years ago for this moment - the opening of the book for the first time, the inhaling of the text in your current situation, the long-ago preparation for the here and now.