Joel

About Joel

I'm nomadic by nature, but not in a tourist kind of way. Every step is a dive into finding the unfathomable in the mundane, and the holy in the present moment.
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Musings on living simply and wandering tendencies

By |2018-01-17T22:36:03+00:00December 31st, 2014|Abandonment, discipleship, Minimalism, Simplicity|

Sometimes when you pray for something to develop within your character, God allows things in your life to form that specific quality in you. You know what I mean, right? You pray for patience and many opportunities to practice patience arise. Whether it's just a renewed and heightened awareness of it, or new situations actually coming up, opportunities seem more available - or maybe you're more ready to receive them. Regardless, I've been praying for more grace and opportunity to simplify life even more, and opportunities are arising. Some people are nesters, and some are nomads, embracing the J.R.R. Tolkien sentiment of "Not all who wander are lost." Truly, some are not lost, but rather they [...]

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Songs in the Night: I Need Thee Every Hour

By |2018-01-17T22:38:03+00:00November 28th, 2014|Music, prayer, Songs in the Night|

I said,“Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search... I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. -Psalm 77:6&11-12 "Songs in the Night" is a name/phrase that I've used over the years for worship in the night hours. The very first prayer/worship vigil that I ever led was called by that name, and it kind of stuck. I've been thinking about that again after leading worship at the Alliance of Renewal Churches' midwest gathering. We led a time of soaking worship in the Word, [...]

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Ordinary Heroes: the glory of hiddenness

By |2015-01-12T00:59:08+00:00November 19th, 2014|discipleship, Jesus Christ, Jesus Shaped Community, The Dangerous Kind|

“I am a Christian, not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity, but because there were people willing to be nuts and bolts.” ― Rich Mullins This is the paradox [of discipleship]: accompanying the unveiling of Jesus there is a veiling of us in the same moment, and therein lays the real glory of transformation: the glory of hiddenness. - Graeme Sellers I've been thinking a lot about how the Christians who have shaped me the most significantly are not the ones who are outwardly polished, living an ideal 'untainted by the world.' Actually, in numerous accounts, I've found those to be the ones with great potential for damage, because they tend to project [...]

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Whispers of the Ancient Path

By |2018-01-17T22:39:12+00:00August 18th, 2014|discipleship, Featured, Home of Prayer|

 "The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26 I know the title is a bit mysterious...and probably a bit too epic for a blog, but it is what it is. I've just been contemplating how the grit of schedules, paying bills, and doing things we enjoy (while putting up with the things we don't), can often make us feel like we're just hanging on. The dust and sweat of life lingers inch by inch closer to tomorrow and it often feels so consuming. One of the themes of my life [...]

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