Spiritual Disciplines

Learning to Be Still in Chaos

2020-10-06T04:54:03+00:00By Joel|Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, Stillness|

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 It's safe to say that there is plenty of chaos right now. “Be still and know that I am God.” It sounds great, doesn’t it? But this is more than bumper sticker theology. Something resonates in our hearts when we hear it, but when the reality of life rushes in, there can be a ‘yeah, right?’ response that is like a knee jerk reaction in our heads. “But doesn’t God know what’s going on in my life?!?” “How on earth am I supposed to ‘Be Still’??” “My whole world is falling apart!” Yes. That’s the point right there. In this Psalm, it [...]

Minimalism: A Gift To The Word “Simplicity”

2020-02-18T14:29:38+00:00By Joel|Minimalism, Simplicity, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

Trends & fads. Society sure does have a way of sifting and sucking the meaning out of words, until all that is left is a mere carcass of letters and sounds, just a shadow of its original meaning. Love, justice, evangelical - the list doesn't stop there, but those are some significant ones that come up a lot in my work that make me have to stop and ask the question, "Wait, when they say that word, what exactly do they mean?" It seems like one of those words has been "simplicity." All things being relative, "simplicity" means different things for different people - I get it. But sometimes it doesn't feel simple at all, and [...]

Worshiping God When You Don’t Feel Like It [Audio]

2019-09-13T17:37:02+00:00By Joel|Audio, discipleship, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, Worship, Worship Leading|

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! David (shepherd boy turned king), Psalm 103:1 One thing that has been a part of my spiritual and character formation has been worship. Yes, worship is a response to what God has done, but what happens when worship (or rather, creating the environment for worship to happen) is your job? Through the week to week routine of it all, as well as in the times where you are walking through personal battles or frustrations of your own, there is temptation to slip into autopilot, in a way that does not engage the heart (personally). One thing I've found, however, is [...]

In The Storm: What Do You Say? [Audio]

2019-07-26T00:30:20+00:00By Joel|A Prelude To Tomorrow, Music, Prayers and Blessings, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation|

"Going through a storm doesn't mean that we're just waiting for it to go away, but as followers of Jesus, it is looking for Jesus in the storm. And saying, 'I think I see Jesus [on the water], and if that's Jesus, I would rather be with Him, out there in this mess, than in this boat relying on my own ingenuity and resources.' Even though we might be afraid and fearful, He is inviting us into a deeper experience of trust in Him." - my sermon, "This is My Story: In the Storm" For most of my songs, I can recall the moments when I wrote, scribbled, labored, or arm wrestled the lyrics and melodies [...]