Safe in Grace, Curious in Love
Have you ever shared something in confidence, only to realize days later that everyone knows? That kind of breach tempts us to shut down, isolate, and vow never to open up again. But what if the way forward isn’t retreat, but becoming the safe place we wish we had? In a world full of broken trust, grace and curiosity can help us build life-giving community—starting with us.
Permission Granted
RETREAT You are not alone in your quest for rest. I pray as we think about rest that you begin to see it as an invitation not simply an obligation. I also know that anytime we start poking around this area, there can be a tendency to be filled with shame, remorse, or...
What’s Your Whip?
“There’s a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 When the children of Israel were locked in Egyptian oppression, they couldn’t understand the concept of rest. Generation after generation was indoctrinated with a mentality...
Is The Metronome Of Your Life Swinging Out Of Control?
I want to expose, unpack, and offer remedies for a pandemic that has been sweeping across our globe longer than any named virus. An epidemic of such global proportions that it threatens the very foundation of our lives, our loves, our leadership, and our legacy. If we...
Safety Part 2
Now you may be saying that’s great Nathan I get safety in my heavenly father, but what do I do with all those other people in my life? Let’s be honest, most of us don’t feel safe around most people. As leaders, sometimes we’ve been trained to live lives with a...
Safety Part 1
We have been exploring the sacred contradiction known as rest. We’re learning to live into it as invitation rather than simply obligation. modeling, after Jesus rhythm of retreat, often withdrawing to lonely places and embracing his permission to do the same. We also...
Encouragement Part 2
When you take up the invitation to rest and retreat to withdraw, and reflect you’ll find yourself, filled up with encouragement from your heavenly father. But that reservoir of encouragement isn’t meant for just you alone. You were made to overflow with encouragement,...
Encouragement Part 1
I see R.E.S.T. a sacred contradiction in this crazy world. But I see it as invitation and not just obligation. And yesterday we started into what we call the rest model by looking at the R in rest, and that’s retreat. Jesus, the savior of the world, the man who by all...
RETREAT
In light of your busy schedules, what do you think of when I say the word retreat? For some of you there is a visceral reaction. you have images of sitting around a campfire, holding hands and telling your deepest feelings. Others of you may have visions of a...
An Alarming Statistical Trend
Why should I help a missionary? The statistics within this area are frightening. Although missionaries are shown to work extreme hours, in extreme environments, and are around constant trauma, they are not seen in others’ eyes as necessary to gain the same relief and...