One of the most memorable experiences of my time as chaplain to college students happened about seven years ago — in one of the most rugged, forgotten corners of Appalachia, Kentucky. Ten students from Montclair…
UNBOXING CHRISTMAS: THE RESCUE BEGINS
For most people, Christmas is already over. The decorations are boxed away, the trees are on the curb, and the familiar rhythm of daily life has returned. The music has faded, the gatherings are finished,…
SEEN, SOUGHT, CHANGED
Happy New Year, everyone. If you’re like most people, you’ve already thought at least once: This year has to be different. Not perfect. But different. There’s something about flipping the calendar that makes us startlingly…
WEARY – BUT HOLDING ON (New Years 2026)
Every January 1st, we walk through the church doors with a strange mix of feelings. On one side, there’s a cautious hope—the kind that comes with flipping to a new page, stretching out a blank…
WEAPONIZED NATIVITY
Every December, the same tensions seem to surface—just with new packaging. We see controversies over neighborhoods and homeowners’ associations arguing about Christmas lights: how bright they can be, how long they can stay up, whether…
LIGHTSABERS IN THE MANGER
I have several friends who are not helpful to my attention deficit disorder by routinely sending me memes, and clips that can run the gamut of possibilities from current events, news, to random clips from…
STOP PLAYING IT SAFE: Rejection therapy for the…
Have you ever heard of something called “rejection therapy”? If that sounds just a bit made up—like one of those TikTok challenges that nobody actually does—well, I promise, it’s real. There’s even an article about…
REJOICE IN THE NOT-YET: Faith, Waiting, and the…
A couple of weeks ago, a story about a man named Ed Bambas started circling the internet—and then somehow circled the globe. Ed is 88 years old. That’s a number that means something when you…
“IF ONLY”
There’s this quiet little phrase that sneaks around our minds more than we realize. It’s like a pop-up ad for the human heart. It shows up at work, in relationships, in prayer, even when we’re just…









