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Grace is Messy

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Select a Month January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 June 2015 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 June 2013 April 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 September 2011 August 2011 May 2011 July 2010

December 2016

December 07, 2016

A Prayer to the Bat-Shit Crazy God

We can't stop storms. We can't capture the wind or refuse lightning. Claps of thunder...

October 2016

October 17, 2016

What I Think About Sin

I grew up with the belief that sin was kryptonite for the Christian. Sin would...

October 14, 2016

ASK STEVE #2: What Does it Mean to be a Good Christian?

This week’s question is another great, seemingly simple question: what does it mean to be...

October 07, 2016

ASK STEVE #1: What is Grace?

The first question in my brand-new ASK STEVE series comes from a Twitter follower, who...

October 05, 2016

Why I Believe God Works Ordinarily

For years, I believed exactly what Christine Caine's quote says: God can do in a...

September 2016

September 30, 2016

How to Handle Anxiety, Discouragement, and Depression

It seems that sucky days are a universal experience. We can’t survive on an island....

September 25, 2016

Why I Want Faith Like Water

My faith matters to me. I read the Bible. I attend church. I pray when...

September 23, 2016

7 Ways a Healthy Faith Creates a Healthy Mind

Mental health and faith can feel like two separate worlds. For many people, they look...

September 18, 2016

To be a Christian, Or to be Crazy? That is the Question.

If the Prodigal Son had been able to work through the smothering lies that come...

September 14, 2016

How to Care for Dingy Socks and Panic Attacks

It took me three days to realize I'm building toward a panic attack. I think...

September 11, 2016

Why I Trust God in the Midst of Tragedy

I am no longer the boy who intentionally memorizes Scripture, and I haven’t been the...

September 06, 2016

How to Reimagine Grace: Listen to This Powerful Interview Now!

For the first 28 years of my life, grace was just a beautiful old melody...

August 2016

August 31, 2016

This is My One Greatest Battle

Alzheimer's is a miserable disease. With my Grandfather, it’s the same story multiple times in...

August 22, 2016

One Question About My Faith That Really Makes Me Squirm

“So, are you Pentecostal?” After almost 3 decades of Sunday's spent within the four walls...

August 18, 2016

Fear and Faithfulness: The Parable of the Talents

Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things...

August 12, 2016

Is the Holy Spirit Your Comfort…or A Crazy Cousin?

During my childhood, I saw people act forcefully on behalf of the Holy Spirit, but...

August 11, 2016

How to Have Authentic Faith in the Midst of Anxiety

Anxiety often feels like the deep end of the pool, and I feel like a...

August 04, 2016

How I Found Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse

He only took my innocence. Only. That’s one heck of a word. It was only...

July 2016

July 25, 2016

Don’t Kick the Catfish: Thoughts on the 23rd Psalm

When I was fifteen, we took our annual trip to the beach. There I was,...

July 22, 2016

Trusting Through the Suck

Sometimes trusting God isn’t triumphant or glorious. Sometimes trusting God isn’t even a desire. It’s...

July 18, 2016

9 Ways to Know if You’re in an Oppressive Church

For many people I know, Christianity has been boiled down to morality. It has become...

July 17, 2016

The Importance of Redefining the Small Things

When I take my last breath on earth, won’t be thinking of metrics and stats....

July 13, 2016

7 Surprising Gifts of My Mental Illness

I used to live in an I-have-it-together illusion. But waking up in ICU after a...

July 11, 2016

How to Make Space at the Table

The stories throughout the book are absolutely wonderful. This is a father/son duo who obviously...

July 09, 2016

How to Win a Scholarship for My Online Recovery Group

The Grace is Messy Spiritual and Religious Recovery Group last four weeks. It includes a...

July 01, 2016

The One Powerful Gift of My Weakest Moments

I’m not called to have it all figured out. I’m not called to have wise...

June 2016

June 30, 2016

On Zombies, Trump, and Denying Jesus

Growing up in the Evangelical tradition, I was scared to death of denying Jesus. Countless...

June 29, 2016

Join Us! The Church and Mental Health

I was privileged to be a part of a very helpful (and hilarious chat with...

June 29, 2016

Abuse, Addiction, and Recovery: This is My Story

I remember it like it happened this morning, every nasty detail. His name was Jeremy...

June 22, 2016

From Pastor to Psych Ward: Recovery from a Suicide Attempt is Possible.

My clients were concerned. When they couldn’t reach me, they called first my wife, and...