Because tomorrow is an interesting day for the blog, I decided to do Friday's content share, today. Unironically, I prayed for guidance on today's share, and sure enough, a post by Tim Challies on the topic of? You guessed it: prayer. Prayer can be so hard. I know for me, oftentimes I find myself more concerned about the way I'm "supposed" to pray than I am about the content itself. And so, I really liked this article. Instead of writing about one specific aspect of prayer, T

One of the hardest challenges in nature photography is distilling a chaotic scene into a handful of elements that tell a cohesive story. In other words, the natural world is messy, and the photographer's job is to make sense of that mess. Case in point: on my recent trip to West Virginia, I chose to photograph fall color primarily. It’s one thing to look at a canopy of trees with our human eyes. But taking that view and making it into a two-dimensional image is another. There

Do you ever wonder what went through the minds of people in the Bible? Case in point, David. This morning I read a small portion of Psalm 57; it is a favorite of mine. But the occasion for its writing was when David hid in the cave from Saul. Now, if you're at all familiar with the life of David, then you know that he was in caves more than once. So, which particular time this Psalm is referencing, I don't know. But I'm sure in each case, he had a heavy heart and a burdened m

Well, Sunday is coming up, and it is a day to gather under the preaching of God's word. But is that all going to church is about? Tim Challies says, "no". Instead, preaching is just one part of a church service. A very important one, mind you, but not the only. So why is it that we can be so dismissive of the worship or fellowship or any other part of your local gathering of believers? In this post, Tim Challies discusses how we ought to treat all of our church service, not j

It's been a minute since I wrote about artificial intelligence. I am not shy about my opinion of the technology. But I do recognize that it's here. Just look at the headlines, and you'll constantly be reminded of it. Someone asked me recently if I used A.I. to write something for a social media post. I took it as a compliment. I guess they thought it was written well. It raised a deeper question I feel is worth taking a moment to address: How do I use A.I.? An important prefa

Autumn is in full swing where I live. Just a few days ago, I returned from a short trip to West Virginia. Close to home, at least, it's some of the finest fall foliage you'll see. Everywhere you look, there are forests full of reds and golds, and every shade in between. In the hollows between mountains, beautiful waterfalls, full from recent storms, flow down steep gorges, seemingly disappearing into the deep, dark rivers below. Meanwhile, on any given morning, you might find

Why do we worship so many things? It's really an offensive accusation, but if we're honest with ourselves, we all are guilty of worshipping things other than God on occasion. When we find our worth in other things, when we find our hope in other things—when we search elsewhere for what we can only find in God, we are, in effect, worshipping that thing. Jobs, relationships, hobbies, finances—you name it—all of these can become replacements. But tomorrow, the Lord's day, we hav

Three hundred and fifty posts? That's right. But currently, I'm in West Virginia, and it's been a bit of a whirlwind. Between the big 350 and this current trip, I have some writing to do, I suppose. In the meantime, instead of writing out a full blog for today, I decided to share a couple of my old posts. I couldn't pick between these two; I just know they both struck me as posts I should re-share. So here we are. First, this post is about how God is our help and our hope. Ps

Water rushes gently over mossy-covered stones, as nearby ferns dance in the breeze. Days turn into weeks; weeks turn into months, and the small waterfall goes on, doing what it does, without a single human eye seeing it or a human hand touching it. It needs no approval or suggestions; it simply continues to do what God designed it to. I'm sure you've heard the question before: If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound? But have you ever

This past Sunday, we sang a song I was not familiar with, but I found it to be a very moving song. I don't usually share music on this blog, but I felt this one fit in with some of the topics explored here. Challenging times and emotions come upon us all, even Christians. The Psalmists give us a window into how they dealt with those times: They brought them before the Lord. Based on Psalm 42 (I believe), this song, written by Matt Papa and Matt Boswell, captures that well. So

It's getting a bit chilly outside around here. Okay, forty-nine isn't that cold, but it's a clear sign that fall is here. Leaves are starting to change, and the air is crisp and clear. It's a strange time of the year, if you ask me. On one hand, it's when nature starts to close down for winter. Leaves fall, bugs go somewhere (I honestly have no idea what happens to all of the little insects), birds migrate, and the days are shorter. Yet, I feel like it's a time of so much lif

Over and over, a theme appears throughout Scripture: wait on the Lord. Abraham had to wait on the Lord for a child in his old age. Hannah had to wait for a child as well, as we see in 1 Samuel. David had to wait years between being anointed king and actually becoming king. The Israelites had to wait on the Lord to deliver them from slavery. The world had to wait from Genesis 3 until the opening verses of Matthew for the Messiah to come. And we now must wait for the Lord to re

Pride goes before a fall, as they say. Last fall, attempting to find an off-trail waterfall, I came face-to-face with that idea. My adventure was cut short; a coming deluge, high cliffs, dangerous footing, and a wrong approach all kept me from reaching my destination. I would have to return. Thankfully, I was finally able to, and this time I wasn't alone. My friend and I headed to the trailhead and started down the overgrown path. I had done a bit more research this time, and

High in southwestern Montana, stretching into the northwest corner of Wyoming, are many sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The Teton and Wind River Ranges in Wyoming rise dramatically, showcasing some of the most stunning natural beauty in the United States. Nearby, the Absarokas stand tall to the Northeast. Further north and east, straddling the border between Montana and Wyoming, are the Beartooth Mountains, an impressive range in its own right. Driving up Beartooth Pass, o

Have you ever woken up and wondered how in the world you were going to face the day? If you haven't, don't worry; your time is coming. Several years ago, I was hiking with a friend. It was a much longer and steeper hike than I expected. Daylight was waning. As we trudged uphill, I reached a breaking point. Unless I got rid of my backpack, there was no way I would be able to keep going . Thankfully, my friend was able and willing to take it. My weakness presented itself ever s

Light is fascinating. I realize that is an understatement. But depending on your background, you may be unaware of how complex light actually is. It can behave like a wave or a particle (look up experiments done on this; strange stuff). It is the speed limit of the universe; nothing can go faster than light. If my understanding is correct, the universe will adjust itself to maintain that speed limit. All very bizarre. I posted an article earlier in the week from Got Questions

It was a smoky afternoon in Montana. That was the story of the week, if I'm being honest. But challenging situations caused us to travel, to look, to try something different. Which I'm actually glad for. But on this particular day, we ended up driving all over. I can't recall the original plan, but it fell apart, and we drove northward to one mountain range in particular, if my memory serves me correctly. Montana is full of back roads, dirt roads, and roads that you can't rea

It's really hard to believe today marks twenty-five years since the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. It's also hard to believe that an entire generation has been born and come into adulthood since that time. It's hard for me to believe, as well, how quickly it seems that we as a nation have forgotten those events. My desire with this blog is not to be highly political or unnecessarily controversial—meaning I don't feel the need to make bold accusations about leaders

Cold water rushes through a narrow ravine. On either side of the stream, sections of rock are exposed, revealing ancient breccia, a mixture of sharp-edged rock fragments and finer grains, like a rough, natural concrete, formed by ancient volcanic activity and other dramatic forces. Vibrant green moss covers the landscape as the water rushes over ancient boulders. The stream flows through a canyon surrounded by peaks over nine thousand feet high. The American West and its geol

If you've followed me for any time, you've likely noticed some recurring themes. From nostalgia to getting back on track, showing up when others might not, or just taking the next step because you can't see past it, these are common themes for me as I continue this venture. But they're themes that are important for all of us, quite frankly. I suppose nostalgia can be important in helping us remember our purpose. Sometimes we do have to take a step back, look at the big pictur