Finding Peace Amidst Life's Noise
As Advent begins, I'm reminded of the precious opportunity this season gives us each year—to pause, reset, and truly listen. In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to get swept up in the noise. But Advent nudges us to tune our ears to a different frequency, to the gentle whisper of God amidst the chaos, offering us hope, peace, joy, and love.

What's the Loudest Thing in My Life?
I recently took a moment to reflect on what was occupying the loudest space in my life. For me, it was the nagging pressures of work and maybe the drama that sometimes creeps in with family interactions. I invite you to consider: What’s screaming for your attention right now? Whatever it is, Advent is a call to shift focus and listen to the quieter, more profound voice of God that brings true peace.

Embracing the Gift of Advent
Every year, Advent offers us a divine gift—time to step away from life’s chaos and reconnect with a greater narrative. Through Romans 15, we learn that peace isn’t just about feeling good or having calm circumstances. It’s a lifestyle rooted in the promises of Jesus. This realization has been a game-changer for me.

Scripture: My Anchor in the Storm
The scriptures have become my anchor in turbulent times. Paul’s words remind me that everything written in the past serves to encourage us, offering hope through persistence. A dear friend shared her conviction that spending just 15 minutes a day in scripture could transform our lives. I agree wholeheartedly. When my mind is set on Christ, peace follows.

The Beauty of Unity
Advent also calls us to embrace unity, especially within our communities. Romans 15:5-6 urges us to live harmoniously, highlighting that peace is often more about our relationships than our circumstances. I’ve found that many of my peace struggles stem from unresolved relational tensions. Seeking reconciliation has become a powerful practice for me.

Living the Mission of Peace
Our call as Christians goes beyond personal peace—it's about being peacemakers in the world. I’m inspired by simple acts of kindness, like a McDonald’s employee who lifted the spirits of those he served. His joyful demeanor reminds me that no matter where we are, we can bring God’s peace to others.

Peace truly begins with surrender. If you're exploring faith, maybe it's time to trust Jesus as your Savior. For those already on the journey, perhaps this Advent is a chance to slow down and deepen your relationship with Him. Or maybe it’s time to mend some relational rifts that are weighing on your heart. Whatever it is, I encourage you to seek peace not through changing circumstances but by aligning yourself with Jesus, our Prince of Peace.

Advent asks us to trust in God's kingdom of hope, peace, joy, and love. It’s an invitation to move beyond surface-level faith and embrace a deeper relationship with Christ. As I lean into Jesus' promises this season, I hope you’ll join me in discovering the peace that truly surpasses all understanding. Amen.

Awakening to Advent: Embracing the Light and Hope of the Season

As the Advent season unfolds, many of us are filled with nostalgia. The familiar glow of candles, the carols, and cherished Christmas traditions bring warmth to our hearts. Yet, Advent is far more than a trip down memory lane—it acts as a spiritual alarm clock, urging us to awaken to the essence of our faith.

In Romans 13:11, Paul writes, "The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber." This call to wakefulness serves to shake us from spiritual autopilot, reminding us each Advent season to focus on what truly matters.

Waking Up to the Kingdom of God
What does it mean to awaken during Advent? It involves stepping into the fullness of life in God's kingdom—a life rich with hope, peace, joy, and love. Philosopher Kierkegaard once said, "The most common form of despair is not being who you are." Advent is a call to embrace our true identity in Christ, to become who we were made to be.
This awakening is not just a personal journey but an invitation to align with God's story. Paul reminds us of the urgency of this moment, saying, "Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed." The night recedes, and daylight nears; our task is to discard deeds of darkness and don the armor of light.

Hope in Urgency
Advent is a time for urgency, not complacency. It reminds us that the story of redemption is unfolding, moving steadily toward Christ's return. As we live with this sense of gospel urgency, we are called to cast off old ways and embrace the light.
Paul's exhortation is clear: we are to abandon the shadows of darkness—quarreling, jealousy, impurity—and embrace a life that reflects Christ's light. This requires effort. Dallas Willard aptly said, "Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning." In this season, God invites us to put in the effort towards intentional holiness.

Clothing Ourselves with Christ
The beauty of the gospel lies not just in subtraction but also in addition. While we cast away the darkness, we are also called to put on Christ. This means clothing ourselves with His compassion, purity, humility, and forgiveness. In a world fraught with hostility, wearing the armor of Christ equips us to be beacons of hope in dark places.
Practically, this means adopting the habits of Christ in our daily lives. Advent offers rich practices to help us clothe ourselves with Jesus: silence, scripture, service, prayer, generosity, and slowing down. These habits not only draw us closer to who Jesus is but also reinforce our true identity in Him.

A Call to Action
As we embark on this Advent journey, let us ask ourselves: Where might we be spiritually asleep? What shadows need to be cast off? What new habits of Christ should we adopt?
Advent is not merely a countdown to Christmas but a countdown to Christ.

This Advent, let's wake up to the light, walking in the newness of life and our true identity in Christ. Embrace the invitation to be a light in the darkness, sharing the hope of Jesus with the world around us.

Amen.

In a field of all potential possibilities.
I'm totally in control.
I have plotted my course.

X marks the spot
Just follow the dotted line
33.4162° N, 35.8570° E

But perhaps before I go,
I'll have some homemade bread for toast,
Wash it down at my spot in town with a double cappuccino.

Which reminds me of that dearest friend,
Who in my pursuits I've neglected to no end,
Far be it from me to do it again.

So much to do today,
My to-do list is starting to have it's way.
The tyranny of the now keeps me from the descending cloud

and this is how...disciples die on the vine.

-Pastor Mitch
 

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  - Mk 9:2–9.

When I was 14 years old I attended a church retreat for high school students and at that time I would not have called myself a disciple of Jesus. However, while I was singing worship songs in a small building with other Christians, I had a profound experience of the Holy Spirit. In that moment, I told God that I wanted to follow Him.

Now, if you interrogated me about that experience and questioned every detail of what was going on, I couldn't tell you with certainty how it all went down. I couldn't explain to you in certain terms what it was like to experience God that night.

However, I can tell you how it changed me, because it was a clarifying moment that left me a different person.

Some events offer us certainty and others clarity, and some give us both. In the case of the transfiguration, Peter, James, and John were offered a clarifying experience of who Jesus is, even if they couldn't explain with certainty exactly how everything happened. How could they?

How could they explain with certainty the holy presence of God, being surrounded by Jewish heroes that they had never met, and hearing the voice of God speaking to them? This was a supernatural experience that they would have no earthly framework to understand. Though, even in their ignorance, I am sure that it gave them a new lens to see Jesus more clearly then they had before.

They saw their Rabbi, standing next to Moses and Elijah, the forerunners of God's saving plan. Not only was he standing on common ground with them, but he was the glorious fulfillment of their story. The disciples saw Jesus clearer, perhaps, then ever before.

As is often also the case, when we see Jesus more clearly, we see ourselves more clearly as well. We can have unexplainable, amazing spiritual experiences and find ourselves frustrated with the lack of transformation we expected. This transfiguration did not make Peter, James, and John into super disciples when they came down the mountain who suddenly figured it all out and outshone all the others. No, they retained many of their flaws, but that's not to say that they were completely the same.

This is the difficult reality of following Jesus - it's not always the radical transformation we are hoping for.

It takes time for these clarifying moments to sink deep into us. Sometimes other things have to happen to us as well until the confluent streams of our life empty out into a larger river who's banks are being shaped by it all. It's long obedience in the same direction that reveals to us the person of Jesus and how he is slowly and deliberately shaping us into new creations.

20 years after that clarifying night that I gave my life to Jesus as a freshman in high school, I am writing to you as a pastor, who has made almost every mistake you can imagine, and yet, I am more like Jesus today then I was back then. My hope is that I can say the same thing 20 years from now.

I am not certain how everything happened up on that mountain, but when I read this scripture, it gives me clarity about God's larger story to save me through His son Jesus, and reminds me that His Glory is changing me, like stones under rushing water, a little more each day.

Pastor Mitch

16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Everybody needs a reality check on their priorities from time to time. The tides of life that push and pull us often take us off course and it's not until we lift our heads up to the horizon that we notice that the shore line looks very different from the where we first started. Today's scripture has a way of reorienting us back to Jesus, and back to the priorities of those who follow Him.

File this devotion into the "Easier said than done" folder.

The message matters more...
It matters more than any rights I may claim and more than my personal preferences.

The apostle Paul was an educated Jew, Roman citizen, and preacher of the good news. All things that he could have leveraged for his own benefit. He could have Lorded it over people for influence or demanded payments for his preaching. He had rights...but he chose not to exercise them in a self-serving way, instead, he refused them for the sake of the Gospel. So that people could freely receive the message of hope that God had for them.

He was all things to all people.

A Jew to the Jew's, a Gentile to Gentiles, and weak to the weak. Why? So that he might recruit more people to the Kingdom of God. He was willing to become whoever he needed to be in order to meet people where they were, not at the expense of the truth of Christ, but to accommodate them so that they could have a clearer path to the cross.

Paul laid down his rights and his preferences so that others could become right with God, because the message mattered more. He had his priorities straight, and it's a plumb line for all of us who follow the risen Lord.

The message matters more.

-Pastor Mitch

A Door of Welcome

I stand at the threshold,
under-dressed as usual.
Is it too late to cancel?
Unsure of what to do with my gilt.
No bell to ring, no handle to turn,
though, at just the right moment,
He opens the door, for me.

-Pastor Mitch

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.  - Mark 1:21-28

Why Jesus?

In a world filled with things to follow, to dedicate our lives to, to pursue, (Happiness, Success, Power, Pleasure, Sex, Influence, ourselves, and other God’s and Religions), why would anyone choose to orient their lives around a 1st century Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed to be God, and was executed for it?

We see a clue in Jesus' first miracle in the gospel of Mark.

Power and Authority.

The God who created the spiritual and material reality that we all live in, has power and authority like nothing else and no one else. There is no other name under heaven and earth that is above his, Jesus, and every knee will bow, every tongue confess, even the tongues of demons, that He is lord of all.

And to what end does Jesus have all this power?...
That he might set the captives free.

 He uses it for your good, not his.

In this recording Jesus amazes people, not with the content of his teaching, but the way that he embodies it.

As he teaches about the God who loves his creation, pursues them through his faithfulness, saves them through his grace, and set's the captives free, a man bound by an evil spirit comes into his presence.  So what does Jesus do?

He rebukes the spirit, shows his authority over it, and through his power sets the captive free.

Why should I follow Jesus instead of other things? Because Jesus walked the walk. He taught about grace and then showed it. He told people to turn the other cheek, to love your enemy, and then died on the cross for His.

Jesus is the real deal, and that's who I want to follow.

-Mitch
 

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles:
Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.  - Jonah 3:1-10

Jonah is a great story, about a great city, that is in great peril, with a not so great prophet, who get's caught in a great storm when running from a great God.

He ends up in the belly of a great fish and....that's all that people seem to remember! No one cares what happens after that moment because "How can anyone end up inside a fish for three days and survive?" The short answer, I don't know. Perhaps it's possible through natural circumstances or perhaps it requires some supernatural intervention on God's behalf. However, what I do know, is that is not even close to the most important detail of the story, and there is so much for us to learn about the character of God and how to live in relationship with Him in Jonah's adventure.

Perhaps, above all, God is so patient with his creation.

From the Ninevites to Jonah himself, we see God pursuing his rebellious creation so that he can show them mercy and grace to provide a way back to relationship with Him. Of course, this is a microcosm of the entire biblical narrative. God loves us so much, that even when we rebel and reject him, he will sacrifice himself to make a way back to restored relationship with him.

In addition to His patience, God empowers us to make a difference with our lives.

Once Jonah surrenders his will to God's plan and acts in obedience to the call that God put on his life, cool things start happening; even cooler than a giant fish swallowing him up. The Ninevites hear Jonah's message and they repent. From the greatest to the least, including the King. Some estimate up to 140,000 people turned to the Lord and they were spared from judgment.

The reluctant, imperfect, sinner - Jonah - made a huge difference in their lives.

Imperfect obedience can make a great difference in peoples lives when it’s empowered by a perfect, great God.

- Pastor Mitch

3 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

How do we find God when it feels like He is no where to be found?

In the days of Eli and Samuel, the word of the Lord was rare. I have to imagine they were asking the same question. These were men dedicated to service for the Lord. Their lives revolved around this God who "rarely" speaks.

Yet, in the middle of this desert of visions, something miraculous happens. God speaks to Samuel...repeatedly. Isn't it wonderful that God's faithfulness cannot be stopped by our actions or lack of knowledge? God was going to keep calling Samuel out of his sleep until he got the message. "Yo, Samuel! I am talking to you!" When it's hard to find God in my life or feel His work around me, I am comforted by the fact that God's faithfulness cannot be stopped.

Even though Samuel doesn't recognize what is happening, the elder priest Eli guides Samuel after realizing what's going on. Often we need someone else, someone older and wiser, to recognize God's call on our lives. I am too close to myself, I get in my own way. I know exactly how unworthy and unprepared I am to do anything for God, which is exactly why I need someone else to say "Hey, the Lord really is calling to you.", because we are often blind to the voice and calling of God in our own lives.

To find the God who feels rare and unfindable we need to trust in His faithfulness and the counsel of others. Then we can experience the call.

So, Samuel responds. A simple surrender that takes him on an incredible journey with God and His people.  If we want to walk with God, see Him move, experience His Kingdom, the same call is waiting for us. The only question is how we will respond.

Here I am Lord.

-Pastor Mitch

19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. -Acts 19:1-7

 I believed in God long before I was ever a disciple of Jesus.

You might be saying to yourself..."Wait, is that even a thing?" Yes, Let me explain.

My childhood and adolescence was in the very beginning of the internet age, and I can still remember logging on to my first internet browser after having conversation with some of my Christian friends and typing in one of the most googled phrases in the history of the internet -  Is there proof that God exists?

I scoured the internet, I read books, I asked questions to my youth pastor, I searched high and low for every bit of evidence I could find in those early days. And you know what I concluded - It is more likely that God exists than he doesn’t -  and that it’s more likely that Jesus was that God than other religions -  and if that were the case than his words and the teachings of the bible were true. I intellectually affirmed the truth of Jesus and the existence of God.

I was a believer, I even called myself a Christian when people asked, but I wasn’t a Disciple. It wasn't until years later when I surrendered my whole life to the God I believed in and dedicated myself to following his way, every day, that I became a disciple. That happened in the Texas Hill Country, years later, and that’s when the process of God taking over my life, making me a new creation, giving me a new purpose really began. That's when the inside out transformation of discipleship marked my life.

It’s actually kind of crazy to think about that you can believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life without actually following him, but I did, and maybe you do too!

You see, at the end of the day, a sudden belief in Jesus is not enough, it has to be accompanied by a process of surrender to him as Lord of our lives, especially as we grow in our understanding of who Jesus is and the new life that he is calling us into in his Kingdom.

That's exactly what we see with these early disciple of John and Jesus in the book of Acts. When meeting Paul, they learn more about this Jesus that they already believe in, but have not yet had him take over their entire being through the power of the Holy Spirit. We should pay close attention to their response when confronted with new possibilities - acceptance and surrender.

Disciples surrender to the process of spirit filled transformation, again and again, so God can shape us more and more into the image of Christ. Mere believers of Jesus may become enlightened to the reality of God, but they are not necessarily surrendering their life to it moment by moment, day by day.

So do you want to be a mere believer of God or a disciple of Jesus? Which one is God calling you to?

-Pastor Mitch

Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are the mourning ones, because they will be consoled.
Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are the ones who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed.
-Matthew 5:3-16

This is a familiar part of the bible, but their may be some words that feel new to you; they were for me.

I like this translation, not because it's better or more accurate than any other, in fact, since it's my own work, I am sure it's not as scholarly as others. However, I chose the words that resonated most with real life, the emotions that I feel, the way I experience the world. I chose earthy words; mourning, hungry, thirsty, gentle.

Less polished, less religious, more relatable.

I need a God and gospel that I can reach out and touch. A hope that rumbles in my stomach and catches in my throat. I savior that consoles me when I'm aching in my soul.

I need a Holy God with an earthy presence.

I don't think I'm too far off though, after all, it was Jesus who said "Repent, the Kingdom of God is near."

Rev. Mitch

We gathered together, like we do every Thursday morning, to drink some of the worst coffee in our little town and check in with each other. Each pastor and shepherd looking forward to the friendship and breakfast tacos (which are great) that reliably feed us week to week.

This time would be different though. A simple question simultaneously caused suspicion and excitement around the table; What is the Gospel?

This should be a simple question for a company of pastors to answer, right?

After two hours of conversation and commentary, the plane landed. A considerably longer flight than anyone expected, with a simpler answer than we could have predicted.

Jesus is the King.
The Kingdom is near.
Repent and live as a citizen of heaven... now and forever.

Good news. Good Tacos. Good Friends. Bad Coffee.

-Rev. Mitch 

Bad Default Settings

One thing that brings me comfort in a digital world that is moving faster than my ability to keep up is the lifeboat of factory default settings.

You totally screw up your new Iphone? Just return it to factory default settings and start over.
Airpods won't connect? Factory default settings.
Wife isn't seeing things the way you are? Factory default settings.

Oh wait, that's not the way it works. (Unless you live in Stepford)

But seriously wouldn't it be nice if we could fix our human problems the same way we fix of technology problems.

What if every morning we woke up with new factory default settings and all the baggage, sin, and mistakes from the day before were gone?

Yeah...that's not happening. In fact, it's the opposite.

I was sitting in a small group with some men that are much wiser than myself and one of them said "My problem is that I have bad default settings."

He was bringing attention to the daily struggle he has to make sure he is intentional in his Christian living, because left to his own natural sensibilities he lives outside God's way.

Now this sounds more like reality.

I know it's true because I was just at a gymnastics facility with a foam pit and about one hundred elementary school kids playing around it. At first I was just assisting my daughter getting in and out of the pit, but then I had this thought, "Wouldn't it be funny if I started pushing random strangers kids into the foam pit?"

So I tried it...and it was awesome. The shock on the kids faces when a middle aged man surprisingly chucked them into the foam pit was everything my gentle malevolence was trying to achieve. What could cause me to act in such a way?

Bad default settings.

It's what we call sin in the Christian tradition. It's not just something we do, it's a part of our nature. If we aren't fighting it every day, we will fall back to it with almost no effort.

The Apostle Paul said it this way in the letter to the Romans:
"For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature."

Every day is a battle, a mountain to climb, a cross to bear, whatever metaphor gets the point across to you; you have to work for it.

Because we have bad default settings.
Thank God we have a savior in Jesus.

A savior who's grace leads us into better, more compassionate wholeness, that reorients our default settings into something and someone who can love and serve the world around us.

Get up and get your settings right with Christ, he's got something for you today.

It's like riding a bike.

I have three kids and I have taught two of them to ride a bike successfully. I am in the midst of my third and final two wheeled balancing course. They have all been a little different; partly because of each child's temperament, partly because my strategy has changed.

All the variables aside, the same dilemma rears it's ugly head every time.

The problem with learning to ride a bike is that it gets exponentially easier to balance the faster you pedal. However, the faster you hurl yourself through time and space increases your risk for injury.

Even a young child knows intuitively...

If I fall at 5mph it hurts.
If I fall at 10mph there will be tears.
If I fall at 15mph there may be blood and bones involved.

The problem of riding a bike isn't just one of physics; it's about trust.

Do I trust that if I put myself at greater risk by going faster I will be successful and not meet a gravelly ruin?

It's a paradoxical hurdle that every person who has ever learned to ride a bike has had to conquer.

Being open to God's call and direction in your life is like riding a bike. It's a paradoxical hurdle, where you will only ever know the love, care, and purpose of your life if you are willing to take off the training wheels and pedal fast.

It's terrifying.
It's beautiful.
It's liberation.

Everything that you thought would result in your downfall turns into your strength. Pretty soon you're taking your hands off the handlebars all together.

You realize that the more you trust Jesus with your life the safer you become. Not because you are at objectively less risk, but because the only way to live your life to the fullest is by giving it back to God.

It's how we were created, it's how you ride a bike.