I turned off the TV with tears in my eyes. My inspiration meter was completely maxed out. My wife and I had just watched a documentary of a person completing the Moab 240 ultramarathon.

“King of Moab” takes you right beside Max Jolliffe as he not only survives, but wins the 2024 Moab 240.

“There are two types of people in the world”, my wife chuckled as we reflected on what we just witnessed. “There are people who watch that and NEVER want to experience something like that, and people like you who see that suffering and pain and say ‘you know what.. that. I want that!’”

The Bible is filled with hero’s of the faith. The first time I can remember internalizing what a hero even is, was when I was young. As a young boy I loved anything and everything superhero related. In a way, we never really grow out of our love for superhero’s. Spider-Man, Batman, the power rangers, the ninja turtles-the obsession in our world over these characters has never really slowed down. Comic books, movies, toys, collectibles..the world keeps on buying these things because we are fond of superhero’s.

Now, I am the kind of person who asks a lot of questions. I am always trying to dig and find the deeper meaning to everything. Because of my Obsession Compulsion Disorder, this can be quite exhausting at times. Sometimes this quest for deeper meaning comes up empty. Sometimes, there is no deeper meaning. Let’s say I order a Big Mac from McDonald’s. I love Big Macs. I just do. But if I try and dig deeper and find begin to question “WHY do I love Big Macs?”.. I will likely come up empty. Sometimes the answer really is as simple as “I just do.”

But this isn’t the case with everything. This certainly is not the case with superhero’s. People love superhero’s, and I think there is something deeper going on. I don’t believe the obsession for superhero’s can be summed up as “We just like them because we do.” So what is going deep within us?

In my opinion, superhero’s seem to feed that inner desire most of us have to see justice, good prevail over evil, and the innocent protected. The desire to see these things is natural. We watch in amazement as superhero’s fulfill these natural desires in very unnatural ways. That is what makes them so special to us. We watch them make an impact on the world in ways we can’t. We watch superhero’s do amazing things that we just can’t do. We feel as if there is a major difference between us and them. Nobody is going to confuse me with Spiderman, or Batman. The only thing I have in common with the Ninja Turtles is our enthusiasm for pizza. They have powers and abilities that I do not have, so there is a major separation between them and me. However, Elijah in the Bible is a bit of a different story.

How does the story of Elijah relate to us?

Elijah was a hero, but he wasn’t a super hero. He did not have some kind of superpower that put him on some elite level of his own. Elijah had access to the same superpower that we do… that being an all powerful, sovereign,God. He was just a regular person like you and I. 

James 5:17-18

The fall leaves crumbled under the feet of Bowie and Bagley, her 2 year old beagle. “Bagley there’s no snacks under this leaf pile either” Bowie said as she gave a gentle tug on the dog's leash. Bagley broke free and dove nose first into another leaf pile that was three times her size. “Bagley, we are going to be late!”

Bowie and her dog were heading back home from the store carrying the butter, tea, and apples for her mom and dad. To Bowie’s surprise, Bagley resurfaced with a smile. “What do you have in your mouth?” Bowie said laughing. Bagley managed to find a half eaten peanut butter cookie. 

Verse 1 reminds us that those who take on the role of teaching God’s Word must be aware that He is watching and will judge them more strictly than those who do not teach. This truth should drive us to prepare our messages with deep study, prayer, and a heart that seeks God. However, any Christian will find themselves, at times, in a position to teach others about God’s Word. Even if someone isn’t a pastor, author, or public speaker, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the teachings we share—especially when spoken in God’s name—are truthful and accurate.  

We have an opportunity to make an impact on the youth of our nation. These lyrics hit so much harder now that I am a dad. My heart breaks that there are so many kids hurting, and I will do anything in my power to reach them with the good news of hope and love in Jesus Christ. It begins with my children and moves outward from there.

As I see my daughter in her P.O.D. shirt, I can’t help but smile. It was such a fun night and one of the best times we have ever had together so far. I will always do my best to teach her—and all my children—that they never have to end up like the assailant in the song, or Little Suzy, or Johnny.

I believe that God has so much more in store for my children, and many children in our world today, than the unfortunate realities spoken about in this classic P.O.D. song.

Jesus is always the answer.

This passage of Scripture has been widely debated and often misused. Without overcomplicating it, I want to bring some much-needed clarity to the issue. The relationship between faith and works is important and must be taught with care and concern for people’s souls. We need to understand what this passage is saying so that we can better walk with God and counter those who misuse it to harm others.

James 2:14-26 presents three signs of true, saving faith that we should examine in ourselves—not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. Unfortunately, this passage has often been wielded like a weapon to harass and confuse people when, in reality, it should function more like an EpiPen for ourselves. As we remain here waiting for Christ’s return, we should take this passage to heart, examine our faith, and work toward bettering ourselves—not just for our sake, but for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

My heart beat against my chest like a gorilla stuffed into a Happy Meal box. The dance instructor was calling for all the newbies to line up on the floor. I set down my non-alcoholic drink and motioned for my wife to follow. No liquid courage coursed through my veins, but my wife’s smile was more than enough to keep my feet heading in the direction they didn’t want to go.

I’ve always hated dancing. Put me in the mosh pit any day, but dancing? No thanks. I’ve never understood why anyone would want to expose themselves in such a goofy way. Even King David didn’t escape the piercing eyes of scrutiny when he was dancing.

I’ve been reading In the Heart of the Sea, a true account of the Essex—a whaling ship destroyed by an enraged whale. The crew was left with their beloved ship reduced to splinters, and their hopes for survival even thinner. For some time, they lingered by the wreckage, watching the remnants barely peeking out of the water. Eventually, they made the difficult decision to leave the sunken ship behind and attempt survival in smaller boats.

What struck me most was how their spirits changed once they turned away from the wreckage and began moving forward. Morale improved the moment they stopped focusing on what was lost and started focusing on the journey ahead.

Have you ever lost it on your kids?

I sure have—more than I’d like to admit. It’s embarrassing and difficult because, as Christian parents, we try so hard to raise our children in a way that’s pleasing to Jesus. But we fail often—at least I do. Sometimes, when this happens, I reach for any justification within my 5-foot-8-inch grasp (otherwise, I need a step ladder). It’s so easy to make excuses for our misbehavior toward our kids

I am recounting some of the trials and suffering my family have gone through in the recent years, in as much detail as I can. Sure I could gloss over these details, but that would defeat the purpose of the book. This book is about how we as Christians can navigate trials and suffering in our lives. In order to do this, I’m going back in time and trying to document  the trauma we have experienced as a family. As much as I’d like to never feel these emotions again, I understand at the same time these trials and the pain we felt are too important to forget. 

Harsh vocals, distorted guitars, chainsaw bass, and  blasting drums that make your heart beat outside your chest—Christian metal transforms raw intensity into a soundtrack of overcoming trials and worshipping God, and standing firm in a fallen world. 

Worshiping God, standing firm in our faith, and overcoming trials are all good things, right? Then why so much hate against Christian metal? This is something I’ve wondered about for many years. What I think comes down to personal preference. 

Some years I burn through highlighters. It seems that selling all my possessions and buying pallets of highlighter pens  is the only way I can keep up with my Bible highlighting in those profound years where my walk with God just keeps reaching new heights. In those years of growth, my Bible drips yellow ink like it’s been dipped into a vat of that nostalgic Sunny D. 

Let’s talk about one of my favorite Bible study tips: The  SOAP Bible method. It’s important that we always learn better ways to interact with God’s Word, and how to study the Bible. What is the SOAP bible method? What are the benefits of the SOAP bible study? Who is it for? Let’s answer these questions. 

We as a society are very click driven. From high school to your job, or even the people we as a society look up to, clicks are ever present. They're always seems to be some special group that we just can't make our way into no matter how hard we try. And, if we're honest, there probably are people who want to be in our own little click as well. We all seem to at times show favor to those we desire to spend time with for no other reason than what they can offer us with. Is this something I am constantly guilty of doing? No. But have I done it in the past? I am sure of it. But why do we do this?

As a Christian, one of the most important things you can do is find yourself a good church. Church is essential for community, growth, and service. A livestream or pre-recorded version of a church service is good if you're sick or out of town, but it can never replace the real thing. However, in all honesty finding a good church can be a little tricky. More often than not people become discouraged and give up on church altogether because they just cannot seem to find a church to truly call home. If that is you, I hope that I can be of assistance. I have 3 tips in finding a church that you can call home for the long haul.

Now I submit to you that is Christians, we should value God‘s word enough to handle it properly. The Bible has all we need in this life to know Him, follow Him, and love others. A result of not handling His word correctly can have detrimental results on our lives. So now let us examine James 1:21-27. 

The wives of Elkanah had one major difference: Penninah had children, and Hannah did not. In these days,and in this part of the world, a woman's greatest accomplishment in life was having children. That is not to say that today is much different, but women tend to find other identities than solely embracing the fact that they are a mother. They took being a mother much more seriously in these times. Motherhood is a very special thing, however, in the Old Testament times, it was even more desired than today.

Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” So simple and straightforward, yet so difficult for us to master. This is such a hard battle for us that God gives us in His word many similar teachings. Some of these many passages can be found in Proverbs 10:19, 11:12, 14:29, 15:1, and 17:28. One day when we are all gathered to Christ these teachings will be in our very nature, but right now we need to work at it. The ways that we walk and talk are very important to God. We have 3 things we can be working on taken from verse 19.

Should anyone read The Message Bible? Let’s start by understanding what The Message Bible even is. First off, to the best of my knowledge, It was never intended to or implied by anyone to replace your main Bible. I think we should view it in the proper light, that being The Message Bible is a very useful tool. We often take a peek at a few commentaries when we are reading or studying certain passages in our Bibles. We might even look up an article or a sermon by a Pastor or brother in Christ we admire, and see their thoughts on a particular passage. Additionally, we have the opportunity to look it up in The Message Bible. 

I grew up with friends that were much older than me. For instance, when I was 8, the friends on my street were 13 or so. That's a pretty big difference. It’s no wonder that I was advancing through my youthful days faster than other kids. Part of this rapid growth was also the sudden realization that Santa Claus is not real.