Vulnerable Love
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Let’s start with a simple question: When do we not feel loved?
Some answers come quickly:
- When we’re ridiculed or belittled
- When we’re taken advantage of or used
- When we’re dismissed, overlooked, or not taken into account
- When we’re neglected—noticed, maybe, but not truly cared for
But there are other, less obvious ways we can miss love:
- When someone cares for us, but never really connects with us
- When we’re served, but not allowed to give anything in return
- When we’re known, but not invited to know the other person
At its core, real love is vulnerable.
It doesn’t hold back. It doesn’t hide behind self-protection. It moves toward connection—and in that connection, something new and shared begins to grow.
This is the kind of love we see in Jesus.
He became fully human and fully engaged with people. He allowed Himself to be misunderstood, rejected, and hurt—and yet He kept loving. How? Because He lived rooted in the love of His Father. His wounds were met with hea...
Choosing Stillness in a Noisy World
We are so full of chatter.
Noise presses in from every side—opinions, opportunities, distractions, demands. Life can start to feel like a barrage, and before we know it, we’re reacting more than choosing. Pulled here and there, we may feel slightly out of control. God isn’t really guiding our lives—not because He’s absent, but because we’re not slowing down enough to notice or respond.
And the beat goes on.
So how do we step off this treadmill of shallowness?
One simple, difficult, and deeply transformative practice: intentional silence.
Silence creates space—for connection with your real self (which can feel unsettling at first), for encountering the real God, and for learning to speak and live with greater depth, clarity, and authority.
When we intentionally slow down, step away from the noise, and allow ourselves to be still, things begin to surface. What has been hidden or dormant in us often rises to the top. This isn’t always comfortable. In fact, much of our busyness may b...
The Heart of True Intimacy
 When people begin dating, they often feel a surge of inner angst: “Will I be accepted? Will my invitation be well received?” These questions reach deeper than romance—they touch our sense of identity, self-worth, and lovability. In response, we’re tempted to show only our best parts, carefully curating ourselves to be acceptable—maybe even creating a false self in order to “catch” the other person.
The same temptation can creep into our relationship with God. If we’re not sure of His utterly unconditional love, we may try to hide the “unpresentable” parts of ourselves or craft a “religious” version of who we think we should be. But these paths are spiritually deadly. They keep us from experiencing the authentic, transforming love of God and leave us stuck in a shallow faith.
Yet Scripture is clear: God calls us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27). Real love means bringing every part of ourselves—not just the polished or presentable parts—into a full...
Pairing, Syncing, and Living Aligned with God
When we buy a new device that connects wirelessly—like a phone with earbuds or a smartwatch with a computer—the first thing we usually have to do is pair them. Pairing links the devices so they can recognize and communicate with each other. Sometimes it works right away; other times, it takes several tries. Each pairing experience has its own little learning curve.
Our relationship with our Father in heaven works in a similar way. To communicate with Him, we must first pair—and we do that through prayer. Prayer is the foundational connection point between us and God. Luke 5:16 tells us that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Even Jesus, in all His power and purpose, prioritized staying connected to the Father. His ministry was rooted in that relationship.
But communication isn’t enough—we also need to be in sync.
When we sync devices, like our phone and computer, they share information. They’re aligned, working from the same data. In the same way, syncing our hearts...
