Familiarity, Growth, and Human Nature *Note: This is obviously subtle.. we all know Jesus had a mission outside of Nazareth…so read it in context. One of the more fascinating moments in the ministry of Jesus happens not in Jerusalem, not among the Pharisees, and not in the presence of Rome… but in His own hometown. … More Why Jesus Left Nazareth
I believe in God. I trust Him. But I’d be lying if I said I understand why He’s not opening any doors right now. And, I’m going to be honest, this isn’t one of those blogs written from the other side of a breakthrough. This is what it looks like when you’re doing everything you … More When God Doesn’t Open the Door
Walk into any bookstore and you’ll find an entire section dedicated to leadership. Step-by-step frameworks. Morning routines. Communication strategies. Decision-making models. And while many of them are valuable… they all tend to present leadership the same way: Polished. Structured.Controlled. But real leadership? It rarely looks like that. Because the best leadership lessons ever written didn’t … More Why the Best Leadership Lessons Ever Written Didn’t Come From Business Books
Some people want peace. Some people don’t actually want peace. They want someone to survive their chaos with them. And if you’re not careful… you’ll start calling that love. There are people who grew up in instability, learned to function in tension, and were conditioned to expect conflict. So when life gets quiet, they don’t … More The People Who Need Chaos to Feel Stable
How Scripture’s Patterns Were Designed to Reveal Jesus; And Why So Many Still Miss Them There’s something about Scripture that most people miss. Not because it’s hidden, but because it’s too consistent. We tend to read the Bible as a collection of stories, Old Testament here, New Testament there, teachings, events, and moments that feel … More The Patterns Were There. So Why Didn’t They See Him?
The world is a fast moving place. It’s so easy to get lost within the news, the cultures, the social media. Our views are shaped by everything we experience, but sometimes we need to step back and take a deeper look. Most people believe conflict comes from difference. Different beliefs. Different cultures. Different values. But … More We Don’t Clash Because We’re Different,We Clash Because We Want the Same Things Differently
I spend a lot of time examining the world’s three major religions, and I noticed that there’s something subtle happening in modern Christianity that most people don’t even realize. We’ve become incredibly good at hearing the Bible, and incredibly dependent on someone else to explain it. Sermons. Podcasts. Devotionals. Social media clips. We consume more … More Stop Being Spoon-Fed Scripture
Last week I was enthralled with the Artemis mission. There’s something about seeing the earth from a distance that changes you, if you let it. Watching footage from space you don’t see countries. You don’t see borders. You don’t see politics, ideologies, or conflicts. You see a small blue sphere suspended in darkness. Land masses … More Our Biggest Differences Are Small From Above
At the beginning of every seminary class, there was always a moment where the professor would go around the room and ask the same question: “What are you planning to do with your degree when you graduate?” One by one, the answers came. “Pastor.” “Missionary.” “Counselor.” “Church planting.” Clear paths. Defined roles. Recognizable callings. And … More The Pulpit I Never Saw Coming
Most people don’t actually understand what the Bible means when it says: “As far as the east is from the west…” – Psalm 103:12 We read it like it’s just another way of saying “really far.” A poetic exaggeration. A comforting phrase. But it’s not. It’s precise. And if people truly understood it, they would … More East of Your Past
Troy P Zehnder 