February 2012
4 posts
holding my tongue.
This week’s post (My first time having a guest post!) is from my friend Andy Laney. This post speaks so much truth about how we as Christians need to do a better job of not just SHOWING love to people, but preaching that we love because of Jesus. You can follow Andy on Twitter here: @andylaney.
I was sitting in Starbucks dropping eaves.
That’s what you do when you’re alone in...
Check out my post on Preston Yancey's "At The... →
more than that.
The punch line.
That pivotal moment that can make or break your legendary joke about Gary Busey and his gigantic teeth. (Have you seen those things??)
Or what about movie quotes? You know, that line from that movie that instantly takes you back to that scene that made you cry your little heart out or laugh until you peed your pants?
For example: when Jerry Maguire sits in his office yelling,...
January 2012
3 posts
Check out my post on Mad To Love! →
courage.
I watched the movie “We Bought a Zoo” a few weeks back.
I absolutely loved it. It’s a beautiful story about a man and his two kids who are looking for and needing a change. So what do they do? They choose an adventure of a lifetime:
They buy a zoo.
If you haven’t seen it, you’re probably thinking, “Jake, that sounds really lame.” But, let me assure you, it is anything but lame. It is a fantastic...
Top Posts of 2011
First of all, I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who come back to this little community week in and week out and read the thoughts and stories of a man struggling to become everything God has created me to be. It is truly an honor to fill this space with words of life, hope, encouragement, truth and worth and have you read them and share in the same lessons along side of me. I’m...
December 2011
2 posts
homesick.
High school.
I’m not sure of many other combination of words that makes me squirm the way those two words do. I’m also not sure of a more awkward or disconnected point in my short life.
To put in bluntly, I hated high school.
I was not popular. Nor was I smart or funny. I failed a few classes. Slept through even more. Teachers liked me, though. Only because they saw my potential...
November 2011
4 posts
the woman at your well.
I encounter a lot of people every day.
And if you know me, this is great news. People are my thing. I live for people. They are my passion. Encouraging and challenging people is what God has called me to.
Now, my every day job is at Chick-fil-A (hence how I encounter so many people every day). And because I encounter people, I have a moment to change the course of someone’s day. Whether...
today is good.
Let’s be real, I hate Mondays. Like I really really really hate Mondays.
Mondays are the Nickelback of week days.
Nobody likes them.
But recently I’ve discovered that Mondays, while horrific, can be beautiful. And so can Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Each day is packed with potential. Each of them holds a new chance. Each one filled with a beautiful...
enough said.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be...
the stage.
If you’re anything like me then you’re a 9-5…er.
You wake up at the same time Monday-Friday, put your uniform/suit/big-boy pants on and start your day around 6am. You clock-in, work all day, get a measly 30 minutes to 1 hour for yourself in the middle of the day somewhere. Then you do the same thing all over again tomorrow.
And that’s that. That’s your life....
October 2011
5 posts
facing your fears to live your dreams.
My wonderful friend, Maggie, shared this with me and I could not help but share it with you as well. It fits so perfectly with where I am and what the Lord is placing before me. May our stories of joy AND tragedy tell of God’s unending beauty.
Enjoy!
We don’t normally face our fears willingly. Usually, God has to woo us into the desert. We are either chasing love or some other desire,...
the big picture.
If you’re anything like me, you think about the future a lot.
Things like career choice, marriage and income seem to dominate my thoughts. I lose focus on my present circumstances so easily. All for the sake of “preparation.”
But, let’s be real…All the “prep” is really just me trying to speed up the process of God’s already perfect masterpiece.
...
arrival.
24.
The age where most of the world thinks you should have arrived…
whatever that’s supposed to mean.
Arrival? There’s one thing I know, if “arrival” does, in fact, exist, then I’m not there. And if I’m honest, I’m not sure I ever want to be there.
We never arrive. We simply struggle.
And when we do “arrive,” we’ve simply...
From the Archives: BE THERE →
grace.
I’ve made a lot of dumb choices in my life.
I’ve hurt more people and told more lies than I can count. I’ve taken things from people I love deeply that were never mine for the taking. And unfortunately, the list goes on and on with anger, lust, self-pity, laziness, hurt, etc…
I’m not proud of these things. I can’t even begin to tell you about nights where...
September 2011
1 post
listen.
If there’s one thing I’ve discovered to be true in our culture, it’s that people everywhere want to be heard. They want a voice. An outlet. An avenue in which to speak their mind.
That’s what’s beautiful about things like Twitter, YouTube and reality t.v. Media and culture have allowed ordinary, everyday people to share their stories, their quirks, and in some cases,...
August 2011
5 posts
the girl of my real life. →
Consider this my post for this week. So much crazy stuff going on (Moving out of my house/starting a new job/working 50 hours/speaking 3 times…all this week) that I won’t be able to spend much time in front of the computer.
I hope you guys enjoy my post for The Good Women Project. I recommend all of you, especially the ladies, to check this site out.
Thanks so so so much for...
keep calm and carry on.
As long as you haven’t lived under a rock then you have probably seen this artwork plastered on the front of journals, planners and all things that make girls swoon.
I, and maybe many of you, thought it was just the latest quote of some fashion designer or celebrity that ladies all over fell in love with and started plastering on everything in sight. But, in fact, I was awfully wrong....
Anonymous asked: Is it okay for a girl to share her feelings first in some situations? ls that letting her guard down on her heart? Should she only respond to already spoken feelings from the guy pursuing her?
above all else.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
-Proverbs 4:23
Too many times I find myself focusing on what God is calling me to do, where He’s calling me to go, who He’s calling me to go with and how much I’m supposed to do when I get there.
And while these things are important, I’m discovering that they, in fact, are not what God is after. God...
orphans. →
sweeterthansunshine:
“You have a call upon your life; you have a job to do. He has called you to minister His love to those in need. This sacred claim is the highest privilege we could ever receive. We can never repay what Christ did for us on the Cross. But because He has made us His hands and feet to this world, we…
July 2011
11 posts
who am i?
A few days ago, after hearing about the tragic death of pop star Amy Winehouse, I posted this tweet to my twitter feed:
“I’m in no way negating the sadness of Amy Winehouse’s death, but did we forget that people were killed yesterday by a terrorist in Norway?”
The response was minimal. A couple of people made a few statements and unfortunately, it even got a few of...
“Deliver me, Jesus, from the desire to be praised, honored, glorified, preferred,...”
– Charles de Foucauld
rescue.
Lifeguards have very important jobs. They protect people from danger that they can’t see in the water, they ensure the safety of those that aren’t in the water and most importantly, if someone is drowning, they’re focus is on one thing:
rescue.
Now, the rescue can be a little tricky if the person that is drowning is freaking out, kicking, screaming and fighting for their...
he is.
Need rest?
He is. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Craving hope?
He is. (Jeremiah 29:11. Romans 15:13)
Seeking direction?
He is. (Isaiah 58:11)
Desire forgiveness?
He is. (Ephesians 1:7. 1 John 2:12)
Looking for peace?
He is. (Philippians 4:4-7. 1 Corinthians 14:33)
Praying for love?
He is. (1 John 4:8)
Need a new beginning?
He is. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Everything you need and everything you are...
“If you want to love more, just decide to fear less.”
– Bob Goff
live.
This weekend I experienced a taste of, what I believe, Heaven will look like. It involved (among other things) community, vulnerability, encouragement, honesty and love.
I began to see what it looks like to TRULY follow Jesus and discover what we’re supposed to do with these lives we’ve been entrusted to do something with.
Here’s the simple, yet remarkable truth I stumbled...
a story. →
sweeterthansunshine:
There is power in a story. Each face represents a unique journey, a distinct heartbeat, a different pair of shoes. When paths collide and intertwine, beautiful possibilities are born. I consider myself divinely blessed to have witnessed this weekend an entanglement of journeys so intentional it…
So, I was going to try and write a very similar post about what I...
refuge.
*Disclaimer: this is somewhat of a repost from July of last year, BUT I’m still learning this lesson over and over so I thought I’d share the thought once again. Praying it encourages you.
Growing up, I was a momma’s boy. (Yes, I said “momma.” I’m from the Dirty South. That’s how we say Mom.) Like big time. Anytime there was a monster in the closet, a...
networks.
Just taking a chance to let you know about some other places I share my life with others.
You can follow me on Twitter.
You can friend me on Facebook.
You can see what I pin on Pinterest.
Hopefully I can connect with some of my incredible followers in some other ways, too!
Thanks for reading!
June 2011
11 posts
to whom shall we go?
Sometimes, the responsibility of following God’s call for your life can be quite overwhelming.
We recognize this when we accept him as our Lord yet, and I can’t speak for you, but, I find myself often times forgetting it. God will place an opportunity before me and I begin questioning the intention behind the steps God is taking on my behalf. I get overwhelmed because I think...
1 tag
be you.
The older I’ve gotten (Which isn’t that old…I’m a measly 23 years young) I’ve started to be a little more comfortable in my own skin.
I’ve begun to accept the fact that I’m a man of passion. Like, passion for everything. If I’m eating spaghetti, then I might lean over the dinner table and let you know that I’m currently eating the best plate...
hope.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to get overwhelmed fairly easily. On top of normal, everyday stresses, add on the state of the U.S. economy, the brokenness of our world and the lack of purpose people feel and you’ve officially got me ready to throw in the towel.
Poof. Done. Ready to go. Take me home, sweet Jesus.
And then I read this:
And we know that for those who love God,...
encouragement.
Your crisis is not the end. It’s a part of the story God wrote for your life. Keep fighting and watch how God moves on your behalf. (Romans 8:28)
Your job or grade or status quo does not define you. While you keep trying to measure up God keeps telling you to give up. (1 Peter 5:6&7)
You’re worth it. God sent his son to prove it. Jesus died to prove it. (John 3:16)
You’re...
that kind of man.
I want to be the kind of man that fights against injustice. Not because it’s cool, but because the hungry have no strength, the poor have no means, the lost have no way and the hurting have no chance.
I want to be the kind of man that stands when everyone else is sitting. Not because sitting is wrong but because there’s a generation full of people who are longing for rest.
I want to...
“I would like to re-appropriate the phrase “making a living” to mean...”
– Jon Foreman
dear Jake,
I ran across a website that had people send in letters to themselves of when they were younger. Little short things to think about. I liked the idea and decided I’d write a couple of things to a younger, more annoyingly weird me.
Dear 12 year old self,
Stop whining about everything. Nobody wants to hear it. Just because you’re spoiled doesn’t mean you have to be a brat.
...
my heart.
I want to give you a taste of why I fell in love with Haiti last April when I visited for the first time. These are some of the moments I experienced and some of the faces my team and I encountered when we were there last month.
Haiti has my heart.
Those eyes.
See what I mean?
This little guy slept on me for about 30 minutes.
One of my favorite pics from the trip.
Another...
responsible.
There are millions of hungry people.
There are millions of persecuted followers of Jesus.
There are millions of homeless individuals.
There are millions of people who feel worthless.
There are millions of orphaned children.
The list goes on. and on. and on. and on.
So what do we do about it? What do we say? Who do we talk to? Should we help out? Feed someone? Clothe someone? Should I help...
“Washing feet is not extra credit. We are called to bear each other’s burdens....”
– Jon Foreman
May 2011
18 posts
Arrived home from my 2 week excursion to Haiti around 10pm last night.
If I could even begin to describe to you all that I felt, experienced and thought about over the last 2 weeks then I certainly would, but for now, I can’t. I’m simply digesting so much. Had no idea it would be this difficult to adjust to being home.
Today has been a day of reflection and prayer. Little things...
Haiti: Last day. Those words make me want to... →
haitimay:
Last day. Those words make me want to scream, vomit, punch someone, cry…get the point? The past couple of days here we have had time to really connect as a team, spend intentional time with our thoughts, and process everything that the Lord has been doing in our hearts since arriving here 14 days…
Can’t believe I’ll be at home in Marietta tomorrow night. Mix of...
Haiti: day 10 →
haitimay:
Okay guys, bare with us as we attempt to write this blog together- emma and ash (who may or may not be part Haitian now…)
This may be the most complicated/entertaining blog post yet, so you’re welcome.
Let us begin by saying we are absolutely in love with this place and these people. You…
Perhaps my favorite post yet…Enjoy! :)
Haiti: I can't believe it's Day 8! →
haitimay:
Hello Friends and Family! Jake here…
Is it really the end of Day 8? Oh my how time flies. Not ready to leave at all.
So, where do I begin?? What a trip. What a team. What a HUGE God we serve. I’m truly humbled to be a part of what God is doing in Haiti through the 410 Bridge.
Today was…