matt tullos: writer
It’s something in the core of most people: a desire to find out what or who causes messes. And no one likes to get the blame for a mess. As children we blamed our brother or sister for the broken vase and when we’re older we blame our self-sworn enemies for the broken world. And it more »
Years ago, our accountability group had a guy that hadn’t quite made it to the “work-in-progress” level. He was wreck in progress! He’s on his third marriage, second bankruptcy and his first accountability partner. The thing about him was that he’s just out there. Having him in our group made me feel like Billy Graham more »
This is the first episode of seven on “A Scattered Feast” Season three. ____ I fell headlong into the chasm of my willful atrocities.Some subtle and slight. Under the surface. Others are so visible I must tremble. The level of my careless rebellion is undeniable.Without a word of recompence I have stood, not knowing the grief more »
All was well in the Amish community in Lancaster Pennsylvania until a deranged man mercilessly shot 10 Amish girls and then turned the gun on himself in 2006. How did they respond to this shocking loss? Amazingly, the Amish community didn’t blame. Instead, they reached out with grace and compassion toward the killer’s family. They more »
i long for the Unseen Place
not just Heaven
no.
a place on earth
as it is
where You are King
and love reigns
in everything
my source
my guide
and friend,
show me the secret
and glorious end
amen
In an era when we idolize “big,” God challenges us to live a lowercase life, putting others before ourselves, giving rather than taking, serving rather than demanding, and dying to self rather than living for self. And it all begins with the first word of the greatest sermon: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the more »
He leads me each day,
(Provider God)
He created me needy,
and messy.
i see
beauty and brokenness,
abandonment and acceptance,
hope and dread,
mourning and dancing,
weeping and laughter,
death and resurrection,
blooming and wilting,
wonder and monotony,
smiling and wincing,
emptiness and abundance,
darkness and illumination,
saying and silence,
complexity and simplicity,
embracing and boxing,
torment and ecstasy,
wandering and epiphany,
sudden moment and long advent,
and everything in between—
day by day.
This is the table He prepares before me, temporary, ephemeral, and moveable
though it may be. The meal is sure. The menu is unknown.
i am a dependent of God.
and life is a scattered feast.
It had been an especially difficult year for our church. A number of key long-standing members abruptly left our church in protest to the changes we had incorporated in our schedule in the hopes of reaching new people. At our monthly leadership meeting, we were discussing the issue when Carl stood up, grabbed his coat more »
The image that swirls freely in perilous realms between sleeping and awake my banner of fullness in grief embodies every impulse. Fissures on the surface unveil the aspects of consequence And echoes of confusion and understanding. That feeling of helplessness when tragedy is unstoppable Regret stands in the foreground How could things have been different? more »
Growing up in the church, the Lord’s Supper often seemed mechanical, cold and unfamiliar to me. Why? Because it was done in a mechanical, cold, and unfamiliar way. The subtext of many of these celebrations seemed to be, “We only do this once every three months and so we barely know how this will more »