And yet, and yet...

Dust Doesn’t Lie

The other day I was watching a mystery show (Iove me some Masterpiece Theater), and the lead detective in investigating made the statement, “Dust doesn’t lie.” He made this statement as he discovered a ring of an artifact that had been removed, but the dust circle had remained. That strikes true doesn’t it? When we…

matthewcgillum

March 17, 2026

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beauty, bible, calling, christianity, devotion, faith, god, jesus, mental-health, metamodernism

Where Am I?

Are you ever annoyed at your map app? Yesterday as I was driving from somewhere out in the middle of nowhere to a restaurant in a different part of nowhere, I experienced that frustration of my mapping app being slow to respond. My literal thought: “Why won’t this stupid thing work?” But then I had…

matthewcgillum

March 10, 2026

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beauty, bible, calling, christianity, church, faith, god, jesus, metamodernism, travel

The Grace of Marketing, The Marketing of Grace?

I ran across the profile of my friend Kenny Klinglesmith today (you can follow him here: https://kennyklinglesmith.substack.com/) and he had started a discussion on the value of flashy marketing versus slow and steady brand growth. You might think it strange for a pastor to be interested in a topic like this, but it has been…

matthewcgillum

March 6, 2026

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bible, christianity, church, discipleship, faith, god, grace, jesus, Marketing, metamodernism, PIzza

In Shadows, On Shoulders

This past week, Adrian and I traveled to Chicago for a late anniversary trip. We’d never been to the city, so were excited to experience a very new environment for us. The city did not disappoint. We had wonderful experiences and food together, and I love traveling with my bride. But I’ll save the travelogue…

matthewcgillum

March 5, 2026

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beauty, bible, calling, chicago, christianity, church, city, faith, jesus, light, metamodernism, travel

Shavings and Grounds

What good are beard shavings and coffee grounds? For the Gillum family, I tend to cause irritation when I shave my face in the morning and leave little beard hairs in the sink. (To be fair, I only do it over my sink, so I fail to see the issue…lol). Another is the presence of…

matthewcgillum

February 26, 2026

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bible, christianity, coffee, faith, god, jesus, love, marriage, mental-health, value

Releasing Files

The other day, I saw an article regarding the release of the Epstein files which read, “This release will probably not bring the satisfaction people were looking for from the release of these files.” As we watch a great evil of our time unfolding, leading to the rightful disgrace and arrest of many leaders from…

matthewcgillum

February 24, 2026

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bible, christianity, epstein, faith, god, jesus, justice, mental health, trafficking

Take Everything for Granted

Don’t take it for granted. You’ve probably heard the above statement thousands of times in your life. It inhabits the spaces of motivation, of discipline, of encouragement. It rings with the tone of humility and growth. It calls the reader to not assume anything, but rather to work and appreciate. But is it true? When…

matthewcgillum

February 19, 2026

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beauty, bible, christianity, discipleship, don’t take it for granted, faith, god, grace, jesus, metamodernism, motivation

Tides

Recently my family had the privilege of getting to spend some time together down in Port Aransas and (as the girls call it) Corpus Crispy. We enjoy going down there for the seafood, for the aquarium, for the two-story Whataburger, but most of all for the sea. It is a non-negotiable that if we’re by…

matthewcgillum

February 17, 2026

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beauty, bible, christianity, corpus christi, faith, god, jesus, metamodernism, ocean, port aransas, psalms, sea, surf, waves

You Need Some Gum

The other day I was at a meeting after a long day of work that my wife was going to join me at. I’d been working all day, and this meeting was on a topic that both of us were passionate about, so I was excited for her to join me. As she sat down,…

matthewcgillum

February 14, 2026

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bible, christianity, coffee, faith, fiction, god, jesus, life, love, mental-health, metamodernism, writing

Ghostwriter

When I was in seminary, I took a job at Half Price Books. All new employees at the store had to work the Romance session. Thus I spent my first months at the store stocking, evaluating, and selling Romance novels. This was a new experience for me as I have never read or interacted with…

matthewcgillum

February 11, 2026

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ai, bible, book-review, books, fiction, jesus, reading, romance