Tag: beauty

• Maybe You’re Here

  Having worked in ministry for a long time, I often latch onto strange phrases that become part of the normal language of ministry. We can do this with other churchy words like sacrament and doctrine and liturgy, etc. One phrase in particular that makes me stop in my tracks, but which I hear almost every…

  matthewcgillum

  January 5, 2026

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

• Bricks

  A few weeks ago I had the chance to teach a seminary class at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Frightening, I know. But one of the cool things about when I return to the campus at SWBTS is seeing some of the legacy from my wife’s family there. Her father and grandfather both led the Physical…

  matthewcgillum

  December 31, 2025

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  beauty, bible, calling, christianity, faith, family, jesus, life, love, metamodernism, ministry, writing

• War and Peace

  (Photo credit: Chris Barton) Having grown up in church, I’ve heard the passage from Luke 2 many times where Scripture shows us the announcement of the birth of Christ. We’re exposed to angels telling people not to fear, pronouncing good news, and singing of peace on earth and goodwill to men. In my mind, this…

  matthewcgillum

  December 24, 2025

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  beauty, bible, calling, christianity, christmas, faith, god, jesus, metamodernism, ministry

• The Thrill of Hope

  Ever get bored of Christmas? It can appear in many forms: watching Charlie Brown Christmas Special for the 500th time, going to the same Christmas party every year, singing the same carols over and over again, putting up with Mariah Carey yelling about what she wants for Christmas. We love Christmas, but if we’re being…

  matthewcgillum

  December 16, 2025

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  advent, beauty, bible, christianity, christmas, faith, god, jesus

• This road was bigger

  I never thought it would change. Coming back from roads that I’ve traveled many times before, through Aledo and Fort Worth where I grew up to Arkansas where my dad’s family is from, I felt a strange sense of weight in my heart. In the space of life that I now live in with kids…

  matthewcgillum

  December 1, 2025

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  beauty, bible, calling, christianity, faith, god, grief, jesus, loss, memory, thanksgiving

• Pine needles are for kids

  For Thanksgiving this year, our family stayed out in the woods outside of Arkadelphia, AR. It was a beautiful spot, secluded, quiet, and with a ton of trees. My three year old (like any reasonable three year old) upon seeing the trees and the hills and the lake below, decided he’d take off at a…

  matthewcgillum

  November 28, 2025

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  adventure, beauty, bible, calling, christianity, faith, god, hiking, jesus, mental-health, ministry, nature, travel, trees

• Family Photos

  This time of year is notable in the Gillum family as the time when we take family photos. As wonderful as family photos are, my main experience of trying to take family photos is a waking nightmare. Dealing with wanderers, boogers, tears, M&Ms and the chocolate stains thereof, wearing particularly uncomfortable sweaters when it’s 80…

  matthewcgillum

  November 24, 2025

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  beauty, bible, calling, christianity, faith, family, god, jesus, life, mental-health, metamodernism, ministry, photography

• Low Battery

  Ever have one of those mornings where you forget to charge your phone? I’ve had a few (OK, several) of those mornings lately. It’s always kind of demoralizing to break through the fog of sleep and fatigue to wrench yourself from bed, to wage war against getting the kids out the door, fighting the insufferable…

  matthewcgillum

  November 21, 2025

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  beauty, bible, calling, christianity, faith, god, jesus, mental-health, metamodernism, ministry, rest, technology, travel

• Windmills and Survival Techniques

  This past weekend, I had the privilege of leading a group of men to go climb Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in the state of Texas. It was a wonderful hike and a great adventure. But if you’re familiar with the true mountains in Texas, it takes a reeeealllly long time to drive out there.…

  matthewcgillum

  November 17, 2025

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  ai, artificial-intelligence, beauty, bible, calling, chatgpt, faith, god, jesus, metamodernism, ministry, technology, writing

• You Are Not Data

  I like to read about trends and world events, but in my studies I’ve found a thing that irks me: our obsession with data. You might read that and think I’m anti-science. That’s definitely not true. I think science and faith live and thrive together. Where I actually grow intensely irritable is actually when Christians…

  matthewcgillum

  November 12, 2025

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