Tag: jesus

• Proxy Heart

  I really debated on whether I’d post over the tumult around ICE and the ongoing cultural war that seems to grab everyone’s hearts. But there have been things nearer to home that compel the conversation. First some caveats that I hope to communicate to you: God desires that prayers be offered up for all earthly…

  matthewcgillum

  February 9, 2026

  Uncategorized

  beauty, bible, christianity, faith, god, jesus, justice, protest

• Alchemy on an Airplane

  I don’t enjoy random conversations with people on airplanes (way too close sitting in the seat next to me, but that’s my introvert neurosis), but I love listening to other people have weird conversations. The other day on a flight that I had strategically planned to have no one else on my row, I overheard…

  matthewcgillum

  February 3, 2026

  Uncategorized

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

• The Nintendo Prayer

  With our family’s propensity to spend too much time on video games, when we got our Nintendo Switch I made the decision to put time limits on the device, specifically 15 minutes before getting locked out and asking for parent permission to reactivate. It creates a fun interaction most afternoons after school where one of…

  matthewcgillum

  January 30, 2026

  Uncategorized

  beauty, bible, calling, christianity, faith, god, jesus, mental-health, nintendo, prayer, video games

• Snorkeling the Heights

  I was online today (as one does when in a Texas ice day and the boy is having him some Cocomelon on TV), and ran across the phrase “Deeper Christian.” It caused me to pause. This idea the cause for a lot of our problems in Christianity. I think we need to ditch it. I…

  matthewcgillum

  January 26, 2026

  Uncategorized

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

• I Made a Fire

  Growing up, I understood that a fireplace in Texas was a lot like a Texas creek. Just like you couldn’t assume that something called a creek in Texas would ever have water in it, you couldn’t assume often that the elements would line up well enough to actually make a fire in a fireplace. Cold…

  matthewcgillum

  January 24, 2026

  Uncategorized

  beauty, bible, christianity, faith, fire, god, jesus, metamodernism, outdoors

• The Erasing of a Workaholic

  If you know me, you know that my mind is usually running on 5 different rails with various tasks popping up at different times. It’s both the blessing and the curse of an Executive Pastor that every day has variety and responsibility. As part of my survival, I rely on a whiteboard that I keep…

  matthewcgillum

  January 20, 2026

  Uncategorized

  bible, calling, christianity, faith, god, jesus, metamodernism, workaholic

• A Tasty Communion

  This past Sunday as our church did Communion, one of my children after drinking the cup of grape juice quietly said, “Mmm. That was good.” It made me laugh, generally because when it comes to Baptist Lord’s Suppers, I’m not sure tasty has ever been high on my descriptor list. The little papier mache cracker…

  matthewcgillum

  January 15, 2026

  Uncategorized

  bible, christianity, communion, faith, god, jesus, metamodernism

• Grace Isn’t Safe

  As I’ve started reading through the Bible this year with our staff, I ran across a perplexing statement in the book of Genesis, particularly 27:20 in an exchange between Isaac and Jacob: But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly my son?” Jacob answered, “Because the LORD…

  matthewcgillum

  January 12, 2026

  Uncategorized

  bible, faith, family, future, god, inheritance, jacob, jesus, rebel

• Life, Death, and Gas Stations

  I want to let you see what a pastor sees. A few weeks ago, I noticed that my gas tank was low so I pulled over to the side of the road at a gas station to fill up (and grab a Red Bull). As I stood at the pump with the sound of rush…

  matthewcgillum

  January 7, 2026

  Uncategorized

  bible, births, christianity, faith, funerals, god, grieving, hospitals, jesus, mourning, weddings

• 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

  Uncategorized

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