Tag: life

• Rain and the Spirit

  I really love the rain. People think that I’m deranged, but there’s no better day in my mind than a cold, dreary, slow rain/misty kind of day. You can keep your sun and your sandy beaches, and even your snowstorms. I like a good monsoon. It’s enough of a compulsion that many nights when I…

  matthewcgillum

  May 28, 2026

  Uncategorized

  christianity, faith, god, jesus, life, metamodernism, rain

• We ruined deliveries

  I remember as a kid the thrill when we would get a delivery to the house. It didn’t happen often, so when there was a box on our porch we were filled with wonder. We wondered that someone would take the effort to send us something! Today as I was driving up to our house,…

  matthewcgillum

  May 2, 2026

  Uncategorized

  ai, bible, faith, god, jesus, life, metamodernism, trust, wonder

• One Bulb Left

  Sometimes you’re just one bulb away from being completely burned out. The above picture is a series of hanging bulbs that have been in a room for several years. Over time, the bulbs have burned out one-by-one, til now this lone bulb is left. Why hasn’t the bulb been changed? Ignorance of the issue? Disinterest…

  matthewcgillum

  April 23, 2026

  Uncategorized

  burnout, change, confession, faith, fixing, jesus, life, love, mental-health, metamodernism, writing

• 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

  Uncategorized

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

• 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

  Uncategorized

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

• Coffee Circles

  Coffee is one of those areas where my pseudo-OCD crosses paths with my trend of laziness. If you’ve seen my office up at the church, you’ll know that I have a set of 7 coffee mugs that I designate for each day of the week. I do this because I like routine, and also if…

  matthewcgillum

  December 13, 2025

  Uncategorized

  christianity, coffee, fiction, grace, jesus, life, ocd, writing

• 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

  Uncategorized

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

• Fog

  This morning as I was driving to church, we had to travel through intense fog. Being close to a lake, this happens everytime the weather cools, and it makes a windy drive a lot more interesting not being able to see 10 feet in front of you. In the midst of this journey through the…

  matthewcgillum

  November 2, 2025

  Uncategorized

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

• White Dress, Yellowjackets

  Recently I officiated an outdoor wedding. It was a very nice October day, the bride was beautiful, everyone was where they needed to be, the order went great. It was a very smooth ceremony. Until it came to communion. The bride and groom wanted to take communion for the first time as a couple, but…

  matthewcgillum

  October 14, 2025

  Uncategorized

  faith, grace, humor, jesus, laughter, life, mental-health, weddings

• French Fries

  I like to keep a clean office. There’s something about walking in to the place where you work knowing where things will be and not having to crawl over piles of paper to find what you need. One way a person can figure out my stress level is to look at the state of my…

  matthewcgillum

  September 3, 2025

  Uncategorized

  bible, burgers, christianity, food, fries, god, jesus, ketchup, kids, life, mess