Tag: mental-health

• 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

• 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

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  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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

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  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