The Wonder of NYC 2026 // A recap

/ jerrythinks / 1 Comment

I just returned from NYC (No, not New York City as many assume) which is short for Nazarene Youth Conference. It’s a gathering of young people from all over the United States and Canada, as well as missionary kids (MK’s) from different parts of the world. It happens roughly every 3-4 years. This year’s NYC was the largest in its history, dating back to the first gathering of Nazarene Young People in Estes Park, Colorado is 1958. That year, there were 763 people in attendance.

1958: 763.

2026: 10,000.

Think about that.

This year’s NYC was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve been attending NYC’s since 2007 and while each one has it’s own distinct flavor, I have to say that this one in particular ranks differently than any other NYC I’ve been a part of. Keep reading, and you’ll soon understand why that is. I might even go further to say that this has been my favorite NYC I’ve ever been a part of. Again, you’ll understand why momentarily.

Let me disclose some things first and make a disclaimer as well.

First, full disclosure: I’ve been more involved in the “behind the scenes” stuff of this year’s NYC more than any other I’ve attended in the past. So, I’m coming at this recap from a very different place. I got to see almost all of the parts of NYC that the average participant doesn’t get to see. So you should understand that I’m coming from a unique perspective. I’ll get into all the ways I’ve been involved as we go along.

Next, the disclaimer: I’m going to share some things that might…just might…sound at first blush as a critique of church culture. I absolutely do not intend to communicate anything that is anywhere near negative. I find that it is through exceptional experiences like NYC that we get to recalibrate our vision, our methods, and our goals in terms of making (young) disciples. So as you read, understand that my mind is prone to rabbit trails that wander off in directions simply triggered by an initial experience.

Okay, let’s get into this recap. I’ll do my best to take you along the timeline, but don’t hold me to that.

I arrived in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 29 2026, and got checked into my hotel. I stayed at The Peery Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, just 2 blocks from the “Salt Palace”where the NYC event was being held. The Peery is not your typical hotel; it’s a renovated old building that has a distinct charm often lacking in more modern hotels. Creaky floors and all, I really did enjoy my stay at The Peery Hotel. I only had breakfast there once, and had the avocado toast at their in-house restaurant called “Eggsburgh.” I highly recommend it.

Then on Tuesday, I got to meet the team I’d be working with for the week. I had been asked several month prior to NYC if I’d consider being a part of the social media team that served as “hosts” for the event via social media platforms Instagram and Facebook. I had never met any of the team prior to the actual event except for a Zoom call or two to go over our plans. I couldn’t have known just how powerful a role each of them would play in the week that was ahead of me.

Believe it or not, part of my role was to be creating and posting videos and content that engaged primarily students and leaders in attendance at NYC, but it also was free for anyone following the account nazarene_youth_conference on the two platforms we were posting on. So family and friends from all over the world could play along with us as we went about our week.

*You can, at any time, go back and watch the sessions here. What a gift! What a time to be alive where we can essentially hop into a Time Machine and be taken back to some powerful, poignant moments in worship and the Word!*

Let me try to explain something.

Every person who participated in NYC 2026 has now experienced what it feels like to be surrounded by 10,000 teenagers collected from all corners of USA and Canada for the purpose of centered our attention on Jesus. If you were to ask of them what it was like, you’d get a myriad of responses, yet the common thread you’d hear is that you really can’t describe it; you’ve got to be there.

Let me try and help by sharing with you a recap video…keep in mind that this is just day ONE!

Throughout the week, we experienced powerful messages from talented speakers, and incredible, world-renowned musical talents such as Hulvey, Josiah Queen, and Elevation Rhythm. I can’t even express how powerful the ministry was from each of these. They were anointed for that moment, and each of them stepped beautifully into that role. God used each of them, though they were entirely distinct in their vibe, their style, and their approach. It was in itself a beautiful snapshot of the Kingdom of God.

Let me pause here and ask that you consider who you are; who God made you to be.

We live in a world saturated in comparative living. We are constantly pulled into a mindset that sets us as either deciding we are better than or less than. But would a red thread in a tapestry have anything to critique about a yellow thread they were next to in that incredible work of art? God has ordained your life to impact the world around you in the way He has created you. Submit your thread to the beautiful work of art God is stitching together, and have no thought about better thans or less thans. You, sweet child, are precisely the person that God created, adores, and wants to use for His glory and your own good as you submit everything you have and everything you are to Him and His care.

While I was a part of each of the 7 “main sessions” where we all gathered together, I was also partnered with a new wonderful friend named Bailey Friberg as we hosted via social media. I’ll post a few of our videos below, so you can get a sense of some of the antics I got to be a part of. Scroll down the right side and click on any of the videos to see the progression through our week.

From the platform during each session came incredible truth being preached from talented communicators. As part of the NYC media, I was asked to post/share the notes I took for each of the messages.

For some background, I’m a very visual learner, and when I am listening to a speaker/preacher, I typically turn that information into visuals. I’m no artist; I’m more of a sketcher/doodler. Some time ago, my notes were noticed by Justin Pickard, who leads NYI for USA/Canada, and that’s how I came to be invited to, after each session, post what I personally had written/doodled down in a way to help others remember, process, and digest what they heard.

I’ll post my notes from all seven sessions here:

The theme for this year’s NYC was “WONDER“, and it is something I am very well acquainted with. I was brought in to the planning of NYC early on, and asked if I would co-author the 60-day devotional book that every participant would receive, as well as writing the 6-week small group curriculum groups could choose to go through in preparation for the event in Salt Lake City. It was a honor and true labor of love to complete those projects as well. Here’s a photo of me with co-author, Miranda Musik.

As we went throughout the week together, I couldn’t help but stand in awe of God’s power, His promised presence, and what He is doing in this young generation.

I should say here that from the very beginning of my pastoral ministry (circa 1995), I have never had any aspiration to do anything other than actively invest in young people. So to spend a week in a sea of 10K of them, and to see moments of worship, wrestling, growing, and reveling in God’s promises…well….can you even imagine my elation?

But I also want to share a few unformed thoughts that I’ve been kicking around as I’ve digested this week in Salt Lake City. Be cautious not to hold me too tightly to any of these meanderings; they’re really just forming into things that may or may not gain any traction.

In no particular order:

  1. Spiritual experiences MUST lead to practical expressions.
    • I’m entirely uninterested in simply creating a hyped-up event for young people that quickly becomes a blurred memory, consisting of little more than some social media posts and vaporous emotion.
    • If what we experienced isn’t followed by transformation of the mind, heart, and therefore behavior then what have we really done?
    • Yes, NYC 2026 was absolutely electric in it’s atmosphere, it’s excitement, and it’s energy. But we unashamedly call it a “mountaintop” experience so that life in the valley is transformed.
  2. To identify with the cross of Christ is to connect eternally with the people of Christ.
    • Something followers of Jesus must be experts in is connecting, community, and fellowship. This is both for the unity Jesus Himself prayed for, AND for the purpose of being our first apologetic. “They’ll know you are my disciples by your love for one another.” (John 13:35)
    • It is imperative that followers of Jesus understand that if we are adopted (and we are), then by definition we are FAMILY. That’s why I can walk into an arena of 10,000 people and feel a familial sense. Which leads me to…
  3. The purpose of connection is to walk out our fellowship-fueled mission.
    • I bet you can’t think of or name one person who is flourishing in their following of Jesus apart from real community. The reason that is is because in God’s grace, we are designed to walk together in the mission of the gospel. When we don’t, we can’t.
    • Of course, we’re empowered by God’s own Holy Spirit, but the pouring out of His Spirit in the book of Acts was on a gathered group of His disciples. They were together in one place, and then together began to proclaim the good news of Jesus in power and in bold, collective witness.
  4. The worship of experience is not the same as worship of Jesus and we need to be careful about that.
    • Anytime we think about worship, we must be careful to keep Christ central. This seems like something that shouldn’t need to be said. I say it because I believe that in our day of production value and excellence in worship leadership, we can inadvertent celebritize those who only seek to lead others in worship of Christ.
    • We cannot mistake production for Presence. NYC 2026 was–by necessity–a beautiful orchestration of logistics. As a part of the volunteer team, I got to be in the room for sound checks, rehearsals, and other efforts made to ensure that the worship gatherings went unhindered. Yet none of that good work can replace the Presence of God.
    • We cannot place our emphasis on the act of worship more than the person we are worshiping. Yet I fear that we are dangerously close at times to doing just that. We get wrapped up in the songs we know, the volume we prefer, and having the song set hit the right stride.

These were not things that were taught from the stage at NYC per se, they were just thoughts that I had that were triggered by my personal NYC experience.

Lastly, I have to talk to you about the team I got to serve with most closely. I was a part of the social media team and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed every single one of these four new friends I made. Keep in mind that before last Monday we were all virtual strangers. And as I type this just one week and one day later, I would not hesitate to jump head first into any future project with any of these wonderful servants of Christ.

We jokingly compared our new friendship to “camp friends”; people who are strangers at the start of camp but best friends by the end of the week. I’m so grateful for each of them, and God showed me Himself through them as much as He did in any other way throughout the week.

I’ll post a picture of our team together, on our last day before saying our goodbyes. (Photo at bottom of this post.)

In an effort to wrap up this recap, I want to bring us all back to the issue of Wonder. I truly believe that stagnancy in our spiritual lives creeps in when we lose our Wonder of God. When we stop using phrases like, “What would happen if I…”, “I wonder what God is trying to show me and teach me through…”, “What might happen to my spiritual closeness with Jesus if I….”, and “Where is God most clearly moving/leading and how can I be involved in that?”

So what WONDER-filled step will you take right now? There’s no need to wait. Simpy choose to be someone who is filled with wonder and therefore someone who steps boldly into the places where God is inviting us.

An invitation to dinner

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I’ve been invited into a conversation with a couple of men considerably younger than I am, and from what has been shared with me (we haven’t met together yet), they’d like to talk about the “minimally viable church”. It seems this is an expression that describes the conversation we’ll have, about what is truly necessary to make church “work”, (and no more) or what are the bare minimum components that need to be present for us to consider a church not merely in existence, but faithfully and functionally fruitful.

(If I’m reading between the lines, perhaps there is a discontentment or even disillusionment on their part with what the modern Church is or how the Church operates at this time in history. If so, they have certainly found a sympathetic ear in me.)

I was instantly intrigued at this invitation. Unbeknownst to the inviter, I had already been allowing my mind to think thoughts right along these lines. Unless he reads this blog post, he still doesn’t know I’m well on my way to being locked and loaded for our conversation over dinner. So I thought it might be good for me to pound out my own thoughts as a primer to this conversation.

I think a fundamental question that must be addressed is the simple, “Why church at all?” Certainly many people who perhaps once held church participation/attendance/activity as important (or even central) in their lives have since moved away from such convictions; some for understandable reasons and maybe even logical reasons, but none for legitimate reasons. And I do mean none.

Here’s my answer to the “Why church?” question.

It starts with the very nature of God. God exists eternally in community with Himself. I’m not going to delve into the doctrine of the trinity here, but I am going to suffice it to say that I believe in the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the trinity is arguably the most perplexing doctrine in all of the Christian faith, but this doesn’t preclude me from embracing it. In fact, it is because of its perplexity that I am drawn to it, and thus drawn to God.

Because God exists in community, and because God in community created us in His image (Read Genesis 1-2), we are hardwired for community. Simply put, we are healthiest when we have connective, redemptive community engrained into our daily lives, regardless of the complexion that community takes. More on that in a bit.

Right in line with understanding the communal nature of God, we must also recognize the literal definition of the term “church”. Many think “church” is a building that is used once, maybe twice a week. We may equate it with a “service” we attend wherein we sit down, stand up, sit down, then stand up at specific times. But these are actually not the church at all.

The word used in scripture for “church” is the Greek word “ἐκκλησία” (ekklesia) and it literally means “gathering” or “assembly” It’s a two part Greek word made up of “out of” and “to call”, so it can be rightly translated as “the called out ones”. No matter which way you slice it, the truth is the church can never just be you or even the popular “I’ve got Jesus, so I don’t need the church.” The Church is literally defined as US; those who are “called out” and “assembled.”

Next, as we look all throughout scripture, we see that God deals both with humans on an individual level AND on a communal level. But notice that God dealing with an individual ALWAYS impacts the community. Look at nearly any example in either the old or new testaments and you’ll see that God speaks and deals with us as a people, even while extending His love and grace to each individual. Again, we see the emphasis placed on community, connectedness, fellowship, and all the other qualities that flow in and through the Church as God desires.

Next, look at the writings of the Apostle Paul all throughout his 13 letters to the churches in the first century. You’ll find a minimum of 18 different and distinct “one another” commands in his writings. I’ll include them below.

  • Love one another (Rom 12:10; 13:8; Gal 5:13)
  • Be devoted to one another (Rom 12:10)
  • Honor one another above yourselves (Rom 12:10)
  • Live in harmony with one another (Rom 12:16)
  • Stop passing judgment on one another (Rom 14:13)
  • Accept one another (Rom 15:7)
  • Bear with one another (Eph 4:2; Col 3:13)
  • Forgive one another (Eph 4:32; Col 3:13)
  • Instruct/admonish one another (Rom 15:14; Col 3:16)
  • Greet one another (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; etc.)
  • Agree with one another (1 Cor 1:10)
  • Serve one another (Gal 5:13)
  • Carry one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2)
  • Be kind and compassionate to one another (Eph 4:32)
  • Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, songs (Eph 5:19)
  • Submit to one another (Eph 5:21)
  • Encourage one another (1 Thess 4:18; 5:11)
  • Build up one another (1 Thess 5:11)

If we should not care for other believers, or gather to encourage them, or live in spiritual community with them, what would be the point of such an extensive list of instructions regarding how to live in community?

Let me bring it down to a more personal level. Let me tell you why I choose to be a part of a family of followers of Jesus. Quite simply, it’s because of the love I have for Jesus Himself that gives me a love for people, and a desire to connect with those who love and follow Jesus, for the purpose of mutual encouragement, edification, fellowship, accountability, and learning from others as I grow in my faith walk with Jesus. These are just a few of the reasons I choose to be a part of a family of followers of Jesus.

As John Ortberg wrote, “To follow Jesus IS to follow Him into community.” There can be no other way. Think of Jesus calling His disciples and the three years He taught them, prayed with them, ate with them, and lived with them. He created community among those men and women.

The Church has certainly evolved over the millennia. Yet there are just four parts in terms of components for “church” that I can see from a biblical standpoint. If you look at the birth of the Church in Acts chapter 2 at and following Pentecost, you’ll see that followers of Jesus devoted themselves to four things: teaching, fellowship, eating, and prayer. And they did this in just two ways: In the temple courts, and in their homes. The “home church” movement eschews the larger gathering (to its detriment), and those who do not gather in homes are also missing a critical aspect of what it means to live in community (to their detriment).

Could it be that what we see in Acts 2 is the recipe for the “minimal viable church”? I understand that culturally speaking, we are far from 1st century Jerusalem, and that life as we now live it seems such a far cry from the simplicity of those days of the early church. But this is why, I think, the question is being asked by these two young men inviting me into a conversation about what–at minimum–is needed to build and enjoy a thriving spiritual community to the glory of God and the building up of His bride, the Church.

As I often do, I’ll stop here, mid-stream and ask: What are your thoughts on this? What if you were being invited to dinner to discuss the “minimally viable church”? What would your input to the conversation look like? Share them in the comments. I’d love to hear them.

On Confidence

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I sometimes wonder what percentage of the average adult’s insides are occupied by the child version of themselves. On the outside, we appear to be put together, mature, doing just fine, and ready to tackle whatever the day holds. But what part of you is still underprepared, timid, or unsure of what next step is the right next step?

The quality of confidence is a magnetic one to be sure. But if it’s true that many adults walking around today are toting their own childlike version of themselves along with its insecurities, how much of confidence in day-to-day life needs to be feigned in order to operate as a “normal” adult? This is what I’m wondering today.

As I look back on my own life, I can absolutely see a growth path that has afforded me to move more into a place of competence, if not confidence. As a side thought, I think confidence and the concept of being a confident person can have it’s own baggage. There seems to sometimes be a thin line between confidence and cockiness or even outright arrogance. Arrogance is repulsive, while confidence is attractive. So it’s important to be careful about what side of that thin line you are on.

As a spiritual exercise, it’s also important to consider what (if any) role confidence plays in the life of a follower of Jesus. Certainly there are reasons to have confidence, and these are supported with scripture. However, confidence as the world defines it has far less of a place in the heart, mind, and attitude of anyone who claims to follow Jesus.

Is there such a thing as holy, sanctified, or pure confidence? I think there is.

Let’s look at a few examples that tell us exactly where our confidence should be:

  • Proverbs 3:26: “For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”
  • 2 Corinthians 3:4-5: “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves…but our competence comes from God.”
  • Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you…I will strengthen you and help you.”

The flipside of the coin is where we are warned about the places NOT to put confidence:

  • Philippians 3:3-4: “…we who serve God by His Spirit…put no confidence in the flesh–though I myself have reasons for such confidence…”
  • Proverbs 28:26: “Those who trust in themselves are fools…”
  • 1 Corinthians 10:12: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”

So as you move throughout your day, it’s good to know who you are, what you’re about, what things you’re good (and not so good) at. This helps you function among others in a way that is cooperative and helpful. But be careful not to think that your personality, skills, abilities, and connections are more valuable than another person’s. This is where the line gets crossed. This is where people move into arrogance, and this is where patience and compassion die, and where humilty breathes its last breath.

How to build the right kind of confidence:

  • Begin with a conversation with God each morning. Let Him set the thermostat of your confidence. In Him you are completely loved, accepted, and usable for His glory all throughout your day. So each morning, you get to choose if you’ll be submitted to Him or go it on your own.
  • Be honest in your reflections on the skills you are blessed with. Seek ways to hone them, sharpen them, and exercise them. A dream life might be where you get to only do what you’re good at every day all day, but that’s not reality for 99.99% of us. So look at your hour-by-hour movements as filled with opportunities to not only grow in what you love, but explore and improve in what you’re not quite as good at. Some very qualified people have suggested that you jettison what you’re not good at, and only allow yourself to live in the lane of your own skills. But I think that approach forfeits skill expansion.
  • Exploit any chance you get to share what you know with others, especially those who are behind you on the road you’re on. You’re not the first to do what you do and you won’t be the last. Good stewardship of your confidence means that you must share what you have with those who will be strengthened by it. Take any chance, big or small, to invest your knowledge in people who will likewise steward it well and benefit from it. If you’ve been doing something (anything) for more than 2-3 years, you absolutely have plenty to offer those coming behind you. Be the kind of confident person who doesn’t gatekeep the lessons you’ve learned.

These are just the beginnings of some developing thoughts on confidence that I’ve had recently. I want to invite you to share your experiences with me. Leave a story, a truth, or anything else in the comments that have to do with confidence and the role it plays in our daily lives.

For What It’s Worth…Is It Worth It?

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As you likely know, and if you don’t know I’m telling you now, I’m a guy who’s seeking to follow Jesus. That means that every day my mind, thoughts, mental health, priorities, decisions, views on problems, communication, relationships, and anything else you can think of are what I endeavor to surrender to His Lordship. To “follow” Jesus means that where He’s going I’m going. I don’t direct. I don’t even decide direction. He moves. I move. He stops. I stop. It’s love received and expressed through life in lockstep with the Divine.

As a follower of Jesus, there’s sometimes a blurry line that seems to exist when it comes to what I should tolerate and not tolerate as I dole out love, grace, energy, etc. It’s a tension I live in. On the one hand, I’m called to model Christ in every interaction, conversation, and decision. On the other hand, there are instances where it feels like the energy being spent isn’t being spent wisely. In Matthew 7:6, Jesus warned His followers against “casting pearls before swine (pigs)” and that’s what my mind is grappling with today.

Spoiler Alert: There isn’t a tidy resolution to this at this moment. Maybe I might inch closer to something that looks like a helpful blog post as I process through this while typing, but at this moment (and in this crowded O’Hare Airport I’m currently in), there may not be much headway made. But you’re welcome to join me as I “cerebrally meander” through my current thoughts and my emerging thoughts. But again…no guarantees.

I’m going to start wide. Really wide. I chose to follow Jesus in my teens. Just before my senior year of high school. Shout out to all my fellow alum of Lower Cape May Regional High School. Go Caper Tigers.

When I chose to make that decision to follow Jesus, it came with a wholesale surrender to wherever He’s leading, whatever He’s saying, whoever He’s serving, and whatever He’s doing. I pushed the pile of poo that was life-done-my-way across the table and said to Jesus, “Here. Good luck.” At that moment, I became an investor. Not the Wall Street kind. The eternal kind. God helping me, I’ve been an investor in people ever since. And when I say “people,” I mean whoever. Wherever. Whenever. However. I literally don’t care who you are, what you’ve done, what you look like, what you believe, or any other details of your life. My agreement to follow Jesus WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY an agreement to serve you and everyone.

By the way, fellow follower of Jesus, whether you know it or not, you agreed to the same thing. The apostle Paul calls it our “spiritual act of worship” and essentially tells us it’s the very least we can do. (Read Romans chapter 12 for more.)

So what do you do when you’re investing in something and don’t see the ROI you anticipated? This might seem to some to be an offensive question in the context of Christian living. But let me dig in here and see where it leads. *Remember my non-guarantee.*

I’ve already mentioned Jesus’ words about the pearls and the pigs. So there’s that. Seems clear that He was warning against wasting time and energy; at some point it just becomes counterproductive.

I think we can also point to several instances when Jesus kind of reached a point where He was unwilling to continue to do something, or became exasperated (seemingly), or otherwise continued on His journey having left behind work undone. As a human, Jesus was subject to the same 24 hours in a day that you and I are subject to. Imagine that for a second. The One who created light and dark, day and night being willing to be confined by time and space.

Jesus clearly operated on mission. And living on mission by definition is to live a focused life. So when people or situations arose that hindered that mission, Jesus identified it and moved on. (Remember when Peter would say stuff that would hinder Jesus’ mission and Jesus called him “Satan”?) Yep, it’s clear that Jesus stayed on mission and didn’t let anyone pull Him off course.

I wonder what leeway we have as His followers to do the same? Can we rightly be justified in looking at a relationship or situation and making the calculated decision that any more time and energy spent there is going to be time wasted? That’s hard to type, and difficult to think because it feels awfully close to (or exactly like) the sentiment that there may be some people who simply become “not worth it” in regards to our time and energy. And that feels unloving.

Besides, who are we to assume God’s timing? The same Paul I mentioned earlier also said that “…one plants, another waters, but God gives the increase.” (1 Cor. 3:6) So maybe the ROI isn’t any of my business as an investor. Maybe I just keep investing and leave the rest up to the CIO. (By the way did you know that in an investment firm, the Account Manager is sometimes called a “Relationship Manager”? Man, there’s some good stuff to pull from that! Better save that for another blog post.)

I can tell you without flinching that I have absolutely experienced times in my life when it truly felt like the time and energy being spent simply wasn’t worth it. I don’t mean that the person I was seeking to invest in wasn’t worth it. It just became clear that I was not going to be the one to make headway in any meaningful way. So I decided to simply move on. No malice, nothing but love; I just realized that I was spinning my wheels and it simply felt…well…wasteful.

So the tension I live in is between wanting to never ever stop, never give up as I seek to invest in people…and the very real truth that there’ll always be instances and examples of that feeling that for whatever reason, it just isn’t happening.

As I walk this road following Jesus, I’m promised His own Spirit living within me. And it is by His Spirit that I may discern when its time to go, stop, speak, and shut up. I’m so thankful for that.

Okay, so what are your thoughts on any of this? Comment below and add to the conversation. I’d love to know what you think, even if your thoughts collide with mine. Like I said, this is an ongoing grappling that I’m involved in.

Wouldn’t that be nice…but how?

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You’ve heard the old expression, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

How that saying ever even came into existence is the stuff of nightmares, I’m sure of it. Even with my widely-known disdain for felines, I still shudder to think about why in the world someone would skin a cat, let alone conjure up multiple ways to get the job done. It’s just one of the weirdest, yet unquestioned expressions we humans seem to be okay with.

But therein lies an important issue: It’s the issue of “How?” Let’s think about that for a second. (Not the cat part, just in general.)

No matter who you are, there’s a thing you want to do, or become, or accomplish, or a place you want to get to physically, or socially, or financially, or spiritually. If you don’t get the How into a chokehold and wrestle it into submission, then whatever that aspiration is will certainly remain just that: an aspiration.

When we get into the details of How, we begin to lay out what steps are needed in order to move from here to there. It’s intimidating at first, but only at first — once you begin to lay it out, it quickly begins to feel less like an ogre and more like an opportunity.

Where have you found the How to be a daunting barrier, and how have you tackled it bit-by-bit in order to shrink it down to size?

Here are some “what’s” that are currently a part of my life that have been (or need to be) given “how’s” in order to see progress:

  • Replacing/updating a broken door handle on our front door (and repainting the door while we’re at it).
  • Strengthening (ongoingly) my vocabulary and understanding of systematic theology.
  • Losing an average of 1 lb. per month over the span of 2026.
  • Increasing and improving my blog posting rhythm.
  • Budgeting finances in order to reinforce strong habits, avoid debt, and bless others.
  • Establishing a cadence of grandchild interaction so that we are a regular part of her life (with more to come).

I’d love to hear about your How’s and what you’re learned along the journey of skinning cats.

The Truth About Trolls

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Ever since the Garden of Eden, “trolls” have existed. I’d contend that the serpent was the first troll. He came along throwing shade, disparaging what had been posted, and questioning established truth. Yup, the first troll ever was Satan himself, and I’m convinced he still lives in the comment section.

There was recently posted an event on our church’s Facebook page. It was a promo for an upcoming marriage/relationship weekend event called “Through Thick & Thin.” Not propaganda. Not political. Not even religious. Just an event for people to come to in order to have some good fellowship, interact with others about healthy relationships, and have a great time.

Not long after posting it, this comment appeared…

(I’ve removed their name and avatar. It’s inconsequential.)

Like anyone would, I raised my eyebrows and first thought, “Hmmm. Okay.” Clearly this person has an opinion about religion.

My second thought was, “I don’t 100% disagree with this comment, albeit a bit crass.” After all, religion itself hasn’t ever been the answer to the world’s ills. And those who say religions have caused a terrible amount of pain rightfully point to things like 9/11. Or the Crusades. These and other historical events are atrocities done in the name of “religion.” So while I don’t think the comment is intelligent, articulate, or appropriate, I can understand the viewpoint.

My third thought was “I bet this person isn’t even a person. It’s likely some bot that just trolls anywhere and everywhere. Easily dismissed.”

My fourth thought was, “If this person does in fact exist, I’m sorry they felt the need to comment the way they did. And I’m sorry for whatever has happened in their life that brought them to have such vitriol. I think I’ll pray for them.” And I did.

As for my fifth thought, I’ll confess to you that I gave in to temptation to actually go and visit their Facebook page. There, I found this person, based on their photos, to be an Al Roker doppleganger (if Al Roker were hooked on meth), who mostly re-posts unoriginal videos having either to do with political views or anti-Christian sentiments. In fairness, I didn’t scroll very far on their page. I kind of got the jist of their angst and got outta there. In summation and based on what I did see, I would say that they are the type of atheist I’d categorize as an “angry atheist.” I know atheists who are benign, passive, and quiet; simply living their non-believing life with no ax to grind. I got nothing but respect for anyone’s choice to believe whatever they feel the evidence and their convictions drive them to.

But angry atheists come from a different type of background, I’ve found. They’re usually jaded because of some past hurt perpetrated on them (whether real or imagined) by someone who either claimed to believe in God and/or follow Jesus and yet hurt or let them down in some way, usually catastrophically. Abuse (actual or alleged) isn’t uncommon as a part of the angry atheist’s history. I certainly know that’s not true of all atheists, or all angry atheists for that matter. But it’s too common to ignore, in my opinion.

Here’s my nutshell take on atheism: It’s far more societal, social, and relationally based than it is intellectually, logically, and evidence based. Anyone who views the known physical universe and comes to the conclusion that there is no design or intentionality to it is, in my opinion, choosing to ignore facts that glaringly point out obvious patterns, symmetry, and intelligent design. This is not at all a religous statement. I’m saying nothing about the God of the Bible. I’m simply saying that what we see all around us on this earth and in our own little corner of the galaxy drips with the evidence of a creator being behind and the cause of the creation.

Let’s tackle the issue of religion, then. As stated, while I do not fully agree with the commenter’s unclassy comment, I can see how someone who’s been hurt would hold all relgious expression in contempt. I’m sorry for it, but I get it.

What I really desire(d) to say to the commenter, which I’m sure would be like trying to hug a brick wall was, “If you’d come sit with me, have some lunch, talk about your story, listen to mine, and even be willing to meet some other followers of Jesus that I know, I’m sure you’d have your perspective tweaked at least a little bit, if not outright dismantled.”

You see, none of us who claim to be followers of Jesus would dare say that we are perfected or that we are better than or above anyone else. Further, I have yet to meet the follower of Jesus who labels themselves as “religious” or even a lover of religion. Quite the contrary. It is the love of God shown to humanity through Jesus’ birth, life, teachings, healings, truth-telling, death, and resurrection that drive His followers to stoop down and wash feet. Both proverbially, socially, and literally. When we fail to take up our cross, we fail to reflect Jesus as He truly is. And when we do not reflect the real Jesus, the world simply labels us as religious and we are tossed onto the dung heap of all other religiosity, with all of its baggage.

So, Mr. (or Mrs.) Commenter/Troll, I wish that I could have the chance to wash your troll-y feet. After all, I know it’s what Jesus and those who know, love, and follow Him would take the time to do. In the meantime, know that we too have a side-eye for “religion.” We simply choose to apply our energies not to pushing others down, but pointing everyone to Jesus.

Rabbit Trails.

/ jerrythinks / Leave a comment

I was just messaging my Dad, and he was asking what I was doing today. He knows it’s my day off, so on Fridays, it’s anyone’s guess as to what I might find myself doing; at least in the morning before my wife gets off work at noon and all my attention moves to her.

I said, “I’m headed to grab some coffee and do some writing.” I followed that quickly with, “but I’ve currently got too many rabbit trails in my head.”

It’s true. While driving my son to work earlier this morning, I was daydreaming about enjoying some hot coffee at a local coffee shop and opening up my laptop in order to pound out a long-overdue (as if there’s a schedule to this thing. You know better than that) blog post.

But the plight is one you might be well familiar with. It seems that lately every cage in the zoo of my mind has been unlatched, and every thought has been permitted to run rampant. I’m mentally wrestling with a slippery eel in one hand and a wily ostrich neck in the other. Zeroing in on a focused thought seems like organizing meerkats.

So in an effort to bring some semblance of order here, I’d like to–one by one–wrangle up some thoughts, updates, queries, and ideas. You, my reader, are the lucky one who gets to ride shotgun on this safari jeep I’m driving.

I’ll start with the most glorious, wonderful, bliss-filled news of all. On January 20, 2026, my wife and I were catapulted into grandparenthood with the arrival of Bailey, our first grandchild! The long-awaited arrival of this new human did not disappoint–as we got to hold her at just hours old, we began to have a sense of some new kind of love we haven’t had the opportunity to have. It’s a love that amplifies the love we already had for our daughter, because now we share parenthood in common with her, and we also are recipients of a wonderful opportunity to have a place in our granddaughter’s life. It isn’t that we begin parenting again–no, no. We’ve done that. It’s that we are now in an incredible and enviable position of standing by and absorbing the joy of watching our child parent their child.

Next up on our corraling mission is something that might seem a little on the esoteric side. I’ll do my best to broaden this enough for anyone to grab hold of it, but there are pieces of this I’m sharing from a pastoral point of view. File this under “behind the veil”, perhaps. I’m not one to shy away from sharing even thoughts that are unformed or perhaps even eventually embarrassing. It’s the road I’ve chosen when writing on this blog. You’re going to get authenticity, if nothing else.

The best way to share from this pastor’s heart is to share a case study of sorts from my night last night. I was lying in bed enjoying some much-needed sleep when at 3:07 a.m. I woke up. I remember the time distinctly because I grew up at 307 Townbank Road in North Cape May, NJ. I was awake at that point briefly before dozing back to sleep. Then at 4:20 a.m. I woke again; this time for much longer. (No, I do not have the relationship some people do with 4:20.) As I lay there, I was ping-ponged by about 6 or 7 different situations in my life. My mind was thrashing around about a variety of to-dos, what-ifs, and did-I-forget-to’s. In the midst of it all, I entertained thoughts of ministry validation, emotional investments, relational missteps, and a gamut of not-entirely-helpful ponderings. It was bedlam in my brain.

I decided, as I sometimes do, to evolve my worrying and wondering into worshiping. Before you get impressed, let me finish. I turned my attention to Jesus and what I imagine Him to look like. He’s my best friend, my Savior, and my professed Lord. I started in on a chat with Him about how I was feeling, what I’ve been doing (as if He doesn’t know it better than I do), and the thoughts that had occupied my mind and heart. I’ll confess to you that at first I didn’t do too well on the listening part of prayer. I just kind of brain-dumped on Him. Before I even got to the listening part, my brain then wandered off, back into the thoughts that had swirled and bounced around on the inside of my cranium, like the numbered balls in the Powerball lottery machine.

Catching myself, I snapped back to attention on Jesus and had another go at a conversation with Him. “Lord, I love you. Teach me how to love you better. I know I’ve got lots of room to grow in that area…”

Then my mind again trailed off into some concern for the young people I’ve invested in over recent months and years. I often concern myself about their well-being; mentally, emotionally, socially, and mostly spiritually. I began to think about how it seems like other pastors have it together, but I don’t. Like others seem to know what to do and how, and when. I began to fall into the wasteful train of thought that others have what I don’t, and even if I could know what they know, I wouldn’t be able to execute like they do. In a word, it was sheer insecurity. Stupid, wasteful, untrue insecurity. I’m embarrassed that I fell for it.

Do you ever think like that? Another lie (that I know is a lie) is that I’m the only one who thinks like I do. The enemy tries to convince me of that so that I’ll feel disconnected from any sense of commisseration with others. Make no mistake: I know that the enemy’s #1 weapon in any battle is isolation. If he can get me feeling isolated, or lonely, or unrelatable, or exiled in any way then most of the battle is won. Do you ever fall into the trap of thinking that you’re alone in the struggles you have, whether they’re mental, social, emotional, relational, physical, financial, or spiritual?

Then, as I snapped back once again to Jesus’ face, I was instantly reminded of the peace-filled companionship and compassion He has on an ongoing basis for my benefit. No matter how many times my frail mind trails off down whatever rabbit trail, He is patient with me, welcoming me back again and again and again and again. Oh, the depth of love He has for me and for you, despite our distractedness, our flimsy affections, and our propensity for nonsense.

Another rabbit trail was/is our younger daughter, who lives much further away than our oldest daughter (the mom to our new granddaughter). She is pregnant with our second grandchild and our first grandson, due in May! So naturally, I’m often thinking of her, her wonderful firefighter hubby*, and how that little unborn guy is doing. (*Btw, that house on fire over there held our son-in-law as he helped extinguish that raging inferno a couple of days ago.)

I’m envious of families who all live near one another so that grandparents have frequent interaction with grandchildren. I was reading an article recently about the mental and physical health benefits that grandparents enjoy from having interaction with their grandchildren, and even the benefits on a child’s development when their grandparents are in their life. It’s a classic case of a “win-win” situation. I like to daydream about being the kind of grandpa that is always within arm’s reach, always ready to hang out, always ready to grab an ice cream cone, always ready with a listening ear, always ready to buy up the opportunities that I may have missed the first go-around.

Yet another rabbit trail is an upcoming event I’m overseeing at our church. It’s a marriage and relationship-focused event called “Through Thick & Thin,” and we’re welcoming Lamorris & Megan Crawford, who co-host the Covenant Culture Podcast. They’ll be with us in a couple of weeks, and I’m spearheading all the details of that weekend. So naturally, my mind continually spins about all that needs to be done to make that a memorable, productive, and quality experience for all involved.

Another rabbit trail I’m chasing is the complete overhaul and reshaping of the disciplemaking culture of our local church. As Director of Discipleship, I’ve been entrenched for months now in every granular detail of anything and everything we as a local church are doing (or should be doing) to make disciples, which is the one thing Jesus gave us to do. The journey has been equal parts terrifying and gratifying. It is not grandiose or machismo to say that through these efforts, following God’s lead, we are literally shifting the complexion of what we do, how we do it, and most importantly, WHY we do it.

When you are seeking to shift culture–any culture–there’s bound to be a sense of gravitas that comes along with that. Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t personally feel like that is on my shoulders alone. I’d be a fool to think that were even possible. But I do feel a deep sense of responsibility to carefully steward the role I’ve been given and the tasks that come along with it, all while maintaining a lockstep with God’s Holy Spirit. I continually have as my personal mantra: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

There then in my bed, with all these thoughts (and more) making their rounds in my skull like motorbikes in the “Sphere of Death,” I again turned my heart and attention to Jesus.

“Lord, you see all that I’m thinking. You know all that I need. Where I see question marks, you see exclamation points. You are so far above these situations, and yet intimately involved in every detail of all of it. And I know you care about me and my family far more than I care about any of these details. Thank you for being with me, and thank you for being trustworthy. Amen.”

And with that, I surrendered all the rabbit trails, all their outcomes, all the unanswered questions, all the “what-ifs”, and all the thoughts that would continue to keep me awake.

When I awoke again, it was time to get up and start the day. And more notably, it was from the deep kind of sleep that comes from resting completely in the goodness of God. No matter what rabbit trails you’re chasing today, or what thoughts are uncaged in your heart and mind today, I hope for you the peace that goes beyond all understanding–the kind that can only be found in the loving gaze of Jesus Himself.