Arvada is located near the halfway point between Sheridan and Gillette, Wyoming. With little more than a post office and a bar, it is on the verge of becoming a ghost town. Most of the homes have been abandoned long ago, some with faded 'For Sale' signs left in the front yards. Other odd items, such as dressers with magazines, kitchenware, and tire swings, still adorn the empty homes. These items leave hints of who used to live in this once-thriving ranch community.

Exploring abandoned private property requires caution. Derelict structures are generally unsafe to enter—floor joists may break, roofs may collapse, and sharp objects are everywhere.

When I document a scene, I try to capture multiple layers to add depth to the narrative. I try to find details, themes, or oddities that may tell a story.

This requires time, patience, and some curiosity. Exploring with my camera is one aspect. The other part—and trickier—is observing the scene and making interpretive decisions.

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The number of angles, perspectives, and artistic interpretations one could make is endless. To risk sounding cliché, only the imagination is the limit. This is why I love exploring locations like this with my camera.

What excites me is how other photographers would explore this location differently. How would this location impact them? What artistic interpretations would they make? Which buildings are still standing?

This is what I love about photography. Thank you for reading!

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One of the main challenges is finding the right location. Some of the best looking groves of trees are on private land. Others are public land but may be difficult to access. Another challenge is flora. Too much undergrowth will compete with the bright trunks of the aspens. Ideally, I want short grasses and very little brush. Flowering plants and large leafy plants can complement the main subject, but composition is key to balancing the elements in the frame.

Another major challenge is light. Aspen bark is bright–nearly white. This factor invites black and white options since it is easy to separate the trunks from the undergrowth. In fact, the only time I take photos of aspens in color is during the autumn when the leaves are bright yellow.

Evening or early morning light creates prime lighting conditions for isolating the trunks. Conversely, overcast or cloudy conditions create flat tones, which muddies the distinctions between the trees and other elements.

Tips for photographing aspen groves

• Look for photos on Google Maps to help you find prime aspen groves in public lands near you.

• Experiment with various focal lengths and lenses.

• Try to avoid bright background elements behind your main subject matter.

• Use a tripod to help you make micro decisions in composition and framing. This also gives you the flexibility to increase the f-stop for sharper images.

• Look for other flora elements to include in the frame.

• Look for patterns or repetition.

• If your camera has an EVF, try switching your color style/film simulation to black-and-white to see how the subject interacts tonally.

Other Considerations

• Try utilizing an off-camera flash for those flat day or nighttime photography.

• Look for elements that tell a story (like the two saplings in Adam’s photograph).

• Ultra-wide lenses tend to invite busy elements with no coherence. Be specific about what you want in your frame.

• Utilize spot metering in low directional lighting conditions.

While I haven’t captured an image to satisfy my aspirations, I am enjoying the journey. I hope you will enjoy yours, too.

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I was meditating on this all-too-familiar passage one morning when the Spirit asked me: Whose kingdom do you seek? Whose will do you want done?

This question stunned me. What is truly my will? What do I really want in life? What kingdom am I trying to build? Moreover, I was confronted by the fact that I was selfishly seeking my kingdom, my will. I wanted things my way.

This is often how sin manifests itself in our lives. In the West, we grow up with inflated views of ourselves because we grew up with people asking us about our wills and our little kingdoms.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“What university do you plan on attending?”

“Have you developed a set of goals to motivate you?”

These are little kingdom-building objectives. The myth of the American Dream is about working hard and sacrificing time with our families so that we can retire early and live comfortably for the rest of our lives. It is in our will to be comfortable and financially secure. Christians, too, get sucked in to this mentality (why are Dave Ramsey Courses are so popular in Church circles?).

In America, “my will” is my comfort and entertainment. Discomfort and boredom are the enemies.

This isn’t unique to America or the West. Every culture and nation throughout human history has their values and dreams. In many eastern cultures, “my will” is to have honor. Shame is the enemy.

Fundamentally, it is sin. Adam and Eve fell because Satan allured them with the idea of building their little kingdom in opposition to God’s. It was their will that won out and caused them to rebel against God. Humanity has been rebelling ever since by building little kingdoms and pursuing their will.

Where Wills and Kingdoms Collide

When Jesus’ disciples came to Jesus asking Him about prayer, they too had a kingdom objective. Their “will” was to see Jesus become a political Messiah and overthrow their Roman oppressors 1

So when Jesus taught His followers to pray, He cried out:

“Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,”

Since this is a prayer that Jesus wants us to pour forth from the heart, it means that God’s kingdom must overcome my kingdom. God’s will must take the place of my will.

Another way to pray this portion is this:

“Not my kingdom, but Your kingdom come, not my will, but your will be done.”

This became what I call the “Not mine but Thine” prayer.

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A Quick-Draw Prayer

I encourage you, reader, not to ignore the Lord’s prayer or reduce it to a formula for structuring your prayers.2 Rather, look at it as a way to reframe your perspective, or reset your heart and desires on God.

God is the provider (Daily bread). We are to desire His way of life (His Kingdom). We are to desire His glory (His Will) and feel remorse when we offend Him (forgive us).

Moreover, the Lord’s Prayer can be used as a mantra. “Not mine but Thine” is a great way to stop myself, or at least help redirect selfish and sinful attitudes. I often remind myself of this prayer and repeat it myself like a mantra: “Not mine, but Thine!”

Next, I will slowly expand it as a prayer:

“Not my will, Lord (but Yours).”

“Not my little, petty kingdom, Lord, but Your kingdom, come!”

“Forgive me for my sinful behavior and words, Lord!”

“Help me to remember that You alone provide my daily bread, there is nothing else I need!”

“My God, I want to glorify Your name hear on earth as it is glorified in heaven. Set me straight.”

“Finally, help guard myself from the temptation to pursue my kingdom again.”

Caution with the calling

Nearly seven years ago, I left a photojournalism career to pursue a strong sense of calling God placed on me. He called me to enroll at a small Christian College in Billings, Montana. I didn’t know to what end this entailed, but I did have a where.

A few months later, I brushed up on high school math (I lost most of what I learned during my 13-year gap year) and we moved my one-year-old daughter and wife to Billings, Montana. I began orientation in the fall of 2018 as the oldest student at 32.

As I nervously applied myself the the new rhythms of academics, work, and family, God imprinted a verse in my mind that I learned to keep in my heart:

God was telling me, “Justin, you are about to learn new and exciting things, but this will not matter if you do not love and encourage others.”

Yet as I sought to learn how to love others biblically, I was surprised to discover that God would use people as the primary method of teaching me to know His love for me, along with how to love others.

Eventually, after some tribulations, I learned to experience His grace every day. 1

Lessons from a Desert Disciple

During a Church Ministry Leadership class, I was assigned Well-Intentioned Dragons, by Marshall Shelley. This book tells gut-wrenching stories collected from pastors who endured the hardship of being attacked by their flock. I was amazed at how common the sheep turn on their shepherd, their minister. Why?

Shelley does a tremendous job unpacking the reason for what he calls “dragon blights” and how to navigate the challenges they impose on the ministry.

This alone makes this book worthwhile for anyone going into church ministry; however, it was the epilogue that stuck with me:

Pachomius was a soldier in fourth-century Egypt when he became a Christian. He followed in the steps of Palamon, an ascetic hermit who taught self-denial and solitary life. Palamon believed holiness was attained through isolation. In fact, he was so obsessed with removing himself from the world, he and his followers erected a giant column upon which he lived, ate, and slept.

Ironically, this spectacle drew crowds of people who asked for wisdom and advice from the man who sought to isolate himself.2

However, upon seeing this spectacle, Pachomius questioned the lifestyle, teaching, and methods of his mentor. He asked,

“How can you learn to love if no one else is around?

“How can you learn humility living alone?

“How can you learn kindness or gentleness or goodness in isolation?

“How can you learn patience unless someone puts yours to the test?

“He concluded that discovering Christian virtues demands other people—ordinary, ornery people.

Further, Shelley asserts, “True love isn’t even learned among friends we have chosen.” Rather, “We learn agape love most effectively in our involuntary associations (people we cannot choose).”

Eventually, Pachomius established the Koinonia monastic life to learn and practice the virtues in community.

Learning Love by Receiving Hardship

The Story of Pachomius and his early monastic community impressed on me the value of receiving the hardship of people and practicing the virtues in the communities in which God placed me.

As I interned at an established church, I learned and practiced grace to people older than me who had different perspectives, values, and expectations. Naturally, I did or said things to which parishioners took an exception … and some were more blunt than others in their communication of their disapproval.

As I continued to study at Montana Bible College, I eventually stepped into a student leader role, God used the challenges I experienced to help me experience his grace. Some students slandered me behind my back, and I would find out about it later via the grapevine.

But this is the beautiful thing about the “involuntary associations” God places in our lives. While we are more likely to be hurt and frustrated by them, God uses them to drive us to God.

Pachomius discovered this in his new order of Koinonia—a community of flawed people. Conflicts arose, and words were exchanged. But, Shelley pointed out:

“They discovered that disagreements and opposition proved the opportunity to redeem life situations and experience God’s grace.”

Of course, this is a pious posture to take. There is a hint of ‘Just turn the other cheek and carry on’ kind of vibe. And I don’t blame you if you’re feeling this at this part of the post.

However, the goal of suffering, hardships, and difficult people isn’t to adopt a Romans 8:28 mindset. (I’m too blessed to be stressed, et al.) Rather, the goal is to allow ourselves to fully experience it and run to Jesus in desperation. Because during the heat of suffering, Romans 8:28 is a cruel and senseless passage.

God is interested in the results of suffering. He wants you to know just how hurt He was when He loved you, died for you, and saved you. He continues to love you and me despite the hurt the world gives Him.

It is through people that God teaches us his economy of love and grace. Because we see just how much He has done for us. Therefore, we draw upon Him for strength, grace, and love.

This is vital for anyone going into Ministry.

Because Ministry—if we distill it to the core— is incarnating Christ’s love to people, messy and broken people.

A Continual Challenge

What causes me to shudder as I contemplate these truths is that I have suffered very few tribulations from people. Reading stories of the trials that the persecuted church experiences every day leaves my heart weeping. Reading Marshall Shelley’s book causes my blood to boil.

I recognize that I have a long way to go in learning God’s economy of love and the blessing that comes with suffering.

Therefore, I have learned to embrace whatever hardship comes my way as I follow Christ in obedience.

Therefore, reader, I pray that you recognize that every difficult person that God places in your life is not an obstacle to your ministry—they are the ministry!

We are not called to only love those who agree with us, think like us, and have nice manners.

But also those who irritate and annoy.

Those who gossip and slander.

Those who vote differently.

These are the people who expose our sinful attitudes.

These are the people who cause us to run to Jesus and cling to His feet as a rock and refuge.

And as we do this, we learn to forgive, as we have been forgiven; to reconcile, as we have been reconciled; and love unconditionally.

Why?

Because Jesus. As we do these things, we are actually incarnating Jesus’ presence and love among others.

Jesus loved the most. He was hurt the most.

On the night of his betrayal, Jesus looked around the room and studied each of His disciples. They were the trail mix variety of followers: tax collectors, fishermen, and religious zealots. They argued and irritated each other. In a few hours, one would betray Jesus. Another would deny Him. All would abandon Him during His arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

Yet Jesus took off his outer garments, washed the disciples’ feet, then commanded them to do likewise.

He told them: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

Jesus suffered. He loved those who hurt Him.

Why wouldn’t His followers expect anything else?

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The difficulty we Face

The difficulty Christ-followers face is not the impossibilities of earning God’s gracious salvation, but the challenge of living consistently with the salvation God has already worked in our hearts.

Kevin Carson, Counseling the Hard Cases, 246 (paraphrased).

I saved this quote from a Biblical counseling book (which is a Christian genre I highly recommend) I read in my undergraduate program. What stood out to me was how succinctly Carson describes the Christian struggle.

In a previous post, I shared a quote from Luther describing the Christian faith as a journey in righteousness. He said, “We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it.”

Here, Carson describes the frustration we Christians experience when we are confronted—either by self-examination or an accusatory finger—by the incongruence of our faith with our lives.

Man, I’m such a hypocrite!

Hypocrite—a loaded word. In an age that values authenticity and scorns shallowness, we fear being accused of being hypocritical.

The question is this

Are Christ-followers hypocrites for failing to live up to the moral standards they hold dear from God’s word?

The Answer is no … unless you are chasing these standards to consider yourself righteous.

There is a difference. Let’s look at Carson’s description:

The difficulty Christ-followers face is not the impossibilities of earning God’s gracious salvation, but the challenge of living consistently with the salvation God has already worked in our hearts.

Notice that “earning” salvation is impossible. If you have accepted the free gift of God’s salvation by confessing a trusting faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son, then you are saved.

The apostle Paul expresses it clearly:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

In other words, Christ followers are not saved by their works, but by God’s grace, through their faith in Jesus Christ.

So why do we feel the contradictions? The duality? The hypocritical-ness of our faith as we attempt to obey God’s word?

Because we are redeemed eternal creatures—created in the image of God, with His Spirit indwelling us—but we are also living in these fleshy vessels inclined to sin.

We are in a pilgrimage. We are walking the in between-ness of our past and our destination. This is the Christian faith.

Quoting Luther again:

So am I a hypocrite when I fail? No, I am a pilgrim striving toward righteousness.

I am not there, yet.

However, in my pride, I can fall into the pitfall of self-righteous morality. This is the category that can be accused of hypocrisy.

Take Jesus’ warning to the self righteous leaders of His day:

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.

Matthew 15:6-8 NIV

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

Matthew 23:27

A hypocrite is primarily concerned about outward appearances and man’s opinion. But their hearts are untouched by the grace of God.

Whereas a Christ-follower seeks to live a life that pleases God by obedience to His word and following Christ.

Another way to look at it is this: one has the change on the inside that is working outward; the other is attempting to work change inward from outward efforts.

This is the difference between a Christ-follower and a hypocrite.

So where is the source of your change?

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About Contemplations:

As I read from my lectionary and other daily readings I make a habit of cherishing those truths that speak to my soul. I pray that these words reach your soul, too.

Much like meditations, these contemplations are meant to direct the gaze of our hearts to Jesus. These posts do not condone the positions and theology of the respective authors. Nor am I endorsing the views of the authors or the religious traditions they represent.

Distractions, distractions

Let’s face it. This world has a lot of fun and compelling distractions. Many things compete for our attention: I love to get lost in YouTube and discover new channels and creators. Facebook Reels are addicting and blows up my Screen Time goals.

Many things attempt to lure our desires and wallets (looking at you, Amazon). Marketing teams from a pantheon of businesses assail us with ads.

More negatively, many things consume our thoughts, spawning worry, anxiety, or obsession: drama at the office, a bad A1C score, an unexpected phone call from the child’s school.

More positively, I enjoy many good and pleasurable things. I love to brew myself a fine single-origin light roast coffee from Costa Rica in the mornings. I love flying my new drone and capturing some amazing video of the beauty of Montana. Occasionally, I’ll enjoy a savory Hazy IPA from a local brewery.

So many things in this world. Each seeking to tickle our five senses and promise something … satisfying. Yes, that’s the word. Satisfy. That word has great value today.

But.

Recently, as I was reading through The Imitation of Christ, Kempis challenged my world-saturated sensibilities with this bold assertion:

Remember how dry and how undevout you are without Jesus, how unwise, how vain, and how ignorant you are when you desire anything but Jesus.

Truly, such a desire is more harmful to you than if you had lost all the world.

What can this world give you save through the help of Jesus? To be without Jesus is the pain of hell. And to be with him is a pleasant paradise. If Jesus is with you no enemy can grieve you. He who finds Jesus finds a treasure, better than all the other treasures, and he who loses Him has lost more than all the world.

He is most poor who lives without Jesus, and he is most rich who is with Him.

It is great wisdom to be closely familiar with Him and to keep Him. Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus will be with you; be devout and quiet, and He will abide with you (Thomas à Kempis, II, 8).

This passage caused me to pause and examine a lot about my values, desires, and priorities. Perhaps you may want to do the same.

Here are a few starter questions:

• What do you truly value in this world?

  • (What am I afraid to lose? What what would make me upset if I lost this thing?)

• What do you want in this life?

  • (What do I think will make me happy, or bring satisfaction?)

• What do you prioritize?

  • (What do I turn to first when I wake up in the morning. What do I do when I get off work or have some free time?)

I wrestled with these question and it startled me how much of what I valued, desired, and prioritized did not involve Jesus.

But, wait, why is that?

Let’s go back to the first part of Kempis’ admonition. “Remember how dry and how undevout you are without Jesus, how unwise, how vain, and how ignorant you are when you desire anything but Jesus.”

Basically, chasing after anything beside Jesus (apart from the blessings He has given us) we fall into vanity and ignorance.

However, if we abide in Christ, “Jesus will be with you.”

Bringing it home

Do you feel far from God? Do you feel like your prayers are pointless and bouncing off the ceiling?

What are you chasing?

Where are you abiding?

God’s Word has a lot to say about this…

1 John 2:15-17 BSB - Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

The world is passing by … but those who concern themselves about God’s business are blessed.

Sounds like Kempis was on to something. Jesus isn’t just peripheral life to help us out—He is the life!

Jesus isn’t something we sprinkling in to enhance our faith—Jesus is our faith!

To underscore this, consider the vine illustration from John 15, Jesus describes Himself as a vine and His followers—the church—as the branches of the vine.

John 15:3-5 BSB - 4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing

“Apart from Me you can do nothing.” Ouch, this is Jesus speaking directly to His followers—us!

Do we believe this? Do we live this?

What is one thing you can reprioritize today?

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About Meditations:

As I read from my lectionary and other daily readings, I make a habit of cherishing those truths that speak to my soul. I pray that these words reach your soul, too.

These meditations are a reflection on the content, not the positions and theology of the respective authors. I am not endorsing the views of the authors or the religious traditions they represent.

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Living in this world as a Christian is frustrating. I wrestle with the contradictions of life and faith in my life.

I should want to read my Bible in the morning. But I snooze my alarm.

I shouldn’t have dropped that profanity when talking about the KC Chiefs with the guys. But I did.

I should want to pray. But I’m too tired.

I shouldn’t want to waste my entire evening watching Reels. But I don’t feel like doing anything else.

And on, and on, and on ….

Does this sound familiar?

You are not alone.

But (this is a big but) God does not expect you to be awesome every day. He saved us while we were destined for wrath. He saved us knowing that we will have moments of failure, apathy, and blatant rebellion.1

Yet God is faithful. He gives us more grace (James 4:6).

Paul understood that believers will struggle in sin and contradictions in their daily lives. Therefore, he wrote to believers in first-century Philippi, to encourage them that they could be confident, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).

Yet he doesn’t stop there. He writes his pray for these believers (while he is in prison):

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (vv. 9-11).

Let this be your prayer, too. Replace the “you” with “I” and say it aloud:

And this is my prayer: that my love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Finally, consider Martin Luther’s words about Christian righteousness:

If you claim to be a Christ-follower, you will not be perfectly righteous until you stand before Christ in heaven.

Until then, we are in a process. We are becoming. We strive to be like Christ.

The question is: are you still on the Road?

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful (Col. 3:15).

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About Contemplations:

As I read from my lectionary and other daily readings, such as Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman, and Celtic Daily Prayer, I make a habit of cherishing those truths that speak to my soul. I pray that these words reach your soul, too.

Much like meditations, these contemplations are meant to direct the gaze of our hearts to Jesus. These posts do not condone the positions and theology of the respective authors. Nor am I endorsing the views of the authors or the religious traditions they represent.

For Christians, the concept of eternal security in Christ can feel abstract or disconnected from daily life. As we struggle with sin, nagging doubts creep into our hearts:

“Have I crossed a line?”

“Was my last sin so ugly that God’s Spirit has abandoned me?”

“Has God given up on me?”

I have wrestled with these doubts. Yet God, by His mercy, has lead me to some wonderful truths to assure me of His love for me and my security in Him.

For starters, take this excerpt from Streams in the Desert. This piece is attributed to C.H. Spurgeon, responding to 1 Cor. 3:23

“Ye are Christ’s” You are his by donation, for the Father gave you to the Son; his by his bloody purchase, for he counted down the price for your redemption; his by dedication, for you have consecrated yourself to him; his by relation, for you are named by his name, and made one of his brethren and joint-heirs.

Labor practically to show the world that you are the servant, the friend, the bride of Jesus. When tempted to sin, reply, “I cannot do this great wickedness, for I am Christ’s.” Immortal principles forbid the friend of Christ to sin. When wealth is before you to be won by sin, say that you are Christ’s, and touch it not.

Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers? Stand fast in the evil day, remembering that you are Christ’s. Are you placed where others are sitting down idly, doing nothing? Rise to the work with all your powers; and when the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry, “No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ’s.

When the siren song of pleasure would tempt you from the path of right, reply, “Thy music cannot charm me; I am Christ’s.” When the cause of God invites thee, give thy goods and thyself away, for thou art Christ’s.

Never belie thy profession. Be thou ever one of those whose manners are Christian, whose speech is like the Nazarene, whose conduct and conversation are so redolent of heaven, that all who see you may know that you are the Saviour’s, recognizing in you his features of love and his countenance of holiness.

“I am a Roman!” was of old a reason for integrity; far more, then, let it be your argument for holiness, “I am Christ’s!”

Next, hear what Jesus tells us in John’s gospel. He is the good shepherd and we are His sheep. More importantly, He says, no one can remove us from his grip:

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. —John 10:28-29

Do you struggle with feelings of inadequacy?

Do you worry that you sinned too much for God to forgive you?

Take heart—you belong to Christ!

Respond to God:

Let these words sink into your soul. Re-read them, again and again.

Tell God your fears, doubts, worries, and desires. Be candid—He can handle it!

Repeat to yourself, aloud: I am Christ’s! No one can snatch me from his grip.

Express gratitude to Christ for His sacrifice. Confess your sins and trust that He is faithful to forgive.

Trust that God is faithful to His word.

I pray this encourages you!

About Meditations:

As I read from my lectionary and other daily readings, such as Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman, and Celtic Daily Prayer, I make a habit of cherishing those truths that speak to my soul. I pray that these words reach your soul, too.

These meditations are a reflection on the content, not the positions and theology of the respective authors. I am not endorsing the views of the authors or the religious traditions they represent.

This excerpt comes from Streams in the Desert, compiled by Mrs. Cowman and published in the early 1900’s.

I took the liberty of styling the prose into a poetic format because of the parallelisms.

Too often I approach my “quiet time with Jesus” with a grand expectation that God is somehow going to help me become less carnal with each appointment in my prayer closet.

Williams challenges this predisposition. He frames an “authentic me” within each person that is yearning to surface within the well of our soul. A true me that yearns for Christ, His glory and presence.

This reminds me of the “inner man” the apostle Paul speak of in Ephesians 3:16-17:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

The “inner being” is our true being. The inner being is the person which is being fed as we spend time in God’s word and presence.

Revisiting my predisposition, I am learning to shift my expectation from “Lord, make me less carnal,” to, “Lord, you are the Bread of Life. Help me to feed on you to satisfy my inner being.”

There are plenty of instances in which I don’t feel like I am “getting something” from my quiet time with Jesus. However, there are plenty of times I sit down to eat a meal and I know that even the least pleasurable meals are nourishing my body. Likewise, my inner self is being nourished despite how I feel about my experience.

Time spent with God is never wasted.

— Justin

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A bit about me

My name is Justin Sheely. God has blessed me with a beautiful wife and daughter (girl dad!). I was a photojournalist in a former life, then God called me to pursue Christian higher education. I have a BA in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Biblical Counseling from Montana Bible College. My wife and I currently serve at MBC with joy!

What I want to share and why

There are plenty of Christian blogs and substacks on the internet (PTL!) but I do not see a lot of content dedicated to Christian contemplation. This topic is near and dear to my heart and I hope to shed more light on the art of contemplation.

Why coffee stains? I love coffee. I also make it a ritual to spend my early mornings with Jesus and a fresh single-origin light roast brewed from my AeroPress (to the glory of God). Therefore, Coffee rings on my chair table are a good sign.

What is contemplation?

Glad you asked! This is often referred to as “mysticism” however, this term is pregnant with a lot of images and concepts that are misleading. Contemplation is a helpful term because it captures the act of being present before God, in prayer, in His word, and thinking about His nature and goodness (Think Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet…more about that in a later post).

The goal here is to recapture what has been lost in Western evangelicalism: intimacy with Jesus. The goal isn’t to act more monastic (or catholic), but to capture what Paul prays for the believers in Ephesus:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Eph. 3:16-17, NIV

For decades, American pastors and para-church leaders have pushed for us to have “quiet time” or “devotions” with God, yet these are often packaged as mini bible studies or some other lesson that we must work through and check off.

But this falls short of the “fullness of life” the New Testament describes we have in Christ. If we are called to a “relationship, not religion” then what does that relationship look like?

How do we pray?

How do we respond to what we read in God’s word?

What is God like?

How do I worship Him?

Who I hope to connect

If what I have written thus far has resonated with you, I’m glad you are here! Even if you are curious about contemplation and how to grow in intimacy “in your inner being,” then this blog is for you!

I desire to build a community of Christ followers—regardless of denomination or tradition—who desire to learn contemplation and share their experiences and insights with others for mutual encouragement.

Let’s Go!

Please subscribe to Coffee Stains for more reflections and meditations (no pledge necessary). I may also write about my love for coffee and photography too!

— Justin

You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:11

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