In Nomadland, a woman takes her refurbished van into the desert of the American west, chasing employment after the manufacturing plant she once worked at shuts down. Throughout the film, Fern seems drawn toward the isolation and remoteness of the desert. I too found myself in a wilderness a few months ago. Though I didn’t jump on the road in an RV, I was drawn into a season of spiritual isolation and remoteness.
Read MoreI always had a lot to say to God. I filled journals and journals with prayers, and spent hours of my “quiet time” not being very quiet at all - listening to podcasts, worship music, or talking with someone about a passage of Scripture. I always preferred it this way, and it had been working for me for most of life.
Up until recently.
Read MoreThe recent Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma presents us with the realities of social media and forces us to question it. The film brings to light how much these platforms know about us, what they do with the data, and how it's changing us as individuals and as a society. It's a fascinating, if troubling, look at the influence that social media has on our lives. And it's enough to make anyone want to quit all of it for good.
Read MoreBefore I came back to Gainesville from camp this summer, the Lord prepared me for a wilderness season. I knew there would be some wandering - some fogginess - but He promised to lead me through it. And He asked me to trust Him for each day. I didn’t understand that He was leading me on a journey into a deeper dependence, like the Israelites in Exodus; He was preparing to teach me about manna and shabbat. And it started at the dentist.
Read MoreSomeone once told me about this Korean sauna - he was absolutely obsessed with it. It was a place where one could disappear for hours and hours and emerge refreshed, restored and pampered. It piqued my interest, and after a while, I scheduled a day to go with a friend. I knew very little about what to expect, except for there being an area of this sauna where full nudity was required.
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