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Thankful Tuesday: Rain
Micha Boyett’s idea of posting a blog every Tuesday emphasizing something for which one is thankful has been growing on me lately. So, today is the day I will begin that weekly rhythm. Something I’ve learned over the last five years of living here is that early Fall in Abilene always comes with storms. I… Continue reading
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All is Grace: Reading the World as a Christian
There is a tendency by those who hold faith to read the world ideologically. What I mean is that there is a tendency in certain circles to interact with different ideas according to how well those ideas fit into a preexisting schema. As a graduate student at a Christian university, I suppose I should have… Continue reading
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Why I will not be the Head of my Household
Programming note: I have an updated understanding and account of Christian marriage here that I think is more accurate. * * * So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. There is a large stream of Christian… Continue reading
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I Will Awaken the Dawn (Psalm 57)
I will awaken the dawn. Again. It’s happened again. I return to consciousness and there is no light. I can’t see my hand in front of my face. Or the twisted remains of my certainty littering the floor. And I stumble outside and look up. Only blackness. And so, again, I begin the tortuous climb.… Continue reading
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I’m Engaged
I am engaged to be married. Last night I proposed marriage to Amanda, the woman I will spend the rest of my life with. And the first words out of her mouth were “for real?” Yes, my Love, for real. For ever. Below is the first poem I ever wrote for Amanda: Right Now I… Continue reading
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Five Thoughts for New Students (Year 2)
This is my second annual blog post giving five thoughts to new students. Last year—when I wrote the first piece—Welcome Week was coming to a close, and my role as a senior Peer Leader for a freshman Cornerstone course was about to begin. In that first post, I focused primarily on spiritual goods. I still… Continue reading
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Lean Into It
“Lean into it,” I whisper to the screen. The words come out sounding inevitable. Like there is no other choice. Like: this shit happens whether you want it or not. And I’m not even sure who I was whispering to. Those children? Their parents? The aid workers? Myself? Because it’s not just them. Or just… Continue reading
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Facebook in Moderation
Back in April I wrote a blog post about why I had deleted my Facebook page and my Twitter feed. Essentially, I argued that Facebook and Twitter contributed to the lack of silence in my life in that they allowed me to fill my time with less meaningful things. And, more importantly, Facebook and Twitter… Continue reading
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Bleeding Love
Who am I? A question I’ve asked again and again. And the answer is always, “you are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” And sometimes those words find their way into my heart. And sometimes they stay on the outside, a haze before my eyes, obscuring reality. But right now they are… Continue reading
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Don’t Tread on Me: The Politics of the Infantile
So, as everyone knows, there is an election in full swing. We, as citizens of the United States, will—come November—elect a president and a slew of senators and representatives. And, so we’ve been told, this presidential election is the most important election in our lifetimes. Just like the last one. And the one before that.… Continue reading
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Praying Part Two: The Activity of God in the Mundane
Yesterday, I blogged about the problem I have being able to interact with God as if he were an external friend with whom I could have a social relationship. You can read that post here. Today, I am going to describe the way I approach prayer. I am an INTJ (weak on the I. I’m… Continue reading
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Praying Part 1: Imagination and Thinking out Loud
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I am reading T.M. Luhrmann’s book—When God Talks Back. Dr. Luhrmann is a psychological anthropologist. The book focuses on her investigation of the way prayer works for evangelical Christians. Specifically, she has researched charismatic evangelical Christians within the Vineyard denomination. While I am not going to fully… Continue reading
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I am saved right now: two snapshots
Sarah Bessey has asked “What is saving your life right now?” These are my responses: * * * I’m spending this week with Grandma. And so yesterday she and I loaded up into the suburban and drove the four minutes to Third & Dwight Church of Christ. And there is the man—who Grandma says is… Continue reading
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Reflections on Christian Camping
I have been involved with various Christian camps—mostly ACU’s Leadership Camps—for a good chunk of my life. In the summer of 2009 I was a counselor for ACU’s camps. In the summer of 2010 I became a head counselor for ACU’s camps. And, this past summer, I reprised that role. Additionally, I attended ACU camps… Continue reading
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I’m Back
On June third, when last I blogged, I said I would be taking a three month break from blogging. I explained that the purpose of this break was to get myself right with God before I tried to produce content, learn to keep secrets and to not try to turn everything into an edgy or… Continue reading
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Why I am Taking a Three Month Break from Blogging
I haven’t blogged in a month. Not that anyone has really missed me but me. But still, this is the longest stretch in a while that I haven’t posted something on the internet for someone other than me to read. This is even more interesting given my lack of social media. Which, by the way,… Continue reading
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My Testimony
Jesus transforms lives. And he does it through his Spirit and through other people. This story will be—of necessity—incomplete and inadequate. Nevertheless, I hope that I communicate the essence of what Jesus has done in and through me. I grew up going to church. And it wasn’t just “going to church” either. I grew up… Continue reading
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Why I Deleted Facebook and Twitter Part 2: Connection is a Symptom Not a Cure (A TED Talk)
Here is a TED talk that explains part of the reason why I recently deleted my Facebook and Twitter accounts. In the words of Richard Beck (I found the video because he posted it on his blog) “I found the talk, by turns, both scary and sad.” Continue reading
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I Often Doubt My Faith
I often doubt the things I am supposed to believe. And, when I doubt, I come up with creative solutions to solve my doubt which allow me to continue to believe, mostly what I am supposed to believe. I just want to be honest about this with myself and with others. * * * Previous… Continue reading
About Me
Gregory C. Jeffers
Anglican Christian | Husband | Father | Teacher | Scholar | Poet
G. C. Jeffers 