Four People Clapping.
When I saw our four pastors clapping when nobody else was, it was clear to me that they understand good discipleship: You can only lead others as far as you lead yourself.
If you want your church to give, you have to give first and most (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
If you want your church to read their Bible, you have to read it and know it better than anyone else in the room (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Timothy 4:13-16).
If you want your congregation to have integrity, passion, servitude… then you need to lead the way (1 Timothy 4:12).
“Leading the way” isn’t about being loud. It’s about being first.
Why am I watching more TV than usual?
There is something in a good TV show that I don’t get from church. I think most preachers don’t enter full-vulnerability mode when they preach. A character on TV lets us into the intimate moments of their lives and decisions because they don’t know anyone’s watching. It’s an incredible way to watch a person develop and change—and way easier to put yourself into the story. A lot of what happens in church is sanitized. Too stuck in the way things should be instead of exploring the way things are. There are some things we just don’t talk about because it makes us uncomfortable. I wish we could be as honest in church as the characters of my favorite shows.
Churches “Scored” by New TikTok Trend: A Con or a Call to Repentance?
A new TikTok trend has emerged: an influencer calls churches pretending to be a mother in desperate need of baby formula.
The question she’s really asking is, “Will you help me?” And the answers she’s sharing—in the form of edited call recordings and viral commentary—are casting many churches in a poor light.
UMAC Conference – Finding Our Voice As Local Church Communicators
It was an honor to be a keynote speaker at a national conference of my peers—the United Methodist Association of Communicator's (UMAC) Conference at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. Holding a platform is something I never take lightly. Sixty minutes times one hundred people is six thousand minutes of influence I get to put into the world. That's a huge responsibility. As James 3:1 reminds us, 'Not many of you should become teachers... because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.' I better do a good job.
Does Empathy Make Me Weak?
It’s easier to dismiss empathy than to practice it. Empathy threatens fixed worldviews. It invites questions where we’ve been trained to recite answers. It asks us to stand under the authority of someone else’s experience—to lower our defenses, suspend our certainty, and submit to the possibility that we might be wrong. That takes courage. And in many ego-protective circles, dogma is hard to compromise.
Ministry Paralysis and a Cry for Mercy
I don’t feel like a failure. I feel capable. Competent. Creative. Faithful to my family. Committed to the work. I’m bringing my all. I’m doing good work. But I can feel the wheels starting to wobble.
If I'm feeling the way I do, how is everyone else doing it? The only logical explanation is that nobody is. Nobody is succeeding to the expectations of our society.
I May Have Cheated My Way into College (Does The End Justify The Means?)
If God has given you a gift—a calling, an anointing—don’t hand it over to the machine. Use tools to increase your capacity for good, not to escape the work altogether. Let technology support your gift, not replace it.
I Loved That Tweet…But It Got Me In Trouble
What if it’s the upstream discipline that influences everything else downstream?
If we practiced more peace in our speech, more empathy in our disagreements, more clarity in our convictions—maybe, just maybe, the culture wouldn’t be so angry, so reactive, so violent.
Misery – The Secret to Healing
We live in a culture that avoids pain at all costs. We dismiss, downplay, and demonize people who hurt differently than we do.
When we don’t feeeeeel it ourselves, it’s easy to write off other people’s pain:
“They’re lazy.”
“They’re weak.”
“They’re uneducated.”
“They’re illegal.”
“They’re immoral.”
“They deserve it.”
But if we’re unwilling to co-suffer, we will never truly follow Jesus.
The Flame, the Fail and the Cost of a Logo
A logo change must be rooted in understanding your people. Who is your family, and what do they care about? Can you keep them while evolving to reach new people? Or must you sacrifice the base to move forward? And if you’re ok purging your most loyal customers, aren’t you becoming something entirely new?
The Photo That Started It All
I must admit, every time I ask someone to make eye contact with the camera, I get nervous. Exposure takes double-meaning. To have your picture taken almost grants you immortality. A photograph... a moment in time... a person staring into the camera is a person worth remembering. There is sacred worth in a photograph. It says that person matters.
Trading Facts for Care
Empathy deprivation isn’t a lack of compassion; it’s the inability to fully inhabit someone’s perspective because critical context is intentionally or unintentionally withheld. The result? You’re left empathizing in the abstract.
That’s where grace has to take over. When understanding is less than black and white, you let go of facts and focus on care.
Through the Smoke
The first time you face your fear, it starts to lose its grip. That’s the essence of empathy: stepping into what you do not understand, and finding out it’s not so scary after all.
Love Begets Love
I grow more and more frustrated with keyboard warriors who think their opinion carries more weight than journalists, scientists, educators, researchers—people who spend their lives doing the work. I love globalization. I see human migration as an opportunity to taste new flavors and hear new stories. I struggle to understand why we see “The United States” before we see “Earth.” Tribalism is a cancer.
So I’m working on micro-actions.
Stay Curious
It's not art unless it makes you feel something. Art is subjective in that regard. Looking back through 2024, any creative output connected to my feelings are connected to people – either projects I've created with someone, for someone or because of someone. Sometimes it was just for me...for expression, sabbath or exploration. I love that my circumstance affords me fluidity between career and curiosity; provision and play; job and joy. Being alive is really interesting. I find the experience of it hinges upon your mindset.
Cute logos, Family Portraits and… custom puzzles?
This fall, we had fun taking family portraits for the Eshlemen and Roach families. If you have a moment to capture, we would love to help. We’ve learned that if you put the kids at ease, everyone else follows. The best ideas flow from giving the kids creative freedom!
2024 Fall Candle Sale
The 2024 Bracken Candle Fall Sale is upon us! We're thinning inventory this year, meaning our shelves are stocked with seasonal favorites. Vanilla Peppermint, Cranberry Woods, Frosted Juniper and Spiced Cinnamon. If you're close, we'll deliver! If not, we ship!
Lake Michigan
I had one hard goal: to scope the shore each night for a sunset photo. I love sunsets and waterfronts without the camera… adding my favorite craft to the mix offered a perfect blend of sabbath and creativity. Those nightly scopes were the only destinations the camera went to. Everything else, came to the camera.
You Own a Bracken Candle. Now What?
Thank you! Our 2023 Holiday Sale was so much fun! If you are lucky enough to have a Bracken Candle, here’s what you need to do next.
2023 Holiday Sale now OPEN !
Bracken Candle 2023 holiday sale has officially begun! Only 116 candles available. Frosted Juniper, Vanilla Peppermint, Cranberry Woods and Spiced Cinnamon. Crafted with Golden 464 soy wax in ceramic tumblers and glass jars.