Nick Snell

I don’t know if the Spirit ever says this to you, but He definitely says it to me, over and over again: “Ty, look at the people in your life, really look at them with intentional awareness. When they speak, really listen, not just for what they say with their words, but for what they’re trying to say with their heart. When they touch you, really feel their touch and touch them back conscious of the fact that at some point you will never feel their hand, their hug, their kiss again. At some point you don’t see coming, Ty, you will see them, hear them, touch them for the very last time.” My mother died before I could operate at that level of consciousness. I so wish I understood the gravity of the brevity of the time I had with her. A close friend of mine died unexpectedly in his sleep, and I so wish I had taken him in more fully, that I had said certain things to him I wanted to say but didn't, that I had put my arms around him when I felt like doing so but didn’t. When I was a kid, I had a black lab named Mike that we rescued from a violent situation. When we would lift our hand to affectionately pet him, he would wince and whine and lay flat to the floor in fear. We had the joy of opening Mike back up to gentle touch, and then one day Mike died and we buried him. I wish I had spent more time showing Mike I loved him. Everybody you know and love is in the process winding down and passing away. See them, hear them, love them with intentional actions, because you don’t know what’s next, but you do have this moment right now. Have you ever heard impressions like that from the Spirit?

The church has made the preacher & the worship music the “product” it offers, which has turned it into a 5th Avenue competition with winners and losers. Huge mistake! According to Jesus, the “product” the church ought to offer is love, acceptance & relational health. John 13:35

Giving Jesus just a few moments of sober consideration has the effect of dazzling the intellect and captivating the affections. He is everything you can possibly hope perfection to be, and yet you sense there is in Him an infinity of beauty beyond what you presently see.

1/5 My mom taught me something powerful: "Ty, you are awesome and everybody knows it." OK, it’s a little over the top, but she was my mom and she was definitely biased. But the social psychology here is brilliant. Allow me to explain.

Legalism is basically religious porn. It objectifies and commodities God as a means to a self-serving and compartmentalized end without knowing and loving God in His wholeness. God wants love, and all the while my legalistic heart just wants the blessings I can get from Him.