Welcome!
Thanks for taking some time to check out my website. I’m glad you’re here!
Whether you’re a lifelong Christian wrestling with doubt, a former Christian healing from a bad church experience, or simply someone curious about spirituality, this site is a place to explore what it means to follow Jesus in everyday life. You’re welcome to bring your questions, uncertainties, and story. There’s room here for honest conversation, including discussions of the parts of faith that are confusing, difficult, or painful.
As a pastor, teacher, and writer, I hope to help people move beyond rigid religiosity, fear, and division toward a deeper relationship with God—one rooted in God’s love and justice as revealed in the way of Jesus. I believe faith can grow as we ask hard questions, reconsider inherited assumptions, and remain open to what God might be teaching us. That journey can deepen our compassion and make us more attentive to God’s presence in ordinary life.
Here you’ll find reflections and resources that connect faith with the realities we face every day: relationships, suffering, forgiveness, belonging, and our responsibility to care for one another. My hope is that you’ll find encouragement to grow in a faith that sustains you through difficulty and takes shape in concrete acts of love. Wherever you are on the journey, I hope this site helps you take your next step.
If you’re not sure where to begin, here are a few places to start.
If You’re Wrestling with Doubt
Faith is not the absence of doubt.
Some of the most significant moments of spiritual growth occur when we wrestle honestly with God.
Start here:
The Blessing in Wrestling with God: Faith, Doubt, and Growth
Questioning Religious Authority: Faith, Doubt, and Truth
Faith After Doubt: Paul Ricoeur’s Second Naïveté and the Journey Toward Mature Belief (This is a more academic article)
If You Want to Grow Spiritually
Following Jesus is more than believing the right things. It is a way of life.
Start here:
Stages of Growth in Prayer: Moving Beyond Magical Thinking to the Gift of Contemplation
The Temptation to Escape Pain: Three Stumbling Blocks to Spiritual Transformation
Steps Toward Forgiveness: Discovering Healing and Freedom
If You’re Navigating Relationships
Many of our deepest joys and greatest wounds happen in relationships.
Start here:
When Someone You Love Is Far Away
Honoring Your Parents Without Losing Yourself
Responding to Betrayal: The Ongoing Obligations of Love
Image Is Everything (But Not How You Think): Friendship without Filters
Finding God in the Waves
Surfing has taught me lessons about gratitude, surrender, resilience, and community. These reflections explore the surprising ways God meets us in creation, in the water, and in everyday life.
Start Here
My Best Day of Surfing . . . Even Though There Were No Waves
Listen to the Podcast
You can also listen to sermons and reflections on faith, doubt, grace, and spiritual growth.
Books
Learn more about my books and upcoming projects.
Stay Connected
If you enjoy these resources, I invite you to subscribe to receive articles, devotionals, and reflections delivered directly to your inbox.
I’m glad you’re here, and I hope these resources encourage you on your spiritual journey.
-Mark
