How to Avoid or Get Out of a Spiritual Famine

The summer is a real "feast or famine" season in one's spiritual life. In other words, coming home in the summer as a Christian can yield two different results. A spiritual feast is when you are just feasting on the Bread of Life, and growing closer to Jesus every single day. A spiritual famine is the opposite- it is a dry season in your faith, where it seems like you just can't focus on God or you are lacking a desire to.

I will be the first to admit that coming home, for the first month of my summer, my faith felt "automatic." It has felt like I have just been going through the motions. Sometimes I feel like I have already done a lot and that I have earned a spot as a "good" Christian and that I can do what I want. Sometimes there are days where it is hard for me to follow Jesus, even though I send out a Bible verse text to people each day. 

Lately I have become aware of my own pride. God has really provided a lot for me this summer, specifically with my internship. Sometimes I look at the opportunities that God has so graciously given to me and think, "Well, I've arrived." "Look at how great I am." And then I get wrapped up in myself, thinking about what's next for me. But it shouldn't be "what's next for me?" It should be "what's next for God?"

Up until recently, I hadn't been making time for God. It is a weird feeling that I am sure a lot of you can relate to. Chances are that if you are still reading this blog, you have had some kind of interaction with God; some kind of spiritual high. And the high points of your spiritual journey are why you choose to follow Jesus. You currently or have once had a desire to grow closer to Jesus, have had a hunger for God's word, and a need to pray every day. But sometimes we stray away, and have little-to-no desire to do these things. Like I said, it's a weird feeling. You know there is something wrong with that picture. You feel like there is something missing inside of you. You don't feel at peace. And you don't know what to do.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that in the summer there tends to be less stress. Maybe it is easier to cling to Jesus when things are going bad, but when things are going good we act like we're fine.

I know because I have recently been feeling all of these things. Until lately. I recently reminded myself of something I heard from one of my youth group leaders when I was in high school. Oftentimes, we have spiritual highs, and we fall away from them. And then we fall in to a mindset of looking back on where we were spiritually. How great it was. And I will never forget these words: "If you drive a car, you can look in to the rear-view mirror to help yourself drive. But if you stare in to that rear-view mirror for too long, you are eventually going to crash." Instead of looking back, look forward. Have a mentality of "How can I be more like Jesus today?" Use his life as a model and the Bible as a playbook to your life.

What does that look like practically? If you haven't been able to connect with God, try to set aside time to do that. Maybe go to a special location for this. Go for a hike, or look out on to a lake, admire his beautiful creation and just open up that Bible, and open up your heart. Talk to God. Talk out-loud if you have to. Ask him for help. Just be open and genuine. Say what is on your heart and ask him to reignite your spirit. Set aside time for him. Try to keep doing it every day, and then guess what happens eventually? It becomes an addiction. A healthy addiction. God gives you joy and peace over everything. Once again you realize it is something that you cannot live without. That's when you start to see growth.

Something else I should add is the importance of Christian community. At school, a lot of my friends are strong believers, and I basically live with them. I am with them everyday. Coming home, I do not have the same kind of people pushing me to grow on a daily basis. So how do we fix that? Find a Bible study! If your church doesn't have a Bible study for people in your age range, then try to start your own. This past week, some friends of mine and I started our own weekly Bible study. After one week, I can say that it has been a huge success and an incredible blessing to me. This race wasn't made for us to do on our own. God has provided us with brothers and sisters to run along side us, and to help us when we need it. Seek out that Christian community. (And if you live near me, talk to me! We would love to have you!)

While this summer did not get off to a great start for me, this past week has been amazing. Externally, everything around me has stayed the same. But internally, God has been filling me with joy day in and day out, each day getting better. I cannot wait to see what is next. 

So those are just some of my thoughts. If you are going through a dry season right now and you would like to talk about, I am here to help and I would love to pray for you. Thank you for reading, and have a blessed day!

Ranking California's Major League Baseball Stadiums

A dream I have always had is to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. While the sport has been losing interest nationally, and many people are wowed by the glare of high-soaring dunks and Frogger-like kickoff returns, baseball remains sacred to me. There is nothing like going to a baseball game with your dad, having your dad coach your little league team, playing endless hours of catch together, and smelling the aroma of Icy-Hot on your dad's sore shoulder after he just threw you a hundred balls of batting practice. Nor can anything compare to the sweet smell of freshly cut grass, peanuts, and hot dogs, the taste of an ice cold root beer in the hot sun, or the chills I feel whenever I walk in to a ballpark.

The past ten days of mine were spent on a Carthage College sports journalism trip. Our "homework" (I use quotations because homework can't be fun, can it?) consisted of going to all five MLB ballparks in the state of California, and writing pregame stories and post-game recaps for the games we attended. I was blessed with an incredible opportunity to add five more parks to my list that previously only included Wrigley Field, Miller Park (Milwaukee), and Busch Stadium (St. Louis).

Visiting ballparks is more than just watching baseball to me. It is going in and experiencing something, like how one might experience a concert. It's like going to a restaurant. When you check out a popular restaurant, you try their house special, right? If you aren't from Chicago, and you're having Portillo's for a one-time meal, you're going to get their Italian beef, correct?

It's no different visiting ballparks. Ballparks are entertainment venues, and food is a critical part of that entertainment. So at every stop I made, I did my research on what the ballpark's house special was, in terms of food. The result? Delicious food and exciting baseball in wondrous battle arenas. So sit back, and grab your favorite drink as I take you through my rankings of California's Major League ballparks.

5. O.co Coliseum (Oakland)

It should not be a big surprise that the O.co Coliseum is at the bottom of my rankings to those that follow baseball closely. Shared with the Oakland Raiders, the Coliseum consistently ranks at the bottom in major league facilities, best epitomized by the stadium's consistent sewage problems (I will say no more). When you get off the BART (Bay Area Transit) and walk to the stadium, you will walk across a bridge that looks like that of a prison yard's. The stadium is old and junky. While some older stadiums are beautiful, the Coliseum's concrete walls are not pretty. With all that said, it is still a fun place to go to catch a baseball game. While attendance has not been great, the fans are younger and youthful, full of life. This sets it up for a fun atmosphere, and a crowd that screams its rally cry "Let's go Oakland!" Also, the signature food item here is the pork ribs, served with potato salad; both of which were sublime.

4. Angel Stadium (Anaheim)

I cannot believe that Angel Stadium is the fourth-best of these ballparks! That is a sign of how good these ballparks really are. Angel Stadium is also an older park, however to someone that is foreign to baseball, they might not have any idea. Angel Stadium is a unique experience. I was glad that the Angels fell behind in the game I went to, so that I would get to see the team's iconic "Rally Monkey," with humorous graphics on the megatron in right field. In left-center, there is a magnificent stack of artificial rocks, and when home runs are hit by the home team, a geyser shoots out! This section looks like it could be home to an orangutan or a baboon. Kind of random, but fun and different! Points for having something new. As for food, all over the internet I was reading that the house special is the "Halo Dog," a mouth-watering hot dog topped with bacon and pico de gallo. I dreamed of this hot dog in the week leading up to this stop. After arriving to the ballpark, my friend and I spent a solid half hour searching for the Halo Dog, only to find out that the hot dog of our dreams had been taken off the menu. On our way back to our seats, we spotted a hot dog stand. I saw that there were different hot dogs, one of which included bacon in its recipe while another included pico. I asked to get them put together, but was told they were not allowed to do that. However, after a little bit of smooth-talkin', the woman secretly slipped me a cup full of pico and a cup full of bacon to make a Halo Dog for myself. The verdict? Unbelievable. Do whatever you can to get them to give you pico and bacon and top it yourself while you sit back and enjoy nine innings of excellent baseball in a larger-than-life stadium.

3. Petco Park (San Diego)

Petco Park is unique on this list, in the sense that it is the only ballpark that I got to go to twice. With a free day in San Diego, a couple of my friends and I decided to enjoy an extra day of baseball. Petco was clearly the least populated among the five stadiums, and likely has the cheapest ticket prices. But do not let that indicate anything negative about this beautiful ballpark. As you take the escalators up to the higher levels, you have a breathtaking view of the wonderful city of San Diego- my favorite of the cities to visit. There is a great view of the city's skyline. Also in right-center, there is a big sandbox for children to play in. Petco also has the best food that I ate among the ballparks. If you ever go, order their tacos (I got chicken) and Baked Bear ice cream sandwiches. The ice cream sandwich I had was birthday cake ice cream sandwiched between two delicious M&M cookies. Shyeah, it's good.

2. Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)

While Dodger Stadium is the most inconvenient ballpark to get to (there is no public transit and traffic is hellacious), once you walk in and find your seat, you will know that it is worth it. Up on a hill, Dodger Stadium has the most unique location of any park I have ever been to. As you sit in your seat and look out in to the outfield, you will see beautiful hills in the background. I like the fact that it isn't in the middle of the city. It reminds me of Cooperstown, the location of the Hall of Fame and the middle-of-nowhere town that loves baseball more than any other. It is a reminder of the simple life and a reflective spot to think about all of the greats that have donned the Dodger uniform long before my time. The house special is a "Nacho Helmet", a helmet filled with meat, jalapenos, cheeses, sour cream, and beans on top of a big stack of tortilla chips, all in a plastic Dodger helmet that can fit your head. Split it between a couple of friends and enjoy a baseball experience unlike any other.

1. AT&T Park (San Francisco)

AT&T had to be the ballpark I was most excited for, and it did not disappoint. The food options are exquisite. One of my buddies cannot eat gluten, which is a struggle for him to find food at times, but AT&T does an excellent job of catering to those people, providing gluten-free options. The food I had was money. I enjoyed a bacon-wrapped hot dog, and the house special: garlic fries- the best garlic fries I have had in my life at that. Looking out from the upperdeck, you will see that AT&T is a masterpiece. It utilizes the bay perfectly, having a harbor just behind centerfield. Fans can sit in kayaks in rightfield and watch the game, hoping for a "splash-hit" that they can claim as a souvenir, not a rarity in the Barry Bonds era. The stadium's architecture is topnotch. While it has a newness to it, with a gigantic artificial coke bottle and baseball glove in leftfield, it also includes old-fashioned bleachers for fans to sit in in the outfield. If you look out in to left, you will see the Bay Bridge. You will see boats coming and going throughout the bay. You will enjoy singing your heart out with the San Francisco natives to "Lights" by Journey, a song that was written and peformed by the legendary classic rock band from San Fran, singing about the city that they love. This ballpark has it all.



So that's my list. Hopefully one day I will have a list of all 30 parks! I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say. Have you been to any of these parks? What did you think? Do you agree with my rankings? Why or why not? Comment below and let me know! Thank you for reading and stay tuned!

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March 6, 2015 Sports Podcast

Here is our first ever podcast on Viva La Vita! Recording quality is not the best as we are still figuring out the equipment, so bare with us! Enjoy!

In case you would like to jump to a specific segment, here is the rundown of our show!

0:00 NFL Free Off-Season Chatter: Bears, Packers, McCoy, DeMarco, Suh, and MORE! with Daniel Setzke and Evan Myers

18:00 Cubs' Spring Training Report/Opening Day Roster Predictions with Daniel Setzke

I admit to making an error here and forgetting to mention Jacob Turner, who I have on my 25-man roster.

39:20 White Sox Spring Training with Evan Myers

54:45 NBA talk: MVP race, Bulls, Bucks, Trade Deadline Thoughts, Early Finals Picks, and MORE! with Evan Myers

College Isn't the Best Four Years of Your Life. And That's Okay.

I am now in my third year post-high school, my second away at a college. Over these past three years, a phrase I have become far too familiar with is the following: "college is the best four years of your life." How many times have you heard that?

Many of my friends LOVE college. They seem to think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now that we are juniors, they recognize that we only have so much time left in college. Some are already getting sad about graduating and are trying to soak up every moment while it is here. Now I may be in the minority here, but I actually don't love college. In fact, I am quite the opposite of my friends in this regard. But that's okay.

College is overhyped. I have been told by many that this is supposed to be the best time of my life. I'm supposed to be having the most fun I have ever had in my life. We live in a culture where we are told all these things, and if our college experience is anything less than astounding, it is a total failure.

For some, college isn't the best four years of their life. The best four year stretch of my life was when I was in high school. My freshman and sophomore years were really fun. My junior year was awful. But my senior year was the greatest year of my life. I had an extremely incredible time. I went to one of the best high schools in the nation, my adviser was a total boss, and my friends were super-fun and incredibly supportive of me. They still are. My senior year, I felt like I stumbled in to the perfect situation and I had the time of my life.

In college, it's been a little different. I have made some remarkable friends. However, the experience hasn't been anywhere near as groundbreaking as people make it sound. I don't want to come off sounding negative. So I will stop here.

For a while I started wondering, "What am I doing wrong? How come everyone else is doing great?". This really bothered me. But then I realized that college isn't the best four years of your life.  If it was, that is a very depressing thought. Is it really all going to go downhill from here? Are my best days behind me when it is over? If my college years are lackluster, does that mean that I am going to hate being a husband and being a father? Am I going to hate my job for the next 40 years?

No. Life is still good after college. College can be the best four years of your life. But we are all wired differently. Your college experience is what you make it. In reality, most of us don't go to college for the fun. We go to get a degree. We go to learn. To grow. And along with that growth, comes a lot of stress. Classes aren't easy. Work isn't easy. Being busy all the time, isn't easy, and can be unhealthy.

So really, when it comes to college, it is whatever you want to make it. If your college experience means going home once a week, so be it. There is not one set way to do college. You don't have to go out and get hammered every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. You can create whatever college experience you want. And if it isn't stellar, then so what? It will be over soon. Just stay focused on schoolwork. With each class that you ace, you are one step closer to achieving your goals. Keep yourself motivated, do what you love, and give yourself time to rest and relax.

If you take one thing away from this blog, it is that I hope you do not let yourself get bogged down because your college experience is lacking. Don't give your time in college unreal experiences You may be disappointed. If you aren't having the time of your life right now, you aren't the only one. Keep your chin up. Don't look back on the past though. Even if you had a great time in high school, like I did, you can't dwell on how great the past was. Make the most of what you got now, and keep pushing forward. Because God always has a way of making things better.

"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11

A Letter To Those That Did Not Get A Bid From The Frat/Srat They Had Their Sights Set On Joining

Dear College Student,

I write you this letter because I know exactly how you feel. One year ago, I had my hopes set on joining a fraternity that almost all of my friends were either already in, or were joining. Not only did I believe that I would join the fraternity, but I felt like I needed the fraternity. At a small school like Carthage, the social dynamics feel like those of a high school's. Sometimes it feels like you need to be in a frat, in a sorority, or on a team in order to not only thrive socially, but to really enjoy yourself at school.

When bid day came, just about all of my friends that I rushed with received their bids. I did not. I was crushed. Devastated. I didn't leave my dorm room for two days. Not only did it sting not being able to be in this exclusive club with my friends, but I felt like I wasn't good enough. I felt unloved, un-cared about. For the next couple months, I felt an unhealthy amount of anger towards the fraternity. I consider myself to be a rather competitive person. I hate losing. In those months, I kept comparing myself to others that did get bids. I thought, "Wow, I'm way cooler than that guy." Or I did the opposite. I spent hours analyzing my own character trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with me. Why didn't anyone want me?

I grew up as an athlete. Any time that you tried out for a team, they would make a decision on whether or not you make the team based on your skill. You were either too weak, too slow, too small, too short, too skinny, too chubby, not a good enough defender, not a good enough shooter, not a good enough hitter, not a good enough passer, not a good enough scorer... you get the point. It was nothing personal. This is the same for just about everything else in life, except Greek life. I took great offense to the fact that people were saying I wasn't a cool enough guy to be in their fraternity, or whatever it was that they were saying by not giving me a bid.

What I did not realize then is that I am not defined by whether or not I can join some stupid club. Just because you didn't get a bid, doesn't mean that you're a loser. It doesn't mean you aren't good enough. It doesn't mean that they hate you.

In the fall, I decided I would rush again and give it a second try. Maybe this time around I would get a bid. I did not. Not long after, I talked to my cousin and his fiance about it. They told me that while it's lousy that I didn't get in, I can't let it define who I am. They told me that there are many contributing factors that I don't know about. Stupid things. For example, they talked about the power struggle within their Greek organizations when they were in college. Oftentimes, very sweet girls weren't able to get in to a sorority just because other girls knew who their friends were, and they didn't want their friend circle to have more numbers, along with more power in the sorority.

I once heard about a bid meeting at a school where a fraternity debated whether or not they should let a guy get a bid because he was active in a Christian fellowship group on their campus. They were afraid that it would become known as "the Christian fraternity." They didn't want to have too many people that don't drink and don't party, because then the frat wouldn't be fun anymore to them.

Whether or not you are able to join a club, doesn't reflect the character that you are. People get left out for bogus reasons that make no sense time and time again. I know some other awesome guys that were unable to join the frats they had their hearts set on joining, and that is that fraternity or sorority's loss. You aren't losing anything. They just missed out an awesome and very passionate person that would have been what their frat needed. They need you more than you need them.

As for the friendship aspect, don't allow yourself to feel lonely or on-the-outs because your friends are either in or are joining. It sucks having to listen to them talk about it nonstop. Don't be surprised if they do talk about it a lot. But don't get mad at them. They are very excited about what they are beginning. Let them be excited. If it becomes annoying or it bothers you, if it makes you feel on-the-outs, then spend less time around them, and meet or hang out with friends that also aren't in Greek life.

I'm going to be straight-up. Some people are going to join, and they are going to be consumed with their frat/sorority. They are going to go to every single event, join e-board, and spend all their time with their brothers or sisters. You might not see them much anymore. And if that is the case, who cares? While you may have been close to them, it isn't like you have known them for that long of a time. You're probably a freshman or sophomore reading this. You have known your friends here for only half a year. A year and a half tops. You haven't known these people very long. It is not like you are losing one of your friends from home that you have been tight with for years. You are still near the beginning of your college experience and you have no idea who else you are going to meet!

Being left out of Greek life has been a wonderful opportunity to meet more people and make friends that are also outside of Greek life. This year, in my second year here, I have learned a lot about myself. And I have figured out that I'm really glad that I didn't join a frat. It was a huge blessing in disguise. I am a very social person. I have friends from all different circles, and if I were to be in a fraternity, that would tie me down or at the very least limit me in that regard. I would not have gotten to know some of the best friends I have at school now.

Not to mention the amount of money that it costs each semester or year to be in the organization. Some organizations cost a whopping $750! I have been able to save that money and develop the same kind of life-lasting friendships that I did not need a fraternity to create for me.

I do not want this to sound like an "anti-Greek life" letter. That is not my intention. I have friends in Greek life that I still hang out with. I am sure that it is a good time, and it seems like most people get their money's worth. I write this because I want people to know that you do not need to join Greek life to have a good time. I write this to say, "you will be okay."

So if you are among those that did not get the letter they coveted this past week, keep your chin up. Don't feel down. They made a mistake by letting you get away from them. There's nothing wrong with you. You were perfectly made in the image of God. Your pocket gets to stay heavy, and now the world is your oyster.

If you did not get a bid and are feeling bummed out, I totally understand. Like I said, I know the feeling. I would like to help. Please message me, I would love to be able to reach out. Have a great day!

A Spring Semester Psych-Up Blog

Picture I snapped last spring at the campus of Carthage

So it's February. And it is cold out. The wonder of laziness and adventure that you had during j-term is over. It's back to the lab again. It's time to return to long walks in the cold, hours of homework every night, work shifts, and long nights in the library. I know at this time of the year a lot of people are tired out. Sick of school. Sick of the cold. My goal in this article is to give you all a Jack Donaghy-like psych-up speech.

February is regarded by some as "the worst month of the year." Some people experience seasonal depression. The holidays are over, yet it is still freezing outside. Football season just ended. And if you are single like I am, Valentine's Day is your least favorite holiday. When I was younger, I used to always get down once Christmas over. But there is a Relient K lyric that I think has a lot of value: "Christmas makes way for spring." And it's true.

Fall semester is a lot harder for me than spring semester is. In fall semester, the temperature is progressively getting colder. The leaves are falling from the trees. The life is getting sucked out of nature. Which is why it is so great to have Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to. But spring semester is the exact opposite.

While Christmastime may not come around for eleven months or so, things are coming to life! Spring is on its way! Flowers are blooming and trees are budding. The sun is coming back out. The days are getting longer. It will no longer get dark at 4:30 pm! As the semester rolls along, it will get warmer outside.

My favorite part of spring time? The return of baseball season! I love the fresh hope that you have as you watch your team play on opening day. I love the stimulating joy that you feel as you return to your team's ballpark for the first time of the year. I love the smell of the freshly cut grass, the taste of hot dogs grilled to perfection, and the sight of your team playing with the city that you love in the background.

But there is more to spring than just being a spectator. I love spring because it is a time for me to dust off my baseball glove, punch it a couple of times, go outside, play some catch with my buddies or my dad, shag fly-balls, or have a home run derby at the local park. I love not having to be cooped up inside of my dorm room, and going outside. I love going out and playing nine holes of golf with my dad or my friends, meanwhile having hours of meaningful conversation as we struggle to keep our drives on the fairway, take ugly-looking hacks in the sand-traps, and four-put our way to the cup.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. Really Jack? You just had to bring up baseball and golf, the two most "boring" sports in the world. Maybe you don't love the same things that I love. But maybe you love something different. Maybe you can finally go back outside to play ultimate frisbee, or pick-up soccer. Maybe you're a runner and you love to run down the bike trail or down the lake shore. Maybe you love to bike. Maybe you don't love any of these things, and maybe this is your opportunity to get outside and try.

Perhaps last semester was the worst three-month stretch of your life. Perhaps you struggled to make friends. Perhaps you rushed a fraternity or a sorority and were told that you weren't good enough. Perhaps you are a freshman and you were a great student in high school, and you picked up some bad habits your first semester, and you didn't succeed for the first time in your life. Perhaps you have never been a good student and being put on academic probation made you realize that you needed to make a change. Perhaps your boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with you, or you had personal struggles occurring from the outside world. Maybe you contemplated not coming back for second semester. I don't know. But I do know something.

As bad as last semester could have been, it is over. You survived. You made it. Your old classes are gonezo. You have a clean slate, a fresh start, whether you realize it or not. If you didn't do well academically, now is your chance to step your game up. If there is a club or something that you thought about going to last semester and wanted to get involved with, give it a shot! Step outside your comfort zone. This is your opportunity to be a new person, or an improved version of your old self.

And if you hit some speed bumps along the way, lick your wounds and keep going. Don't get discouraged if you screwed something up. Don't dwell on it. You didn't blow your opportunity. Failure is a blessing in disguise. Jesus says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world," (John 16:33). We will have trouble. The only question is how will we handle that trouble?

Give yourself checkpoints. Break the semester up in to chunks and allow for yourself to relax. Spring breaks is only 7 weeks away, right after midterms. Not long after that is Easter. By the time you get back from Easter, you'll only have a month and a half left of school, and then it will be summer.

Breathe in the fresh, spring air, see what God has in store for you, and make the most of it. Spring is a season filled with hope. My hope this spring, is that you find hope.

A Mature Look at the Book of Genesis

I recently read through the book of Genesis. While I had heard all of the stories of the book's main characters (Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, etc.), Believe it or not, I had never read through the book on my own before.

What really surprised me as I went back and read through a lot of these stories, and found out some new stories, was just how dark some of these stories really are. The story of Noah's ark isn't the same story that you are told as a kid in Sunday school. It's nothing like the happy painting hanging up on the wall that shows a big ark filled with a bunch of jolly animals, with an older bearded man with a grin on his face, and a happy rainbow. Nope. This is a story of God flooding the earth and totally wiping out almost all of his creation.

There are some stories that aren't exactly "G-rated", which makes sense as to why I had never heard them until I read them on my own. I won't go in to details, but the story of Judah and Tamar is an odd one. But why is this important? Why is this relevant? Because Jesus comes from Judah's family line, and it shows that Jesus came from messed-up people for messed-up people, to save messed-up people.

Something else that I never fully realized is how bad Jacob (or "Israel") really was. Jacob was one of the first con-artists that we see in history, a la Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can. He tricked his brother Esau in to giving him his birth certificate, AND THEN he steals his blessing from his father! It's very hard to find redeeming qualities in Jacob. After he gets married twice, he starts banging their servants, having children with four women in total. When he has twelve sons, he picks a favorite out of them and gives that son a beautiful technicolor coat. Jacob really is a messed-up guy.

But that messed-up guy's son is nothing like his dad. Joseph might be my favorite Biblical character that isn't named "Jesus." With Joseph, you see a Christ-like figure that is filled with mercy, patience and forgiveness. One of the problems with some churches these days is that they preach this "prosperity gospel" that says that if we follow Jesus, he will provide us with a better life and we will have no more worries and God will bless us with good health and good wealth. However, that is not the case, and Joseph is a prime example of a man filled with the Holy Spirit that suffered.

This is a guy who was sold in to slavery by his brothers. If you thought MaCaulay Culkin's family was bad in Home Alone, think about how bad Joseph had it. Joseph was "home alone" only this time his family chose to abandon him and it was no accident. Then he's doing good, he's got something going for him (a bit) as he's working for Potiphar. Potiphar likes him and Joseph enjoys working for him. And then Potiphar's gorgeous trophy wife starts flirting with Joseph and wanting him to sleep with her. Joseph has the strength to say no, because he knows how wrong it is to fool around with another man's wife. Then she takes his underwear and lies to her husband. Joseph spends years in jail, interprets dreams and one day ends up the #2 to Pharaoh. And then he ultimately forgives his brothers.

You might be going through hell right now. You might be trusting God and praying and reading your Bible every day, but you might still feel empty. Depleted. Unloved. You might feel like you can never make it out of the storms of this life. But if you look at the story of Joseph, a man so faithful, so persistent, you see that if you just keep going, keep praying, and keep following the Lord, he will provide for you. All of this pain is just temporary. One day we will be in a world where pain does not exist.

So in Genesis, you have a true underdog story in Joseph. He was your original "rags-to-riches" star (Jay-Z?). You have a scheming con-artist in Jacob. You have a horror film of the earth getting flooded. We haven't even touched on Abraham nearly sacrificing his son Isaac, nor did we touch on a man killing his brother mob-style (The Departed?) in the story of Cain and Abel. And people say that the Bible is boring.

In all seriousness, these stories are filled with mistakes and lessons. There is much to take away from the book of Genesis. But my main takeaway was how big a boss Joseph was. How much he endured, how much adversity he faced. It is such an encouragement to me when I have my bad days or weeks or months. And I hope it encourages you too!

Thanks for reading and have a blessed week!