The Waymaker's Misfit

For many believers, asking questions about what they’ve been taught feels dangerous. Maybe you were told that doubting church traditions is rebellious, or that questioning leadership is a sign of spiritual immaturity. But Scripture doesn’t tell us to follow blindly. In fact, God invites us to seek truth . Asking Questions Isn’t a Sign of Weak Faith—It’s Often the Beginning of Deeper Faith Throughout the Bible, we see people wrestling with God, asking questions, and being met with grace: The Bereans were praised for testing what Paul preached by searching the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). Job poured out his confusion and pain to God. Mary , when told she would bear the Messiah, didn’t sin when she asked, “How can this be?” God is not threatened by sincere questions. In fact, asking good questions is a sign that you want to build your faith on solid ground— not tradition, not assumptions, but truth. Why We Struggle to Ask Many of us were raised in environments where t...

Theme Verse: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10 (NIV) Welcome & Intentional Start Take a deep breath and welcome God into this sacred moment. Let it be a time of refreshment and renewal. Opening Prayer: Father, we come to You with open hearts. Wash us clean, restore our joy, and renew our spirit. Where we are weary, bring strength. Where we are discouraged, bring hope. May Your presence refresh our souls and set us on the path of life again. In Jesus' name, amen. Worship These songs and Scripture focus on restoration and renewal: “Clean” – Natalie Grant “Give Me a Clean Heart” – Fred Hammond Psalm 23:1–3 – "He restores my soul... He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake." Let the music guide you into a place of surrender and new beginnings. Scripture Reading Start with the theme verse , Psalm 51:10. To see David's full heart of repentance and longing for restorati...

After you begin questioning and testing your beliefs, it helps to have a repeatable framework to guide you. Sometimes we hold onto things because they’re familiar, not because they’re biblical. This post is a tool to help you evaluate any teaching, tradition, or idea in light of God’s truth. Step 1: Ask for God’s Guidance Before diving into the process, stop and pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” —Psalm 139:23-24 Invite the Holy Spirit to be your guide, not just your emotions, logic, or background. Step 2: Ask Honest Questions Use these questions to examine a belief or practice: Can I clearly find this in Scripture? Is this taught by Jesus or the apostles? Is this part of the new covenant, or an old tradition carried forward? Does this point me to Christ or distract me from Him? Is this bearing good fruit? (Galatians 5:22-23) Would I...

Being on fire for Jesus feels amazing—until it doesn’t. At first, you feel unstoppable. Your eyes have been opened, your heart is burning, and you want to live out your faith in a real, tangible way . But then, you hit resistance. Not from unbelievers, but from fellow believers. Why Are People Threatened by Passion? Many people feel threatened when they see someone on fire for Jesus. Instead of encouraging that fire, they step in to stop it . Once you recognize the shortcomings in how we “do church,” it’s tempting to immediately start pointing them out to your church family and leadership. I’ve been there. And in my experience, this usually doesn’t end well. No one likes to be corrected. No one wants to be put in check. The typical response is to put YOU in your place instead. I’ve been labeled many things: “She’s causing division.” “She thinks she’s so holy.” “She has a rebellious spirit and needs to learn to submit.” And of course, there’s that wonderful...

Theme Verse: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” — Galatians 5:22 (NIV) Welcome & Intentional Start Let’s begin by asking the Holy Spirit to shape our hearts and make us fruitful for God’s glory. Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Grow in us the fruit that reflects Your presence in our lives. Help us to walk in step with You and to live in a way that brings honor to Jesus. Let our hearts be fertile ground for Your work. In Jesus' name, amen. Worship These worship songs and Scripture celebrate the work of the Spirit in our lives: “Holy Spirit” – Francesca Battistelli “Spirit Lead Me” – Influence Music & Michael Ketterer Psalm 92:12–14 – "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree... they will still bear fruit in old age." Use this time to invite the Spirit to move freely in your heart and life. Scripture Reading Start with the theme verse , Galatians 5:22. For the ful...

It’s one thing to recognize that the modern church has drifted from what God intended. It’s another to respond in a way that actually honors God and builds something better. So what do we not do? Don’t Try to Overturn Every Aspect of an Existing Congregation We’re not here to tear down what others have built. We’re not looking to storm in and demand change . Trying to force an entire congregation into a new way of thinking only leads to conflict, frustration, and resistance . And in many cases, it causes church splits . That’s why I walked away. I’m not trying to cause unnecessary division. I just know that sometimes the best way forward is to start from scratch. Don’t Try to Burn the System Down It’s tempting to get angry at what the church has become. To want to call everything out and expose the flaws . But if we only focus on what’s wrong, we lose sight of what we should be building instead. God’s people don’t need more destruction —they need a better example. Don’t F...