The book of Leviticus can seem daunting, irrelevant, boring, and downright frightening. Honestly, I have avoided the book from time to time, as have many others. It is easy to overlook the book because the “rituals” no longer apply to us, and it can be difficult to discern what those rituals teach us. After reading [...]

It is good to ask God, “Where are you?” Some of us are afraid to ask, thinking that our faith or our soul is in jeopardy. But in reality, it is quite the opposite. If we are asking God where He is, it means that we care and that we want to know where God [...]

Nearly two years later, it is still difficult to write about our son, Jeremiah. For months, I could not write about his death. Then, after it became possible for me to write, I felt like anything that I wrote was far too trivial. About a year ago, I wrote my first song about our experience [...]

For Christians, the “good life” is not something reserved for an exclusive few. It is not hidden, or kept for those who have an ecstatic vision or some kind of secret experience. It is not monopolized by a particular class of people. Christianity is unique in that life is accessible to everyone, regardless of who [...]

Spiritual revival, or the renewal of our relationship with God, does not merely happen by chance, nor does it descend from heaven without our awareness. Both Scripture and history attest to the fact that certain conditions need to be met before we are spiritually resuscitated. We do not slip and “fall” into revival, but we [...]

Colossians 3:23 was intended for all aspects of life. In that verse, Paul reminds us that “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men.” Our work should be defined by maximum effort and the right motives. Unfortunately, most of miss the mark in one way or [...]

It turns out that someone found JoelJupp.com after searching via Google for “American truck driving school.” As absurd as it sounds, we actually have those things in common. First of all, I am American. Secondly, I have driven a truck. Thirdly, I like driving. Fourthly, I am in school for another master’s degree. Whoever it [...]

Psalm 16, a golden psalm of David, is quickly becoming one of my favorite psalms. One of my favorite parts is verse 2, where David writes, “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, I have no good besides you.’ ” It is a simple reminder of how God should be exalted above all [...]

Our daughter, Emberly Grace, was born on May 8th and what a miracle she is. I am overwhelmed with how surreal it is to be holding her. She is such a joy. The next day, May 9th, I checked my voice mail and learned that I am receiving a scholarship to seminary. I had been [...]

Yesterday, at about 2:30, a doctor told my wife, “Worst case scenario… you die.”  They were worried about a blood clot in her leg.  Needless to say, we were at the hospital for 8 hours, but the test results showed that nothing was wrong.  She went home without needing any treatment at all. As some [...]