02/13/2026
A pastoral reflection I’ve been sitting with lately…
I’m deeply grateful for the Church. I love her passion, creativity, and hunger for God. At the same time, I’ve been reflecting on some trends I see in parts of the North American church — and I’m processing this as someone inside it, not outside throwing stones.
I wonder if, in some places, we may have unintentionally drifted toward hype over depth — where emotion can begin to function as proof of God’s presence, volume substitutes for substance, and catchy phrases sometimes replace careful discipleship.
Some thoughts I’ve been considering:
• Emotion is a gift — but it may be carrying more weight than it was meant to. Scripture never makes emotion the test of truth or maturity. Feelings matter, but they aren’t the foundation of faith.
• Memorable phrases and Christian cliches are powerful — but formation requires more than slogans. When our words aren’t deeply rooted in Scripture and theology, we risk raising people who know Christian language but haven’t been formed in Christian thinking.
• Hype gathers a crowd — formation builds a people. The slow, patient work of teaching Scripture, shaping character, and walking faithfully through suffering rarely trends. But it’s the kind of work that produces resilient faith.
• Intensity isn’t always the same as depth. Sometimes our language can become inflated, and we can unintentionally equate volume with anointing. I think many people are quietly longing for something weightier and more lasting.
The biblical vision of maturity feels steadier than our moment:
“Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained…” (Hebrews 5:14)
Trained. Discernment. Time.
None of that is instant.
I don’t believe people are hungry for less Spirit or less passion. I think they’re hungry for depth — for a faith that holds when emotions fade, for presence without performance, for Christ at the center rather than the experience around Him.
Not dead orthodoxy.
Not emotionalism.
But rooted, discerning, enduring faith.
Still learning. Still growing. Just reflecting.🙏🏼
