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When a House Becomes a Home

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A little over 9 years ago Ashley and I bought a house. We were just starting to come out of one of the toughest seasons of our lives and God graciously opened several doors for us to purchase a beautiful house that has served as a safe place for us for almost a decade. Our house became a home - a home we love. We love it because of what God has done inside these walls both in our lives as a couple and the lives of those we love the most in this world.  In our home, God has rescued wounded love, healed broken hearts, restored hurting souls, and repaired damaged relationships. In our home, we have laughed, cried, laughed until we cried, celebrated, hurt, prayed, argued, rested, wept, remembered, dreamed, danced, played, sang at the top of our lungs, and made more memories than we can ever recall.  Over the course of these 9+ years, we welcomed into our family our precious gift of grace Levi and we said goodbye to each of his three older siblings as they spread their wings to fly.  We hav
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Be Still & Know that He is God

pan-dem-ic: occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.   The word itself generates fear, uncertainty, and insecurity. Pandemic … the word feels global. Uncontrollable. Uncontainable. Chaotic. And always present. Turn on the news – there it is. Scroll social media – there it is. Engage in conversation with a friend or family member – there it is. Run by Chick-fil-a to grab some heavenly goodness – There. It. Is. Always lurking. We can’t get away from it.   And it is in these seasons we are tempted … we are tempted to take our gaze from the Creator and to focus on the brokenness of the creation.   Psalm 46 offers a different perspective.   God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.   Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.             Th
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Hearing God "Speak"

Several years ago I sat in a “vision” service of a local church and heard the pastor declare to his listeners that while he was hanging out in the woods recently God “spoke” clearly to him and revealed to him a 2020 vision for the church – in other words what their church would look like by the year 2020. The pastor was clear that his vision was “without a doubt a clear word from God.” Of course, this “God-given” vision included larger attendance and giving numbers, more campuses in surrounding cities and bigger influence locally and globally. I even remember vividly the pastor suggesting God informed him they would reach a certain numerical attendance goal based on some type of misguided “tithing” principle where God would give them 10% of the number of people who lived in the specific cities where they planned to launch campuses.  I was somewhat shocked by the confidence with which the speaker made his declarations based on the premise “God spoke” these promises to him. I aske
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A New Decade of Valleys

For a few years now I have basically put down my pen . Outside of writing weekly messages for City Church and a few other thoughts here or there, I have not had a lot to say publicly. Honestly I still don't. God has been teaching me to listen and absorb more than I speak. And in the process, I think God is helping me find my voice again. I am not sure. But I think . I have been through a lot of life in the last decade. The 2010s included both my lowest moments of life and also many of my most favorite memories. God has generated life from death, beauty from ashes, redemption from brokenness. And that is kind of how life works: the good, the bad, and the ugly tend to manifest themselves for seasons of time ... each season gradually teaching, shaping, and transforming us. Most of my lowest moments in life have been self-induced. That is not always the case. Some valleys are the direct consequence of the brokenness of the world we traverse. No explanation provided. Other times
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Dear Zac: A Father's Thoughts on His Son Turning 16

When the doctor announced that we were having a son, I shouted for joy (literally).  Don't get me wrong: I love my 2 daughters. They are my girls and they hold the keys to my heart in ways they do not even realize. And I was convinced a third daughter was my parental destiny. So when I learned I was the father of a son , my spontaneous reaction was sheer delight.  This week, my son Zachary Devin Hudson turns 16.  Here are a few my thoughts to Zac. You are my son and I am proud to be your dad. I love you Zac more than life. I am proud to be your father.  The elation I felt on the day the doctor revealed I was having a son has exponentially grown and deepened.  When I tell people that you are my son, I do so with pride, pleasure and excitement.  The ways that you are a great son to me are more than I can list. For example, almost every Sunday on our ride home from church when it is normally just you and me in the car, you encourage me. You tell me how awesome the message was t
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Resurrection: Deconstructed

We spent the last 3 Sundays at City Church deconstructing the historical, eternal, and everyday life implications of the resurrection of Jesus.  This gospel-centered series was a great reminder of the centrality of the resurrection to our beliefs, hope, future, and daily living. To watch the messages, go here .  To subscribe to or listen to the podcast, go here . Here are a few of the truths that stood out to me. Historical - There is no form of historic Christianity that does not affirm at its heart that after the brutal death of Jesus Christ that the Father raised him to life again.  The resurrection is woven into the structure of Christian belief, life, and thought - informing everything about our faith. - The survival of the movement known as Christianity makes no sense outside of the resurrection of Jesus.  Christianity did not survive because of the teachings, miracles, pithy sayings, or even the death of Jesus.  It survived and thrived because people encountered a ma
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Faith, Miracles, & Jesus

This past Sunday I taught at City Church from John 4:43-54 about a desperate father who comes to Jesus on behalf of his dying son with the sole purpose of bringing Jesus back to his house for a miraculous healing. What he received from Jesus instead tested the essence and validity of his fledgling faith. This story is found between one of the most recognized encounters of Jesus - the Samaritan woman (we spent 3 weeks walking through it) & one of his most dramatic miracles (curing a man who was an invalid for 38 years).  For that reason, we have a tendency to view it as more of a filler moment in the life of Jesus but this week I was reminded of the depth of what took place in this narrative. Here were some of the things we dug into yesterday. - Jesus responds to desperation with compassion.  He meets us right where we are - in our life context. - Jesus asks us to trust Him with what is closest to our souls - what we value the most.  Can Jesus be trusted with my kids, my mar
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