Leaving your garbage at the Cross

By: Joseph Murdy

This past Sunday our scripture reading was from Matthew, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” What a wonderful and liberating opportunity Jesus offers us, to give him all our burdens. Our burdens, sins, and guilt can build up like garbage. Sometimes it can get so overwhelming; we get lost and can’t find our way through the clutter. We hold on to our garbage, and become like “spiritual hoarders of sin and shame.” I sense a new TV series.

There is a story about a pastor who was counseling a couple. For weeks, they came into his office, an office which also had a door leading to the furnace room. For weeks, they pointed fingers; they blamed each other and brought up decade’s worth of accusations. Until one day, the pastor had enough, and had them write all of their complaints on long sheets of paper. After writing and writing he then brought in a trash can. “Now, put your garbage in here,” he said, “I’m going to put it in the furnace room, if you ever want your garbage back again, you know where to find it. But today, youre walking out of here and leaving your garbage behind.”

When Jesus carried his cross to Calvary and took upon himself the sins of the world what he essentially did was take all our garbage with him. Jesus tells us that if we are tired of carrying our heavy burdens, if we are tired of carrying the shame and guilt of always messing up, then he will take it ALL from us. Why carry your sins around with you today. Ask God for forgiveness, and it will be yours. If it helps, write down what’s been weighing on your heart. Write down all of the garbage you have been holding on to and carrying all by yourself. Crinkle it up, and put it where it belongs…in the trash. With God, forgiveness is not only possible…it’s a promise we have every day when we turn to God. If you are tired, turn to Jesus, and find “rest for your souls.”

Need a hand?

By: Joseph Murdy

Have you ever tried to do everything yourself? When you do everything on your own how does it work out in the end? Are you satisfied with the results? How do you feel when you do something all on your own? When I try to do things on my own the results are usually the same, I get tired, cranky, overwhelmed and in the end eventually lose interest. When you work with someone, talk it out, or even take advice the results are always so much better. This kind of thinking is vital in relationships. I use the word “vital,” because without partnership the relationship suffers; it lacks life. This is just as true for all human relationships, as it is in our relationship with God.

Just the other day I was talking with someone who is about to get married. Just weeks away from the big day, you can imagine the stress and small details that still need done. My advice was not to forget that she is not alone in all of this. Planning a wedding takes team work. I told her, “Remember to ask for help.” Has anyone ever said that to you? Maybe in school when you were struggling with a difficult math problem or facing a challenging obstacle? How about when it comes to your faith?

If you find yourself struggling with prayer, struggling with self-worth, faith, discipleship, relationships with others, and even your relationship with God…Ask for help. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! No one ever said that faith and prayer were things we had to do all by ourselves. Prayer and faith require partnership. Remember you are not alone. If you are struggling, look to your fellow disciples, ask for help. Don’t forget, we have a God who has promised to always be with us. Look to God when you need help, and remember…you are not alone.

Holy Living Made Simple

Joseph Murdy, Intern



“As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:16

What does it mean to live a Holy Life? I would think that for every person you ask, you are most likely to get a different answer. We cannot ignore the fact that the Bible does put forth guidelines for living holy lives. There are always some kind of boundaries, lines drawn, or demands made. The truth is the guidelines for holy living are gifts, ways in which God can keep us spiritually safe and in his constant care. The first of such guidelines are the Ten Commandments. These commandments are not meant to be a burden, but an opportunity to live according to God’s word. If you think about all the commandments, are they for God or for us? If you cheat on your spouse, who gets in trouble? If you lie, steal, covet, murder, who suffers the consequences? Consider the commandments to be God’s way of keeping His children safe. I give thanks that even though there are boundaries, when we step over them God always comes to get us.



Living a Holy life is about making the right choices and responding to God’s love. Jesus once summarized the entire meaning of the law, the Old Testament and pretty much everything else. If you want to live Holy lives, “love one another as I have loved you.” If you think about it, it’s really that simple. Consider all the areas of your life with wrapped with yellow caution tape reading “unholy.” What might you do to tear down those unholy walls, clean the unholy mess, and start living holy lives? If you are reading this and you want to begin living a holy life, start with Christ. 1 Peter says, “as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves.” Holiness starts at the cross. It starts by admitting we need Christ. The second step has to do with conformity. When we conform ourselves to the desires of this world, we begin to look like this world. When we decide to conform ourselves to Christ, we begin to look like Christ. It is in Christ that we are all made holy before God. Christ has done most of the work; all it takes now is a little response. The meaning of the commandments: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Just love, it’s that simple!

What’s there to stop him?

By: Joseph Murdy
When I started college every freshman was given an obnoxious key chain to hang from around our necks. We were told over and over not to lose our key, and to take it everywhere…even to the shower. Year after year, and speech after speech it made no difference. Dozens of us still found a way to lock ourselves out of our dorms. I was there no more than a week, and found myself stunningly surprised that I had forgotten my key as I was trying to get back into the dorm after a shower. There I was in my towel, holding my shower caddy, flip-flops and wet hair…with no key!


When I read John 20, this is the first thing that came into my mind. Instead of being locked out and unable to get in, the disciples locked everyone else out and secured themselves inside. Twice in this story about Jesus’ first appearance the doors were said to be locked and yet Jesus stood among them saying, “peace be with you.” When we are afraid, embarrassed, vulnerable, guilty, lonely, or terrified we tend to lock the door of our heart. We expect that no one will be able to hurt us there, in our safe place, or should I say…in our hiding place. When we feel ashamed for our sins, afraid of what the world will say, or afraid of what’s on the other side of the door we can rest in the comfort of knowing that Christ is always with us. In our pain, doubt, and disappointments, Christ is there. Sometimes we try to hide ourselves away from the world and even God, but the truth is God will never abandon us…no matter what. Even if we’ve been locked up for longer than we can remember, no door can stop God’s love. If Christ can conquer death and the grave, what’s there to stop him?

Who is this?

By: Joseph Murdy


“When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’”

“Who is this?” Is a question we still face today? We might get wrapped up in impossible questions over scripture, or we might get overwhelmed with theological debates. When the people of Jerusalem asked, “who is this.” They knew Jesus was from Nazareth, and they knew he was a prophet. What they wanted to know was “Who is this, and what are we to do about it.” Do we follow him? Or crucify him? The question of Jesus’ identity does not demand an answer, it calls for a response.

What do your actions say about who Jesus is? What does your life style, attitude, and relationship with friends, family and strangers…say about who you believe Jesus is? This week is considered the most sacred time of remembrance for the Christian church. In Holy week we encounter the answer to this age old question, “who is this?” As we journey through Holy week, be mindful of the question, “who is this?” Don’t take the story of Christ’s life, death, and promised resurrection for granted. Not only will you discover who Christ is, you will discover who you are because of who Christ is. Let us be mindful of the question, “who is this?” Because as the story of Christ’s passion unfolds we shall see how deep the love of God really goes. When you discover who Jesus is, how will you respond?

Set Free

By: Joseph Murdy


There in the guilty seat, I sat facing my accusers. All of my sins, doubts, and failures pointing at me with their long crooked finger of guilt and shame. I had done so much wrong. All the evidence was there, one picture after another came flashing through my mind. There was no need for questions, interrogation, or investigation I was guilty as sin…pardon the pun. As I sat deep into the chair I was terrified and trembling waiting for the verdict which would decide my fate. I was guilty and I knew it! I deserved the worst punishment! I should be locked up and forgotten. My mind racing with possibilities, what’s going to happen to me? Just when I could stand it no longer, the judge returned to give his decision. “I find you innocent, blameless and irreproachable. You are free to go.” (Col. 1:22)

Do you ever feel so guilty, so utterly ashamed, and all alone? This is how we find ourselves most days, especially when we forget what Jesus has done for us. Paul’s letter to the people of Colossae is full of reminders, “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14) The feelings of guilt, shame and loneliness are the greatest obstacles in our relationship with God. They make us hid from God, our loved ones, and in some ways from ourselves. Today, remember that you are a child of God and God forgives you, abides with you, and loves you! “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6-7)

Holding on to God's love

Lent is without a doubt, one of the darkest and most penitential seasons in the church. We switch our colors to purple and black. We hear stories of Christ’s suffering. We come face to face with the reality of our sinfulness. Needless to say, Lent is a depressing time of year. With Lent also comes the opportunity to reconcile for the wrong we’ve done, turn our lives around, choose life with God, and embrace the forgiveness of Christ that comes ultimately with his resurrection. At some point during Lent, maybe before or even after lent, you may come to realize that God really does forgive us…and God really does love you. The problem is that as quickly as we see how much God loves us, we eventually lose sight of God’s grace. Then it’s back to feeling sorry, guilty, and full of shame…unable to bring ourselves to approach God for forgiveness once again. How do we hold on to the love of God? How do we live our daily lives immersed in God’s love and mercy? The answer is as easy as it is challenging, keep your eyes on Jesus. When we look to Christ, we will see the love of God given to us immeasurably and unconditionally. Henri Nouwen once said, “God’s love for us is everlasting. That means that God’s love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died.” This is how we hold on, we look to Christ. When you fix your eyes on Jesus, you will never lose sight of God’s love.