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There is a predictable moment in Bible discussions when somebody bursts into the room like they just discovered the Ark of the Covenant in a storage locker across the street from a vape shop and says: “Wait… are you telling me Moses’ story sounds a little like Egyptian mythology?” At this point, half the internet clutches its pearls, the other half opens twelve Wikipedia tabs, and someone inevitably starts typing in all caps. A theology student screenshots something out of co

Let's be honest about something. Many people wake up, stub their toe, check their email, feel vaguely guilty about something they did in 2009, and shuffle through the day carrying a spiritual backpack stuffed with condemnation, self-doubt, and whatever weird thing they said at last year's office Christmas party. The good news — and we mean embarrassingly, scandalously good news — is that Christ's righteousness changes all of that. Not theoretically. Not eventually. Right now.

If this is your first visit to That Church By the Vape Shop , welcome. Pull up a chair. We’re the internet equivalent of a storefront church in a sketchy area. People who feel like they don’t belong in polished religious spaces are exactly the people Jesus seemed to enjoy hanging out with. The short version of what we do here is this: Jesus finished the job. Forgiveness is not partial, probationary, or performance-based. A surprising number of Bible passages make more sense o

When I was a kid, I lived with a quiet, ever-present pressure: don’t disappoint your parents. That pressure wasn’t coming from them. They were wonderful parents. They loved me unconditionally. Somewhere in my little brain, I decided that their love was best protected by performance. I had been told that I was the best kid, so I performed. I got 100—or close to it—on nearly everything. I stayed out of trouble; I followed the rules faithfully. Anxiety is a powerful motivator. I

Welcome to the Haunted House of Grace At That Church By the Vape Shop, we try to keep it real (even in the Southern Gothic magical realism fiction posts; you know what I mean). So, full disclosure: if you're looking for a nice, normal religion, Christianity isn't it. Ever notice how church people talk like extras in a horror movie? We're always dying, being buried, raised again, eating flesh, drinking blood (symbolically), and waiting for somebody with a sword in His mouth to

How are y'all doing out there? Grace, peace, and all the best to you and yours. And now, here are some miscellaneous musings of a...

The world recently lost a man who lived life in capital letters—“HULK” HOGAN—a name that, for many, defined childhood cheers and...

Part One: In Which a Tent Appears, a Plan Forms, and God Rolls His Eyes Lovingly It began, as most minor theological earthquakes do, with...

Back by popular demand, here's Sister Velma’s Folding-Chair Prophecy Talk: “It Already Done Happened” Velma stood at the front of the...

The popular idea that Christians are gradually “getting cleaner” or inching their way toward holiness over time—often called progressive...

When God Doesn’t Fix It (And That’s Still Grace) They say God works all things together for good, but sometimes, you stare at your life...

In a possible future, a few counties over... They said it was going to be a simple country wedding. What they meant was that it was going...

In an alternate universe in which That Church By The Vape Shop became a network of physical locations instead of a blog, we had a very...

Thank you for humoring me regarding the hypothetical VBS post. I felt like a palate cleanser was in order after a bit of dreariness that...

In an alternate universe in which the physical locations plan for That Church By The Vape Shop panned out, we had a very successful...

The following post came about in response to a reader’s question. As a reminder, my wife has a neuromuscular condition that keeps her...

After some introductory posts, I posted two of my older books in installments. As the posts are featured in reverse order on the main...

This seems like another good spot to discuss some “end times”-related material before we get to the meat of Revelation. There’s another infodump back in the 2 Thessalonians notes. I don’t set myself up as some notable scribe that has all the answers; I’m a student of the Bible just like you. At this point in history, we can agree that the Messiah will rule on Earth (Isaiah 35, Joel 3, Jeremiah 23, Micah 4) at some point and that He’s ready to return quickly as soon as the Fat

This is a letter to Jewish Christians to warn them about the false teachers that Peter predicted in 2 Peter 2. The flavor of their heresy...

1 Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). 2 While health and wealth concerns seem to be excessively emphasized in certain flavors of...