Blog posts by Joseph Thiessen

Small talk can be difficult for me. Maybe that’s because there’s a place in my soul that’s still crying out to be soothed—and normal conversation can feel like a waste of time. But I’m learning that small talk can actually be a bridge toward deeper connection, if I let it be. When I was younger, I was an open book with people I trusted. No one ever said it, but I sometimes felt like I was unloading on them—like a dump truck dumping compost. For some of us, that’s how it can come across. As I’ve grown in understanding my value, my worth, and my sameness with my church family, that tendency has softened. I’ve learned to enjoy connecting with a wider range of people, even around more everyday topics. But my growth has been slow and steady over a lifetime—and God has been intentional in it every step of the way. We don’t have to have everything figured out—our addictions gone or our souls fully healed—to be a blessing to others. Sometimes it’s the still-raw places, the things God is active...

Jesus has been leading me through deep soul work—bringing up painful experiences to help me acknowledge how they affected me, learn from them, and repent where needed. While working through a video and workbook on manipulation and control, I grew uncomfortable. At first, I was focused on how others had manipulated or controlled me. But the Holy Spirit gently shifted my focus to the log in my own eye. He brought up memories of times I had been manipulated in ways that seemed playful but were aimed at gaining attention, praise, or control. It hurt to realize I’d been coerced in the name of fun, but deeper still was the realization that I’ve done the same. The thought of this was familiar and painful to think about; I knew that I had engaged in this sort of behavior myself. I remembered manipulating others to join me in sin or cleverly trying to secure more of someone’s time instead of trusting God to provide what I needed relationally. After I finished my study, I turned to my journal an...

At 27 years old, nearing the end of my college years, I followed my usual routine on Wednesday, June 18, 1997, and attended the youth group service at my church. As an assistant leader, along with another person close to my age, I helped wherever needed.   That night marked the beginning of extraordinary changes in my life. Looking back, many who were there would agree that God did amazing things during that time. However, as with many spiritual encounters throughout history, some lost their way and abandoned their faith. For me, this season remains a personal treasure. If God had ordained it solely for my benefit, it was still an incredible gift to my soul—one I will cherish all my days.   On this particular night, our youth pastor, Mark, felt led by the Holy Spirit to do something different. After the usual teaching time, he shared a message from Psalm 23. Although I don’t remember every detail of the teaching, the focus on the phrase from verse 5, “my cup overflows,” stood ...

When reflecting on how to prepare for lonely days—whether it’s a long weekend, a holiday, or an afternoon after church—my mind races in a thousand directions, considering all the reasons why loneliness is such a challenging emotion. Wisdom (and practical advice) offers many ideas and resources on how to occupy our minds, time, and energy. It would be wise to compile a list of solutions in advance—before sadness deepens into self-pity or depression. As a 55-year-old single man whose parents have recently passed and whose closest connections are now married and starting families, I find that my resourcefulness must be more targeted than ever. This stands in contrast to my teenage years through my late thirties, when I had a wealth of single friends readily available for hangouts, camping trips, and other activities. How we envision and experience Jesus can have either a net-negative or net-positive effect on our relational stability as we mature. For instance, if I don’t challenge my bel...

One summer when I was elementary-school aged, my mom needed to talk to dad who was working in the fields on the tractor and, being our mailbox, a mile from home would be close by we’d get the mail while out too. When we arrived, the mail hadn’t come but she asked if I would like to wait at the mailbox for the mailman while she walked the short distance to where dad was in the field. I gladly decided to stay at the mailbox and wait. Soon enough, the mailman arrived. In addition to giving me the mail, he offered me a stick of gum. What kid wouldn’t accept that?! I opened the wrapper and didn’t hesitate to fold the tasty stick into my mouth. Once the mailman pulled away and I was alone, shame and guilt came over me like a heavy weight. “How could I be so selfish?” I thought. A ritual between my mom and I was for her to offer me a stick of gum but she would rip one in half. One for her and one for me. When the guilt and shame came over me, I realized that I never thought of my dear mother....

My title isn’t original. It’s of the podcast I just listened to by Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries. I barely know who she is but I first heard her last fall and I’ve been listening to her more and more since. Upon listening to today’s post, I wanted to share it. But rather than just sharing by posting a link to social media, I wanted to echo some of the things shared in the podcast. Jan Markell spends the hour with Michele Bachmann discussing the turmoil of our times. How far will today’s lawlessness go, which is but a foreshadowing of what happens in the Tribulation? And how are some church denominations promoting some of the escalating evil? There are a couple of notables mentioned that I think are important, and hopefully will draw you to listen to the podcast: The uprising in our nation is not just anger over the unjust murder of a black man. I’d say a majority of people in our nation can see that all people matter and that our laws are capable of delivering justice q...

  I enjoy Waffle House! Although I’ve eaten there for years, I got into the habit of going to a particular location near my doctor’s office. I eventually started going weekly and sat at the high counter where a waitress who went by Ms. Pat often served me. I once felt impressed to ask her if she needed prayer for anything. Over the years, I’d be praying for various family member’s health to improve, mainly her mom’s and dad’s. One day I was told I missed an eventful morning where a local prostitute had given birth in the parking lot. Ms. Pat’s, daughter (God-daughter, but there was no delineation in her mind), was present that morning and accompanied the mother and child to the hospital. When the mom refused rights to her baby boy, Ms. Pat’s daughter, Stephanie, stepped up and said she wanted to adopt him! Several weeks later it was legally settled. David is a cute kid and is thriving in his new family! A few years ago on a Wednesday in July, I was on my way to work from when I liv...

  What I’m learning in my recovery from pornography addiction is this: what I need in healing is to be reintegrated into healthy family. More precisely family that reflects God’s intent for family. This iteration of family that our crazy society is pushing upon children removes that altogether. In their world, there is no simple, whole-enough family anymore. Leave God out of it. Remove all sense of the binary. Smear it into a mess of this plus that and leave us feeling more alone and more unlike the binary that we really are. It is evil to promote difference in this way! They want to appear to be loving and inclusive, but the reality they promote is quite the opposite! If I sterilize my existence into being non-binary and communicate instead that my father and mother are just my parents (removing gender from how I see them), then I’m more lost than ever without an anchor for myself. I don’t know how else to say it. Instead of feeling more grounded and whole, I would feel more isola...

The Gentle Work Beneath the Surface I have a CD entitled The Unseen Stream by Troy Donockley. Being an instrumental album, it can be difficult to determine what the artist meant by that title. I think of the unseen stream as being the gentle ever-flowing work of the Holy Spirit. Although his work is gentle, almost unnoticeable, it has much power and is very effective in its purpose. The Changing Rhythms of His Work There have been times in my life when the work of the Holy Spirit was visible, not only to others, but to me as well—more like a raging river, cutting out new places both wide and deep. However, I am in a time when the work is silent and almost invisible. Many people are very familiar with this. It seems boring and at times like God is not really present at all. It is true that as we grow older in relationship with the Father we learn to trust whatever He chooses to do, both in the bold and in the weak seasons. So, I too am growing...