Author: Travis Lurten
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When the Caregiver Needs Care
Topic: Grief and Trauma Awareness — Key Scripture: Psalm 23 There is a particular kind of exhaustion that has no clean name. It is not the tiredness that comes from a hard week or a late night or a demanding project. Those are recoverable. A good night’s sleep, a quiet weekend, some time away from…
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The Permission to Not Be Okay
Topic: Grief and Trauma Awareness — Key Scriptures: Psalm 139:1-6 There is a phrase that functions almost like a reflex in most of our lives. “I’m fine.” We say it without thinking. To coworkers, to family members, to the person who asks how we are in passing. We say it in church lobbies and ministry…
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The Pastor Who Has Nothing Left
Topic: Burnout and Ministry Fatigue | Key Scripture: 1 Kings 19:4 — “I have had enough, Lord.” Elijah had just called down fire from heaven. He had witnessed one of the most dramatic displays of God’s power in all of Scripture. And then, in the very next scene, he sat down under a tree and…
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Grief Doesn’t Follow a Schedule
Topic: Grief and Trauma Awareness | Key Scripture: Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Grief has a way of showing up uninvited. It arrives at the grocery store, in the middle of a song, on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon when nothing in particular…
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Gold in the Cracks — What Kintsugi Teaches Us About Redemption
Topic: Kintsugi and Redemption | Key Scripture: Isaiah 61:3 — “A crown of beauty instead of ashes.” In Japan, there is an ancient art form called Kintsugi. When a piece of pottery breaks, rather than discarding it or hiding the damage with invisible repairs, the artist mends the cracks with gold. The broken places become…