joelhorst

We’ve been to Hell and back. At least some of us. The rest didn’t make it back. We paste smiles on our faces, maybe even genuine smiles. Because the pain isn’t constant. It comes and goes. And for a while,

I love yodeling. It's a unique style of singing that harks back to my Swiss/German roots, where my ancestors may have yodeled from high mountain peaks. It's a fun thought, anyway. Some time back, I set

I’m not an expert on racism, racial justice, and race relations. My experience and research have been in the field of abuse: physical, psychological/emotional/mental, sexual, and spiritual abuse. I wouldn’t

Maybe you’re already cringing at the headline of this article. Maybe for more than one reason. That’s okay. This is an important topic to delve into, because I believe that it holds a key for solving racism

Early this morning, I awoke and sensed that the Lord was giving me something to write down. I wrote it as I heard it from Him. Child abuse is a sin, and anyone who harbors a child molester commits a grievous

I was feeling good until I sneezed. Suddenly, I was on the floor, writhing in pain. All because of an unexpected sneeze. Now, I’ve sneezed hundreds of times in my life and it’s usually only a minor

Ten years ago, I banged out the first post on my blog and uploaded it. I still remember the moment, sitting on the couch with my laptop and pounding away. It was what I think they call a state of "flow"--where

When I was a little kid, I cut my head on a wall. Yeah, I know, that sounds far-fetched. But when a two-year-old forehead meets a metal-reinforced drywall corner at high speed, things happen. As a result,

Earlier this week, Charisma magazine published a highly disturbing article about Christian comedian John Crist. The article had accounts from five different women who had been sexually harassed by Crist.

As we saw last week, our identity in Christ starts with something really simple: believing, in your heart, that you are a child of a perfect Heavenly Father who loves you infinitely. It’s a matter of faith.

After His baptism, Jesus came up out of the water, and His Father spoke over Him. We would do well to pay attention to His words, because they hold a key for our own lives. God said: "This is My beloved

I really wanted to write stories. But I had zero inspiration. It’s hard to write a story when you have nothing to write a story about. I believe that God has called me to be a filmmaker. To tell moving

Today, my pastor preached possibly the most powerful message I have ever heard him preach. He spoke from John 13:1-17, the story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. Halfway through the story, we come

The Christian world was shaken (at least my corner of it) a few weeks ago when Joshua Harris announced that he and his wife were separating. A week later, he announced that he was no longer a Christian

As Brian finished praying over me, I jumped to my feet, threw my hands in the air, and shouted “I’m healed!” As you've seen from the rest of this series, it’s been a long journey for me. I recently tipped

After my phenomenal weekend at Vertical 2017, I felt that it was time to look for another job. You see, for 18 years I had worked on my family farm. For close to 30 years, I had lived with my family. For

I had a wall within my heart. It was called purity culture. If you're not familiar with purity culture, please see more of my posts on this subject, especially my review of The Scarlet Virgins. But here's

I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm

When I was at Youth Alive in 2017, I learned about another youth conference: Vertical. Various reports had it that Vertical was similar to Youth Alive. Well, Youth Alive had been one of the best weekends

Two years ago, I found myself ready to write a song. "Lord, what do you want me to write?" I asked. I felt Him asking me: "What do you want to write?" The words began flowing, not in rhyme, yet flowing