Hi, I'm Karsten. I was raised in the midwest, where the leaves turn 1000 shades of beautiful every fall and the winters look like real life snow globes. I went to high school in LA, surrounded by beautiful people that all look like they belong in a movie, and beaches so perfect you can hardly believe they're real. College is where I learned to think, and re-learned to feel. Now, I'm 26 years old, softer around the edges than my high school self once was, and I deeply love people. Favorite activities include dancing (it's amazing how you can connect to God, nature, and the people around you all at once through something so simple), drinking a good beer with a good friend at a pub or coffee shop, playing guitar (I'm not good, but it's soothing to play for myself), skating, and writing. I'm a published poet, but also write creative nonfiction and fiction. I have a passion for seeing humanity enter into deep relationship with the entirety of creation and creator. I don't want to just talk, I want what's real, and has the power to transform lives. I'm all about bringing abstract realities like church, love, beauty, God and Truth into everyday, normal life. This is one place where I like to talk about that sort of thing. Welcome to our story. Oh, and I have a bit of a love hate relationship with blogging. I hate the idea of being a "blogger", because it conjures up ideas of self-inflated people ranting to the world about mostly trivial and meaningless opinions. I hope this is never that. I hope what you find here is fascinating, and different from anything you've encountered before. I hope our lives our changed and enriched through this conversation called "blogging".
As the soldiers stretched me over the splintered cross, I looked left and saw my arm, with white skin. They placed a large nail that looked like a railroad spike onto my wrist, then raised a hammer. I felt searing electric pain shoot through my wrist as the POUND…POUND…POUND of the hammer drove the spike … More The Skin of Christ
We can’t keep arguing over theology or politics. How do we get back to the simple gospel? What does that even look like? … More On Finding A Simple Gospel
Cassie The cold metal of the gun pressed against the side of her head as she heard the shooter say “Do you believe in God?” “Please don’t shoot me, I don’t know I just- oh shit please no I-” CLACK **** These words screamed into my consciousness and split me open inside like an ax splitting … More Would You Die For What You Believe? (Let’s Hope Not…)
The Starving, Dying, Western Church This generation has had it with the Sunday box church model. You know what I mean, the get up and go to a big box with a few hundred people in it, get ignored by everyone except the greeters, sing some songs, hear a message then leave model (bonus points … More Modern Church: The End Is Near
Church as we know it is dying, and fast. About 200 churches a week are closing their doors, which comes out to around 11,000 a year. The church that millenials grew up in was on shaky ground then, and will probably be mostly gone before the next generation. For most church leaders, who make their … More Should Your Church Die?
Wild things lurk within you. Do you know them, and more importantly, who keeps them in line? I recently… … More Who’s the King of Your Wild Things?
In light of the extreme suffering from Hurricane Harvey, claims that the hurricane was somehow God’s punishment for Homosexuality, white supremacists marching, and millions of Christians frantically trying to say “that’s not what we believe!” a conservative group calling themselves a “coalition for biblical sexuality” has released The Nashville Statement. There couldn’t have been a … More The Nashville Statement, CPR, and You
Anger is one of the greatest gifts given to us as human beings, and when we shut down or repress it, we dull the fire inside of us until we practically go dark. If we don’t embrace this foundational emotion… … More You Aren’t Angry Enough
I’ve written on this topic a long time ago in my post Happiness is the Point, which you are welcome to dive into, but my friend Alice Mills over at poemachonicles has written recently on this topic, and her work is incredible. If you have not yet discovered her, now is the time. Click on … More Yes, God Wants You to be Happy.
This weekend I was driving down to LA with a very passionate fundamentalist Christian. She said some things (probably closer to “shouted” some things) that are worth talking about. We’ll call her Melanie. “Some Christians get so smart they become dumb. I receive the Bible like a Child, the way Jesus told me to.” -Mel … More Why Following The Bible Will Get You Lost
Real Hope Rising 