Losing Our Marbles

September 5, 2026

I’m known for obnoxiously cheering for my alma mater, Baylor University. Two of our most famous alumni are Chip and Joanna Gaines, whose claim to fame was the HGTV hit Fixer Upper. If you’ve seen the show, then you have a pretty good picture of many of my college friends. Yes, many Texans really are like that.

A few years ago, I took my family to visit Baylor. It was only fair, after all, since a year earlier we had visited my wife’s alma mater—and we can’t have that, can we?! We walked around campus, went into my old dorm, and had lunch at Health Camp, a dive with some of the best greasy cheeseburgers you’ve ever had. After visiting my school, we decided to visit Magnolia Market, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ version of Disneyland. On one hand, they did a great job turning an entire city block into a fun, festive destination. On the other hand, it really does feel like Disneyland. Everything is so nice… maybe a little too nice—rounded, smooth, and polished—almost plastic. It’s a great place to visit, but you could never live there.

This is how many of us have come to expect Christian community to be. We want smooth, well-rounded experiences with one another—experiences that are comfortable, controllable, and curated. But that’s not where the abundant life of Christ is found. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we continue in Romans 12:1-9, where Paul describes what our shared life in Christ is meant to look like.