Coherently Incoherent

This past week was a mix of joy, exhaustion, and an eclectic variety of meetings. At one point, I joked with a friend that this is what happens when two people with executive experience become individual contributors.

We both have spent years setting direction, coaching others, and thinking strategically. But in this project, we’re just two people with a shared interest, complementary skill sets, and no resources other than our brains, experience, and hustle. It’s an amusing dynamic. For the record, he’s the vastly more skilled one—I’m mostly bringing concepts and connections.

Beyond that, my week included hosting a board meeting for a mission organization, attending a support meeting, missing a support meeting, troubleshooting a rudimentary case management system I built, working through two projects, getting sick, skipping a soccer game, enduring a weird Texas cold front, visiting my physical therapist, sharing the gospel with a stranger, hosting family, and helping make flooring decisions.

It was a mess. But maybe a meaningful one. I’m not sure.

Walking by Faith in the Incoherence

This week, I’ve been thinking about how life often feels coherently incoherent—a phrase that makes as little sense as my calendar. Day by day, things seem to fit together, but when I step back, I can’t see any pattern. It’s a reminder that walking by faith often feels the same way.

At the beginning of the week, I shared a devotional on Hebrews 11:8—Abraham went out not knowing where he was going. I was challenging a room full of relative strangers to lead and make strategic annual decisions through the lens of faith.

It felt poignant for them and ironic for me.

If you looked at my schedule, it didn’t resemble the life of a strategic, polished, mission-driven leader. It looked more like someone stumbling forward, following whatever step was in front of him.

Maybe that’s the point.

Faith Might Not Be Strategic

I like things to be clear, logical, and effective. I want to see how the pieces fit together. But more often than not, faith isn’t about knowing what to do—it’s about knowing who we serve and why we keep moving.

Sometimes, faith leads to well-executed plans. Other times, it looks like a string of unrelated, messy, unintelligible moments that somehow fit together in the purposes of God. And wishing you knew what they all were for.

So, if your life feels a bit chaotic, maybe that’s okay. Maybe faith is found in the very act of taking the next step, trusting that God sees the whole picture even when we can’t.