junk drawer jesus: discarding your spiritual clutter and rediscovering the supremacy of grace

Each of us is the owner of a seemingly random collection of theologies, doctrines, and superstitions--a junk drawer of religious ideas and influences.

? It’s the witticisms your grandmother tossed around with ease that sounded like they came from a religious text.
? It’s an insight about God from a half-heard sermon at a friend’s church.
? It’s the mental screenshot of a meme shared on social media.
? It’s the empowering idea you underlined in a book and wrote on a Post-it Note now forever affixed to your laptop.

These are the things stuffed in our spiritual junk drawers. And as with that stash of old clothes in the closet or that stew of phone chargers, pens, and half-used batteries sitting in your kitchen drawer, something in us says, ＂This might be useful.＂ And so we hold on.

But should we? For many, this junk drawer spirituality has become burdensome. We are worn down by the religious experience it creates and frustrated by a collection of traditions, ＂truths,＂ and unfulfilled promises that continue to grow. In Junk Drawer Jesus, the spiritually exhausted are invited to

Matt Popovits serves as Senior Pastor of St. Mark Houston. Matt is the host of What Matters Most radio and co-host of the podcast, Make It Simple. He’s the author of Tough Call: A Little Book on Making Big Decisions and is a regular speaker at events and conferences. Matt is married to his high school sweetheart, Lisa, and is the proud dad to Ava and Jack. Jared C. Wilson is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Author in Residence at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and staff pastor for preaching and Director of The Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO. An award-winning author of over 20 books, Jared also hosts the For The Church Podcast and co-hosts The Art of Pastoring Podcast, which is published by Christianity Today.