Three Great Books on Prayer
In preparation for our recent study on prayer, I read several books on the subject. Here are my three favorites....
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How Should Christians Think about Animal Rights?
There is a lot of passionate debate in our society over the fair treatment of animals. This post reflects on the debate from biblical perspective noting how the story of creation and the gospel itself speak to modern questions....
Sanctification by List?
I watched a documentary recently about one of the best rock climbers in the world. One thing that stood out to me about this rock climber was his commitment to personal growth in his sport. And one symbol of his commitment was his climbing journal, in which he meticulously tracks his performance. I wonder if we as Christians could learn from his example as it relates to tracking our spiritual progress....
Christ Is the Gift of the Gospel
As evangelists, we often struggle to merge the free grace of the gospel with the demands of discipleship. This is because we don't always understand that Christ is the primary gift of the gospel, and everything else flows from him. In this post, I will demonstrate the primacy of Christ and how every other gift of the gospel stems from him....
Individual and Community Discipleship
We often assume that discipleship requires an arrangement between a disciple maker and a disciple. But is this the only way discipleship happens?...
The Name of God and the Movies
We would all agree that taking God’s name in vain is a sin (Ex 20:7). But is it a sin to watch movies in which His name is misused? How should we think through this issue, and what should be the heart behind our decisions?...
Bible Rules vs. Family Rules
How do you respond when your children rub up agains the differing convictions of other Christian families? It's important that we respond well in these moments and use them to prepare our kids to be discerning and to relate well to fellow believers. ...
Pray in the Spirit
Ephesians 6:18 tells us to “pray in the Spirit.” But what does that mean? It’s a command, so we better figure out!...
My Yearly Bible Reading Journey
Three years ago, I began an epic journey. I started reading through the Bible every year....
Parenting Resources
This spring, I taught a class on parenting at our church. In preparation for the class, I interacted with a number of different parenting resources. Here are five of the resources I found most helpful....
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"Sorrowful yet Always Rejoicing"
I don’t like sorrow. You might respond, “Of course, who does?” But I really don’t like sorrow. My natural instinct is to flush it out as quickly and aggressively as possible. I don’t want to think about what is wrong, and I especially don’t want to talk about what is wrong. I want to smash my pain into a tiny ball and launch it into outer space. But the longer I did pastoral ministry, the harder it became to flush sorrow. The weight of my responsibilities became heavier as did the spiritual battles I watched people fight and sometimes lose. Every time I grieved, I tried to drive out my sorrow and experience what I thought was joy. But my understanding of joy and sorrow began to change when I studied biblical joy for a sermon series, and it has continued to grow as I have meditated on the subject....
A Hidden Enemy of Sound Judgment
During one of my first staff meetings at Inter-City, Pastor Doran challenged us that if we were truly going to help each other grow and lead the church well, we had to be able to debate ideas without taking things personally or letting emotion cloud our judgment. It was fairly simple advice, but in the years since I have thought back to his admonition many times as I have ...
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My Favorite Podcasts
Do you listen to podcasts? About one in five Americans do, according to a recent survey; and that number is increasing rapidly. I discovered podcasting last fall, when I set up a podcast for our church. Since then, listening to podcasts has become a regular part of my week. I like to listen while I get ready in the morning, drive, or work in the yard. I listen primarily fo...
Keep ReadingOn Singleness, Dating, and Marriage
This past Sunday, I briefly touched on the tricky subject of dating and marriage. It’s no secret that we live in a day with many conflicting ideas about these subjects. Secular culture has always been obsessed with romance; but sadly, I've heard a lot of Christians express bad ideas also. Several years ago, I came across an interview by 9Marks, and it really challenged m...
Keep ReadingThe Nuts and Bolts of a Godly Legacy
My sermon last Sunday was entitled, “How to Leave a Godly Legacy.” If you were not present you can listen to the sermon here. We looked at several characteristics of a life worth honoring from 1 Timothy 5:5...
Keep ReadingHumility
Are you a humble person? What is humility and what is it not? Let's find out based on Philippians 2:3-4....
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