I have a recurring dream that won’t go away. It’s the last day of my senior year in High School. I show up for class eager to graduate that night. After the bell rings, the teacher asks for our final assignments. I panic because I suddenly realize I haven’t been to class in months –and …
Category Archives: Christian Living
Some People…
If you have served as a pastor for any significant period of time, I imagine you are familiar with the phrase “Some people.” It always shows up in sentences such as: Some people are saying… Some people asked me…. Some people were wondering… Some people think… Some people are concerned… Etc. Of course, 99% of …
Walmart Doesn’t Sell This Fruit
Grocery shopping is not my favorite activity in the world. And yet, I seem to end up at Wal-Mart every day. Its not that I don’t have a great system for keeping a shopping list (I’m actually a really detailed list maker), but the craziness of life just keeps throwing more and more of those …
I Don’t Vacation Well
Recently, I spent some time on vacation. I had been planning and looking forward to the getaway for months. Finally, I arrived. I checked into my hotel, grabbed my backpack full of books and headed to the pool. This is what I had been waiting for. Only, it wasn’t the way I had envisioned it. …
Fan the Flame With Power
For most pastors, the greatest influence in their ministry (other than the divine work of the Spirit through the Word of God) is not Bible College or Seminary –it’s the people whom God has used to invest in them. For me, the list gets lengthy. It includes my parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, Sunday …
Gotta Serve Somebody
You are a slave to anything you can’t (or won’t) stop thinking about. By definition, the person to whom you are enslaved has power over you. Spiritually speaking, we all enter this world as slaves to sin (Romans 3:23), “following the prince of the power of the air,” Satan (Eph. 2:1). Slave masters are very …
The Manliness of Christ
Jesus was manly. There, I said it. At first, that statement might not sound earth shattering. But think about the image we often portray of Christ in our art: Have you ever seen a picture of Christ going hunting? Even better, have you ever seen a rendering of Christ skinning and gutting an animal? What …
What is Obvious About Your Church?
The church is called to make disciples. I think most of us would agree on that. Further, I think we would all agree that we are called to make disciples of all nations (people groups). From this perspective, you would assume that every church would have obvious and overt practices, plans, and opportunities for all …
Underneath the Sand Castles
Ever hear a song for the millionth time and hear something new? Check out these lyrics: Waters rose as my doubts reigned My sand-castle faith, it slipped away Found myself standing on your grace It’d been there all the time The lyrics brought to mind my spiritual journey over the past four years. In so …
Four Popular But Inadequate Theories on God’s Will
The following is an excerpt from my book, “Navigate: Understanding & Pursuing God’s Will.” The Tight Rope Theory This teaching declares God’s will is like a tight rope where one wrong move will ruin your life and require you to start all over again -or worse, be eternally out of God’s will. This view assumes …
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