For His Name
In Psalm 23:3, David declares that the Lord leads us in paths of righteousness for His own name. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Everything God does, He does for His own glory, for His own name. Many people stumble over this truth, in part, because we can’t stand that character trait in […]
Sequoia Tree Faith
A few years ago, I took my wife to San Francisco and we drove up to Muir Woods just north of the city. Muir Woods is filled with sequoia trees, many of them 1,500-2,000 years old. And they are huge. The highest sequoia trees in the world average over 250 feet high. That’s almost as […]
Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart
The Lord rescued me the summer before I turned 18. As I was new in my faith, I struggled with the security of the salvation the Lord had graciously provided for me. Some of my friends believed you could “lose your salvation.” And because I still sinned a bunch, I struggled with the fear of […]
Creature of the Word
I have been honored to team up with Matt Chandler and Josh Patterson on our new book, Creature of the Word. Prayerfully, we believe the book will encourage and challenge church leaders and be a blessing to local churches. Frankly, many churches have a gospel-centered doctrine without a gospel-centered culture. The Reformers, however, viewed the […]
God’s Work of Art
Frank Gasparro was an artist with very little name recognition, yet his artwork has been held by millions of people. You have owned one of his works. Frank designed the images on the penny. All pennies from 1959 through 2008 have his initials on them. If you look at the lower right of the Lincoln […]
God and Synergy
Every time a great group of individual players come together on the same team, fans and commentators raise the question of synergy. Will the players be able to play well together? Will there be chemistry? As a Heat fan, I desire synergy from Lebron, Wade, and Bosh, but my hope is that the new Lakers […]
Paths of Righteousness
Psalm 23 is a passage that many people love because of the comforting imagery of the Lord being our shepherd in difficult and painful moments. And He is. He restores and cares for His own. He provides for His sheep, His people. And He leads. But notice where the Scripture promises us that He leads […]
When Football Is God
The report from former FBI Director Louis Freeh regarding the Penn State scandal is both shocking and sickening. Our hearts break for the victims and our anger burns against those who knowingly put children in the path of devastating danger. The report shows that key leaders at Penn State, including head coach Joe Paterno and […]
God of the Ordinary and the Extraordinary
We love when God reveals Himself in extraordinary ways, when He shows up in the miraculous. But often He chooses to care for His own in the ordinary of life. Two Jewish celebrations are beautiful reminders that God is the King of both the extraordinary and the ordinary. Passover is the Jewish time of remembrance […]
Even to Death on a Cross…
While studying Philippians 2:5-11 for the Easter message I was honored to preach at two Christ Fellowship Miami campuses, the Lord stirred my heart. I thought I would share a few thoughts from the one phrase “even to death on a cross.” Jesus displayed deep humility in His birth as well as in life, from […]