Here is a frustrating reality for a pastor during a politically polarizing time: when speaking about a social issue, the pastor can be affirmed for being “biblical” by people who are politically passionate about that viewpoint and then be accused of being “political” by those same people when sharing something that is contrary to their…
Bible
7 Ways to Make the Most of Your Online Church Experience
One of my favorite verses about our weekly worship gatherings is found in the Psalms: Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to him in song. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all…
You Have Time to Read the Bible!
Last week I saw my friend Josh Straub post something rather convicting. He essentially said that if we don’t spend time with our kids during this season then “time” has never really been the problem. He is right. Parents (including me) often lament the reality that busy schedules are the reason we are not spending…
Looking Down On Others in Our Christian Subcultures
There is a lot of looking down on others in our culture. A few minutes on social media makes this very clear. Sadly, this is even true in our Christian subcultures. On one hand, the looking and talking down is rather surprising because as Christians we should not look down on others. We look to…
4 Ways to Make Reading Your Bible a Daily Habit in 2020
Charles Spurgeon said, “Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” The more we read the Bible, the more likely we are to wish we read more of it. That’s what the State of the Bible 2019 found when they surveyed people on how consistently they interacted with the Bible and…
3 Dangers in Only Teaching Commands and Virtues
There is something very attractive in teaching people commands (you must do this) and virtues (you must be this type of person). I see the attractive temptation in my own life. On my worst days I just want my kids to behave, and I don’t think much about why they are behaving. On my worst…
Reformation Day and the 3 Theses That Impact Me the Most
Tonight (October 31st, 2019) I will be dressed up as Tin Man with my wife and kids as we hang out with friends and neighbors for a neighborhood block party. We are going as characters from the Wizard of Oz – mainly because we have a dog now and the kids are excited to bring…
One Thing We Know For Sure Is God’s Will for You…
Pastors are often asked questions about God’s will for a particular decision someone is facing. “How do I know which job is God’s will for me?” Or which relationship? Or which city to live in? Often I do not know the answer to a question about God’s will in a specific situation, but I can…
The Only Way To Rejoice Always
I have been thinking about the command to “Rejoice Always” a lot over the last five weeks for two reasons. First, I have been preparing for a teaching series on God’s will in the Scripture “rejoicing always” is clearly His desire for us. The apostle Paul wrote: “Rejoice always. Pray constantly, give thanks in everything;…
About “Your Truth” and “My Truth”
Words matter. We deploy them to communicate, to capture what we are thinking, feeling, and sensing. Words can build people up or tear people down. Words can divide or they can unite. Leaders know that the leadership axiom “words create worlds” is true, that the words we use in our ministries and organizations create the…