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…
Bible
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…
Doing God’s Will > Discovering God’s Will
We can get so caught up in discovering God’s will, but the emphasis in the Scripture is doing His will. Jesus declared that His food was “to do the will” of the One who sent Him (John 4:34). Waking up each day with the intent to “do” His will is far more liberating and satisfying…
A Church’s Responsibility to Care for the Poor
As churches and church leaders in America in the 21st century, we have been entrusted with a wealth of material resources in comparison to much of church history and much of the world. Through his writings years ago, Ambrose of Milan offers timeless wisdom on how to wield the church’s wealth to show mercy to…
7 Principles of Wisdom from the New CSB He Reads Truth Bible
For the last several years I have been using the Christian Standard Bible for my personal studies, sermon prep, and when teaching. The following helpful and encouraging article about wisdom is from the new CSB He Reads Truth Bible, designed to foster a growing affection for God and His Word and to increase biblical literacy….
4 Voices About the Power of the Word in Our Lives and Churches
Earlier this week I was sharing some stories of transformation I am aware of taking place in our church. And those stories are connected to people who are new to the faith spending time in the Scripture. As we talked, we reflected on the reality that the Word does a work on us. The Word…
A New Term: Omnichannel Church
Last week Dave Adamson wrote a compelling article on the future of the church based on the digital tools that church leaders now have at their disposal. He applied the term “omnichannel” to church practice, and his article was the first time I have seen someone do so. Dave does this type of work with…