Articles
Meatloaf: The Importance of Family Meals
Dinner time at our house is of the utmost importance, but it is also the most chaotic. One kid is screaming for water while another one is spilling it. Molly hardly ever sits down to eat until nearly halfway into the meal because, like a busy waiter, she responds to every request for a drink, salt, ketchup, napkins, an extra...
I Want to Punch God.
Life is not fair. God is always fair. Shelly (name changed) is a woman who has had a very hard life. The things she has told me in our counseling sessions are enough to make me depressed. I’ve told her time and again, “I wish there was a ‘reset’ button I could push for you. Life has been so hard...
Prayer of Honesty: God of Jacob?
Dear God of Abraham, Isaac and - of all people - Jacob? Why are you his God? Why did you bless such a dirty rotten scoundrel? Why did you wrestle with him instead of killing him? Why? You are not fair God. You don’t move the way I would expect you to. You don’t play by the rules. You are not like the rest of us. But I...
Focus: The Secret Weapon of Every Leader
I used to want to be skilled at everything. That was maddening. As time as passed and I've matured, I realize that being the jack-of-all-trades is not that glamorous. It is better to be masterful at a few things than proficient at everything. As a leader, it is important for me to "do only what only I can do"—Andy Stanley said...
A Probing Question From My Dad, “What is keeping you from desiring God’s wisdom?”
In an recent email from my dad, he wrote: One of the most intriguing questions is: if God were to grant you whatever you asked, what would you request? We must remember that when Solomon made this request, he was just beginning his leadership role. He was still untested for the most part. He had no idea what conspiracies might...
No Fear in Love [Sermon]
1 John 4:17-21 Can you imagine a life of fearless confidence? The Apostle John wanted nothing more than his readers to think of the day they meet the Lord as a day of joy, not of judgement. You and I can enjoy a secure relationship with God now and in the future when we allow for His love to be perfect...
A Hospital Named Grace
When arriving at a hospital, there is a clear distinction between who is there to provide care and who is in need of care. The wounded are usually lying down, wearing odd hospital gowns, and tethered to some kind of pole for monitoring their vital signs or for IV fluids. Pretend for a second that you entered a hospital named...
A Good Friday Reflection on the Cross of Jesus Christ
This is a guest post by Brian Davis, Visit Brian's band site here. When I survey the wondrous cross On which the prince of glory died My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride. That was the song I was taught as a child The hymn on Sunday morning sung by the faithful...young and old We would sing, we would learn, we...
Honesty: The Means to Having More of God
So how do honesty and grace connect? The grace of God is the very thing that allows us to be honest with God. If it were not for His grace – the combination of his unconditional love and his unrelenting mercy – we would not be able to say the things to God we need to say. Because He...
Five or Less Sentence Email Replies
Email has a way of controlling our lives. Think about it, we can get in the rut of doing nothing but responding to hours of emails every day. As fast as I return one email, two to three (literally) come in to replace it before I push "send". A few years ago I came across a website calling for a disciplined...
Is God on Facebook?
I remember when Facebook first started. It was one of those seemingly faddish websites that was sweeping college campuses, and I refused to be a part. Eventually, my sister convinced me to register – she was sure it would be the key to keeping our communication intact over the 1016 miles that separated us while I lived in Chicago. Now...
A Great First Step to Sharing your Faith is to Shut Up
The command for us to share our faith literally in black and white in the Bible. But I gotta tell you, just getting a conversation started with someone about Christ gives me Godzilla-sized butterflies in my stomach. I get so nervous (and I'm a pastor). I have come to realize something – one of the greatest things that we can...