Writing A Great Youth Pastor Job Description
Looking for a good youth pastor can be difficult. Trust me, I know. Not only have I served as a youth pastor, but I have also now hired several youth pastors in my various senior-level roles. The role of a youth pastor can be difficult; many people believe they can be good at it—even if they are not. Perhaps they think, I...
Understanding Why God Is Silent
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? I just needed to get away. The stress of ministry life, family life, and just life seemed to be overwhelming to me. I described my life as a stereo turned up all the way and the volume control was broken off. I didn’t need to just turn down the noise--I needed to turn it...
10 Bible Verses to Support Your New Year’s Resolutions
A New Year is seen as a fresh beginning, a time for resolutions and promises on habits and behaviors we’d like to incorporate into this new start. Here are 10 Scriptures to support and encourage you in your New Year’s New Beginning. All verses from the ESV translation. Psalm 5:3 "O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare...
Let’s Abandon the Self-help Gospel
“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) According to the Scientific American, elephants are truly amazing creatures because, although they have dismal eyesight, “they never forget a face.” They use their other senses to store memories...
Can I Complain to God?
“You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and Your care has preserved my spirit.” Job 10:11–12 It’s amazing how my head can know one thing, yet my heart can feel totally different. It’s almost a case of spiritual insanity as I shift back and forth...
Trusting God When It Doesn’t Make Sense
Cancer is never fair, but it seems especially cruel when it strikes a child. Two-year-old David was taken by his mother Deborah to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where they met with Dr. John Truman, a specialist in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's leukemia prognosis was devastating: “David has a 50-50 chance of survival.” Countless...
Facing the Reality of Anxiety
“Am I crazy? Am I alone?” My thumb hovered over the send button as my hands shook and my lips quivered. That night, I wanted to fire off some sort of white flag surrendering myself to the wisdom of a close friend. Typing each letter felt like its own feat. I wanted to know that I was not alone or...
App Review: Dwell — the best way to listen to Scripture!
We have more access to the Bible than any other generation in the history of the world. In Ancient times, Jewish students would study the Scriptures under a Rabbi. There was no pocket Bible, personal scroll, or Bible app to stick in their cloak. If they wanted to know the words of God as transcribed by Moses, David, or any...
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...
How Do I Live Like I Am Forgiven?
The Power of Forgiveness “I forgive you” are three of the strongest words we can ever hear another person say, second only to the words “I love you.” I know what is like to long for both of these to be said to me. We all fail and desire to know that we are forgiven and loved in spite of...
“Husbands Love Your Wives” by Affirming Her Publicly
The Bible makes it clear: Husbands, Love Your Wives So on Sunday, I took a pause from preaching to love my wife publicly. In front of our whole church, I chose to publicly affirm my wife. I rarely use the pulpit to make personal announcements. I believe that when I am on stage to preach God’s Word, I need to do just...
