The Ultimate Cure: Fighting Anxiety with Fear
The Pervasive Problem with Anxiety Sarah Fader, a thirty-seven-year-old social media consultant in Brooklyn, made it clear that anxiety is no long a problem for some but a generalized disorder for all. She texted her friend about coming to visit, but when she didn’t write back quickly, Sarah started to get uneasy. Sarah posted on Twitter to her sixteen thousand-plus...
The Gospel of John’s 3 Part Plan with 1 Main Aim
I have preached through the Gospel of John 1 and 1/2 times. If God doesn’t take me home first, I will preach through the Gospel of John two times by the end of next year. Each time has been entirely different than the other. I study afresh every passage for the week I will preach it, as if I...
Where Do You Find True Security?
What Message do You Preach to Yourself? Every single day, we preach a message to ourselves. Think about it. You have a little voice in your head that tells you a gospel every single day. Now, it may not be The Gospel. It might not be the truth about Jesus Christ, but it's some kind of truth-telling you who you...
How to Read More so You Can Lead Better [video]
Readers are Leaders. If you are not reading, then you are not improving your skills and you will quickly be irrelevant. A true leader takes the time to read so that they are learning new things and stay relevant with those they are reaching, selling to or serving. In the above video, I share about how I read regularly. I have...
How to Avoid Being too Busy [video]
I try really hard to not say "I am busy" when people ask me how I am. I may say, "life is full" but I don't want to be known as a person who is always being too busy. Busyness is not a great way to be known. The Christian life is marked by doing and obeying, but it also...
A Preacher’s Job is Proper Contextualization
“If you over-contextualize and compromise the actual content of the gospel, you will draw a crowd but no one will be changed. That is nothing less than a dereliction of the preacher’s duty. You will mainly just be confirming people in their present course of life. On the other hand, if you under-contextualize, so that your communication of the...
Questions a Pastor Should Ask in an Interview
In preparation for my assignment to Grace Chapel (by God’s sovereign will) I had already served in four other churches. One of those churches was the role of Senior Pastor. Because of my experience in candidating before, my wife and I were resolved to ask the right questions, this time, to ensure we had a proper understanding of the...
4 Surprising Things I Learned from My Online Hiatus
All good things must come to an end… or at least a pause. In May 2017 my wife and I made a conscious decision to change many things in our life—including our engagement on social media, and to take an online hiatus. Both of us had it as a mainstay in our life (as most people do) and spent more...
How To Pray for the Shooting in Vegas
On October 2nd, I walked downstairs with my early-morning-rising daughter. I turned on the fireplace, set her on the couch and walked over to the TV. Little three-year-old Carolina woke me saying she wanted to watch “A Lego Show.” Trying to just get her to be calm and quiet so I could get my coffee, I obliged her request...
Why I Stopped Looking at the Analytics
For over a year now I have not known quite what to do with my online ministry. I’ve been blogging since 2006, but it has come with its seasons of high productivity and seasons of, “What in the world should I type next?” It was time for a change. With the help of my good friend, Mike Ruman, I decided to...
Am I Overprotecting My Son?
It was one of those moments when I thought I might have crossed the line from “Responsible father” to “What was I thinking?” It was Chandler’s first day skiing the real slopes. No more bunny hill. No more magic carpet. It was time for the real thing. Not only was it Chandler’s first day, but it was mine as well....
What is Christmas All About? [Online video service]
We recorded this video to be watched on December 25th, or anytime Christmas week. We hope you will enjoy joining us for this special service! Message Notes: Christmas Morning Joy I bet that if each of us shared a memorable Christmas morning of our childhood, most of us would mention a toy we received. We’d ooze with the joy that came...