Christian Life
Four Lessons for Fellow Cowboys from the Life of Keith Clerihue
This week my closest friend, Keith "Chet" Clerihue, went home to be with the Lord. A few years back he asked me to do his funeral, and as much as I dreaded that day, I was honored to be a part of it. Keith's life was a sermon - and will someday be in a book. Derived from the...
Prayer is An Appeal to the Strength of the Almighty God
“A dear friend of mine who was quite a lover of the chase, told me the following story: ‘Rising early one morning,’ he said, ‘I heard the baying of a score of deerhounds in pursuit of their quarry. Looking away to a broad, open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across, and giving...
The Pure Excitement of First Time Experiences
Last year my daughter, Grace, met Winnie the Pooh for the first time. Come to think of it, so did I - yet there was a drastic difference in the set of emotions the two of us felt. Grace did not stop squealing at the top of her tiny little lungs. Her excitement to see this character, of whom she...
When Urgent Needs to Wait
I’ve heard many strong leaders give this piece of advice; “Don’t let the urgent knock out the important.” While I appreciate that statement, I find it much harder to implement than it seems. Differentiating between the urgent and the important is a task in-and-of itself. The urgent things in my job usually fall under the umbrella of leadership. These are the...
A Christian’s Life is To Know Him and Make Him Known
The stars were shining bright as I looked to the sky tonight. I could not help but be mesmerized by the glow that shined through the little pinholes in the darkness. The child within me could only wonder what was on the other side shining through. My mind races and my soul became fascinated by the mystery of God....
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...
True Disciples Appreciate Depth
Most preachers knows that on any given days the pews are full of babies up to grandparents of the faith, and everything in between. Preaching to a crowd that varies in spiritual maturity can be very hard. However, we must never be too quick to dumb down our message to appease the spiritually A.D.D. When I preach, I strive to...
Living Boldly No Matter Your Age – 1 Timothy 4:12
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12 ESV) As a young pastor (often leading people older than me), I struggle with the truth of this passage. I don't struggle with it's truthfulness, I struggle with my own insecurities. When the Apostle...
Stop Scourging Yourself
Honesty relieves us of the scourge of self-judgment. So long as we remain in hiding, alone with our sin, it is easy to wallow in guilt and shame. We flog ourselves with memories of every time we failed to live up to expectations—ours or those of others—and cringe with shock and dismay at the depth of our unworthiness. Since...
What Makes A Magnificent Mother?
Maybe you would argue with me, but I am pretty sure my mom is the world’s most amazing mother. She has given me more than I ever asked for (and trust me, I’ve asked for a lot), she bandaged my scrapped knees as a kid, and when road of life has been rough she has helped to bandage my...
God’s Love is Found in His Presence
Honesty clears away the falsehoods that keep us from seeing God’s love as it really is. Way back in Eden, the entire drama of human history began with the serpent’s lie: “Eat of this tree and you’ll be like God.” And he’s been lying ever since. Jesus went so far as to say, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for...
The Importance of Getting It Out
There are often things that gnaw at our soul, but we don’t realize it or want to admit it. Sadly, these things erode our inner-self. The busyness of life, along with our concoctions of self-denial, keep us from stopping the subtle destruction. If we were honest, we have many many destructive secret thoughts… but we don’t want to be...