When you hear the word chaos what comes to mind? Perhaps circumstances such as a raging tornado, the fires in Maui, the ongoing war in Ukraine, or maybe it’s a circumstance that hits closer to home, such as a dysfunction in the family, financial disarray, or something more innocuous like a child’s messy bedroom. Chaos…
In Mark 4:30-34 we read about the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Think about the process of a seed being planted and germinating into a tree. The seed needs to be planted in the soil. The seed could lay dormant for years but with the right amount of sunlight, temperature, and moisture something miraculous happens.…
Confession: I have a critical spirit at times. There are ugly moments in my life when I find myself identifying more with the religious leaders in the gospels than the people who come to Jesus, who are needy, helpless, and desirous of healing, acceptance, and love. At times, I completely miss the heart of Jesus…
Today is Mark 2. I’m actually preaching Mark 2:1-12 this Sunday at Graceland Church, specifically our New Albany campus so this passage has been on my mind. There is one observation that floods my mind whenever I read Mark 2 and it’s this: What should be MORE amazing is NOT the fact that Jesus told…
Today is the first day of our church’s Bible reading plan. Today we’re reading Mark 1. Here is one observation from my time in reading Mark 1: I’m struck by the openness people felt to approach Jesus; this is in stark contrast to the religious leaders. In Mark 1:41 a leper came to Him asking…
I believe this with all my heart: Christian leaders need close friends who can serve as “pain partners.” The phrase “pain partner” is from Samuel Chand’s book, “Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth” and one I highly recommend. Here is a quick 8-minute summary of the phrase pain partner that I recorded on our church’s…
Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash Deuteronomy, written by Moses, is a sermon he preached to a generation that had been born, grown up, and learned of the promises of God in the wilderness. This generation is about to transition into the Promised Land. Moses realizes he’ll go no further and they know he’ll go…
Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 Jesus-like wisdom makes us patient people and patient people are forgiving people. Instead of becoming irritated, wise, and patient people overlook the sins of others. Q: What does it mean to overlook the sin in other…
Photo by Omar Prestwich on Unsplash Grouchiness about other pastors’ churches? Their size? Their coolness? The number of conversions they see? Their creativity in programming, marketing, and sermons? Nope. Not me. Never. I promise. I’m always kingdom-minded and thankful for the work that God is doing in and through other churches. God tells us to…
I need to do a much better job of regularly taking time to rest. That may or may not seem like that big of a deal to you but for me, it’s a big deal. Rest is one of those words that has for many years taken on a negative connotation. At times, I have…
Theology Along the Way 