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…
One of my favorite leadership expressions says that if you think you’re leading people but no one is following, you’re not leading – you’re just taking a walk. A surefire way to get people to stop following is to be demanding and correct them constantly without offering profuse encouragement. As Mark Chanski says in his…
You have a secret weapon in fighting for joy. As a pastor, counseling people in trouble is a regular part of my life. I counsel teenagers, singles, married couples, 20 somethings, empty nesters, and all points in between. Most people who come for counseling are not joyful–that’s often what drives them to seek counseling in…
Photo by Rita Morais on Unsplash David Brooks in his book, The Road to Character writes when suffering “is not connected to some larger purpose beyond itself, suffering shrinks or annihilates people. When it is not understood as a piece of a larger process, it leads to doubt, nihilism, and despair.” To that end, I…
John Piper said that, “God made the world to communicate His glory,” but what does this mean? It means to communicate the greatness and beauty of his manifold perfections. He goes on to say, “and he made me to experience his glory, and through this experience to glorify and thank him. I am created to…
John Piper said that, “God made the world to communicate His glory,” but what does this mean? It means to communicate the greatness and beauty of his manifold perfections. He goes on to say, “and he made me to experience his glory, and through this experience to glorify and thank him. I am created to…
Eric Geiger has a great word on gratitude I read and wanted to pass along. The original post can be viewed here. Though you may not use the terms, you are familiar with “direct” and “inverse” relationships. In a “direct” relationship, when X rises, Y rises as well. For example, when the number of people…
Guilt: God’s law shows me both the holiness of God’s character and that I have failed to meet his moral standards. This awareness (made possible through the Holy Spirit) then leads me to confession of sin and a desire for genuine repentance. Grace: the gospel (good news) then teaches me that Jesus Christ sided on…
Several years ago a friend of mine share with me about a discussion he had with a well-known Senator that I humbly believe has some relevance to the life of the church. The story goes that he was given the pretty cool assignment of escorting a Senator around the air show that the military base…
Theology Along the Way 