I’m sitting in Dallas, TX, preparing to attend a few days of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. On the flight from Springfield (MO) to here, I finished Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord, who served for fourteen years as the Chief Talent Officer at Netflix. She is also the…
In Mark 7:31-37 Jesus heals a deaf man and the text says that people were astonished beyond measure. The only thing I kept thinking about were the countless videos I’ve seen of individuals hearing for the first time in their lives. You can watch them here. As you watch, take a moment and ask the…
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…
Photo credit belongs to Patrick Fore. Almost 15 years ago I heard Dr. Chad Brand from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary say that he had read the Bible through something like thirty times. I was amazed, challenged, encouraged, and motivated. At that time, I had been in ministry about three years and I’m ashamed to…
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash Passages for 1.2.20: Genesis 3-5; Mark 2. Thoughts on Genesis 4. What does God do with Cain? He pursues him, just as He’s pursued many of you reading this. God doesn’t leave us in our sin. Meditate on that truth and think about all the ways God has not abandoned you but…
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash My (Nate’s) hope/aim is to share a brief word each day from the passages I’ve read in my time with Jesus. This year I’m reading through the Bible. I did this for several years but in the last two years, I took a break and did a more concentrated reading through…
Augustine’s influence is profound, his depth of insight stunning, and his literary output insane. Isidore of Seville (AD 560-636) once said that if anyone claimed to have read all Augustine wrote, they were lying. The progress I’ve made in Augustine is minimal and I’m far from an authority on his writing and theology. However, after…
Theology Along the Way 