Lessons from Life in Transition
For the past three years, we have been living in a near-constant state of transition. After we returned from Spain, at no point in time did we ever expect to be in the U.S. for more than six months. A year seemed unfathomable. And after every few months, we were delayed again… and again. So...
Knowledge Makes Me Accountable
The other day, I was hurrying across the parking lot at church to teach a school class when a man approached me holding his forehead. With a look of pain he explained, “I was just stung by a bee. The hive is right over there by that sidewalk…” My first thought was not, “Oh poor...
City Life: A Call to Action
Culture is shaped in the city. It’s true, you know. What happens in NYC, Chicago, and L.A. has a far-reaching impact on places like Dickson, Tookiedoo, and Indian Trail, but what happens in those small towns generally stays in those small towns. With few exceptions, culture shift flows from the city outward to the more...
Training to… Suffer?
World-class athletes train for intense competition by pushing themselves on a daily basis, denying themselves the indulgences that make them sluggish and weak, and focusing on the prize that motivates them to win. In the same way, if we believers are following Christ in obedience, our daily walk will prepare us for… suffering. Jesus warned...
Warnings About Social Media
I have been involved in Facebook and Twitter for quite a while. Many foolish things have come from my accounts. Most of the things I have said through these avenues have added no value or have been downright damaging to someone. Sadly, the good, helpful things I have said over social media categorize the minority...
Why We Should Share Struggles With Other Christians
Why should we be willing to share our temptations and struggles with fellow members of the body of Christ? Russell Moore gives a great answer in his book Tempted and Tried. The self-humbling spirit of Christ that comes to us in our initial act of repentance, signified in our baptism in Christ, manifests itself throughout...
What if…?
The Holy Spirit has been teaching me so many things lately, I hardly have time to process them all. Right now, it’s 3:00 in the morning and my mind is racing with questions. Here they are, with some of the scriptures that prompted them. What if we really took God at His Word, face value?...
Grace in Parenting
I have often struggled with exactly how to find balance as a parent when it comes to administering discipline and bestowing grace. Oftentimes I lean much too heavily on one side or the other. I’m currently reading Sally Clarkson’s book The Ministry of Motherhood, and the study and discussion questions at the end of the...
Why the Gospel Frees You From the Pressure of Being a “Successful” Pastor
I’m not a pastor yet, but I can already feel it: the pressure to be “successful.” Being successful is different depending on the context in which you pastor. New buildings. A ton of converts. Multiple campuses. How many churches your church has planted. How well you follow the rules. How much money your church gives...
A Social Taboo vs A Social Norm
In Radical, Platt compares someone who lives in consistent sexual sin while refusing to repent with someone who refuses to help the poor: So what is the difference between someone who willfully indulges in sexual pleasures while ignoring the Bible on moral purity and someone who willfully indulges in the selfish pursuit of more and more...
Be Willing to Suffer, But Enjoy Life
It seems to me there is a surge of thinking among younger Christians that the biggest sign of Christian maturity is suffering for the sake of Christ or the gospel. Books like Radical or Do Hard Things don’t necessarily entirely support this, but they do give points of support toward it. Before I give my push-back,...
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