the best team captain eva…
“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side….” When I was a kid, I always knew who the cool people were. They were the most popular. I so wanted to be on their side. Their side was always winning. Whether it was in the game of kickball we were playing or the [...]
Do I Get A Treat If I Obey?
Psalm 132 – Obedience God is faithful to his promises despite our lack of obedience. That’s an amazing truth, isn’t it? In fact, it’s one of the most amazing truths in all of Scripture. If you think about it, there wouldn’t even be a Bible if God wasn’t faithful despite our lack of obedience. In [...]
In Between Theory and Reality
Psalm 129 “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up,” Let Israel now say, “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up; Yet they have not prevailed against me. “The plowers plowed upon my back; They lengthened their furrows.” The LORD is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of [...]
Journey: Ascending the Hill of the Lord
Journey: Ascending the Hill of the Lord I love community. I love gathering together to worship with other believers. I love standing at the back of our weekly gathering and seeing hundreds of hands held high and hearing voices raised in praise to our King. It’s that reality that led to our series this fall. [...]
I got a feelin’
I heard it again this week… “I know that I need to grow in my relationship with the Lord but I just feel stuck.” As usual, I ask, “Are you spending time with the Lord? Are you praying? Are you reading and meditating on Scripture?” The answer I always get still somewhat shocks me, “I [...]
Boundaries, or Sabbath
If posture could define and summarize an epoch, the posture of 1492 would be that of a man with his chin held high, leaning over the railing of a ship, craning his neck toward the horizon, dreaming of a new world across the sea. The posture of 1776 would perhaps be a soldier with victorious [...]
Wants & Needs
Wants and Needs. Simple lessons about the differences of the two are so basic that even a child can understand their differences. So why is it that as a single adult in our 20’s we can’t separate the two? I’m specifically thinking about dating relationships. I’ve got a sinking feeling that a lot of singles [...]
A Half Gallon of Loneliness
Like most, part of my weekly routine is going grocery shopping. It was about this time last year when I can clearly recall that a certain trip to the store turned into a super depressing experience. I don’t know if it was the circumstances of the week that lead up to the empty feeling as [...]
Character Trumps Coolness
It’s astounding how much of our lives we give to appearances. We value having the newest and best. Be honest, we all love that moment when someone notices your new toy and says, “Hey, is that the new iPad? I want one” or “I love your jeans.” Nobody ever says, “I love your ’96 Ford [...]
“I’ll Pray About It”
As a pastor who asks people to do things regularly in the church, these four words are just about the worst I can hear. “How can that be?” you ask. Why would a pastor be against people praying about things they are asked to do? It’s not that I’m against praying. I believe we should [...]
Don’t Be A Dwight
Fight! I was recently watching an episode from season six of The Office. I was watching it on Blu-ray. Oh yeah, that’s right, I said Blu-ray… Anyway, the episode opens with Dwight teaching the office the new martial arts moves in the last year. As only Jim can do, he convinced Dwight that the only [...]
Thankfulness & Worship
This last season of my life I’ve been overwhelmed by what God has been doing. By God’s grace I’ve been filled with thankfulness to what he’s done in my life and what he’s accomplished through me. My prayer life has been filled with thanking God for everything he’s done. Recently, I came to the realization [...]
