What Every Pastor Should Say in the Mirror . . . Repeatedly
This morning, as I was praying and preparing to preach, I listened to a an incredibly rich and convicting sermon, “The Pastor’s Charge” by C.J. Mahaney delivered at the Gospel Coalition Conference in 2009. I love listening to a variety of messages from a diverse group of speakers, so recently I subscribed to the Gospel […]
Friday Five – Tom Nelson
A few years ago, Steve Harvey, my uncle, handed me a manuscript for a book written by his pastor, Tom Nelson ofChrist Community Church of Olathe, Kansas. The book is titled, Ekklessia. Uncle Steve serves on the board of CCC and is passionate about what God is doing in and through the church in the […]
Reflecting on Dr. King
I’m hoping today Americans will take time to reflect deeply on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I must confess that I knew very little of Dr. King growing up in the (largely) white suburbs of Chicago. Living in the Midwest, we strongly resisted racism. Our Christian faith pushed us to […]
Friday Five – Ron Edmondson
One of the steepest learning curves for a young person is in the area of leadership. Whether you’re in ministry, in management, customer service or any job, inevitably you’re managing people. And while you may have exceptional skills in one particular field, chances are, you can use some wisdom on leadership. At least I know […]
Why I Get Excited on Christmas
Are you excited, yet, about Christmas? Can you feel the anticipation? Okay, so many of you are busy, harried, and hurried. And maybe a few of you are upset about the “commercialization of Christmas.” But, for what it’s worth, I love this time of year. Yes, I know that much of it is consumed with […]
How I Preach
Two and a half years ago, my wife and I moved to Gages Lake Bible Church, where I was called as the Senior Pastor. This was my first time doing any major preaching, though I had graduated with a degree in pastoral ministry and had spoken in church and in Sunday School and small group […]
Christians and the War on Christmas
Thanksgiving was last week, which means we’re two weeks into the Christmas season. Feels like we’re starting Christmas sooner and sooner aren’t we? I think next year everyone will just dress up like Santa at Halloween and start in October. Count me as someone who loves the Christmas season. I just love that in 2010, […]
On Criticism
One of the hardest things for a Christian to do is accept criticism. I should know, because I typically flinch at criticism. Immediately my defenses go up and I’m ready to lash out at the critics. But this is always the wrong approach. After all, we’re Christians and we should be, as James 1:19 instructs, […]
Young and Young Earth
If you’re a thinking, young evangelical, it is just assumed that you’re not a young-earth creationist. Young earthers believe that the account in Genesis is not allegory, nor do they believe that each day represents a time period. They believe six days mean six days. But, I’m thirty-two, grew up in the church, and guess […]
Unsolicited Advice for the New House Majority
photo © 2009 republicanconference | more info(via: Wylio) So, another election and this time, the Republicans are the victors. And many evangelicals are doing happy dances all across the country, mainly because this was more of a conservative victory than a Republican one. The question now becomes, what do we do now? Campaigning is more […]
Kids These Days . . . .
In the last month or so, I’ve had a chance to speak to a few different groups of Christian teens, from Christian school kids, to home-schooled kids, to groups of youth group/public schooled Christian kids. I have to say that while the settings were vastly different, there is a theme that emerged for me that […]
Friday Five Intervew: Tony Merida
I’m always excited to meet new authors, especially new authors who are pastors, and especially new authors, who are pastors, who publish with my friends at New Hope, who has published all my books. I was asked a few months ago to consider endorsing a book by Dr. Tony Merida, entitled, Orphanology, to be released […]