Articles
Biblical First Impressions
A popular maxim goes like this: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” First impressions are often etched into the mind and hard to overcome with later interactions. The whole field of marketing seeks to create positive first impressions of their...
God is Faithful…to Teach You Faithfulness
Begin with What You’ve Been Given A faithful person honors, cherishes, maintains, and guards the faith of those who put their trust in him by keeping his promises to them. God’s always like this. You and I, on the other hand . . . well, let’s just say this proverb was...
Hearing God’s Voice
Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to hear God’s voice: a loud, booming voice. Heavenly words that were clear and undeniable. Anytime I’d pray as a kid, I’d hope that voice would respond. But it never did. Another voice danced around inside of me, though. I’d try...
Cultures of Belonging
Organizational cultures are born in the intersections of shared relationships. If the quality of those relationships is healthy and constructive, that’s the kind of culture we’ll experience. If those relationships are toxic and fear-filled, well, that’s exactly the...
Spiritual Stick-To-Itive-Ness
As any runner can tell you, no one starts off running by signing up for a marathon. First I learned to run a mile, and then I worked up to a 5K, and then I tackled numerous half-marathons and a lot of intense training before building up the endurance to run 26.2...
Burnout: 3 Tips for Pursuing Renewal
Matthew is a stereotypical millennial evangelical worship pastor. He dressed the part with his oversized sweater, ripped jeans, and converse shoes. He was highly creative, passionate, and extremely extroverted. I could feel his energy even before he walked into the...
Not-So-Ordinary Discipleship
What does your congregation think when you encourage them to “go and make disciples” (nlt) like Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28:16-20? If they are like most congregations, their thoughts are a mix of That sounds hard and I don’t know how to do that. Or I’ll bring...
How to Celebrate a Retiring Pastor
A minister’s duties may include everything from providing counseling and mentorship to organizing charitable events and helping to strengthen members’ faith. It can be difficult to see a person retire after they’ve played such an important role in your church and...
4 Principles for Coming Back from Sin
The Bible positions David as a man after God’s own heart, and often in his early days, he was an exemplary leader. King David did, however, enter into a season of secret sin and humiliation. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of response to the exposure of his sin—and it is...
The Dangers of Preaching a Partial Gospel
Our popular reading of Ephesians 2 is only a partial recognition of the gospel. We use Ephesians 2 to teach the doctrine of justification or eternal salvation—though even that language may be uncareful. The first half of the chapter has fallen prey to American...
Love is a Choice
Love makes the world go ’round.” “All you need is love.” “Love can make you crazy . . .” As long as any of us can remember, poems, songs, films, and orators have tried to adequately describe and express love. Movies and TV programs focus on the pursuit of love and...
The Incomprehensible God
According to legend, Augustine of Hippo was walking along the beach when he came upon a boy scooping up water with a shell. The two of them struck up a conversation and Augustine asked the boy what he was doing; he replied that he was emptying the sea. Augustine tried...
Jesus’ Love for Deniers
Peter had been following Christ as one of His disciples for years. From that early moment by the seashore when Christ first called Peter (Matt. 4:18-20), Peter had followed Jesus faithfully—until his moment of denial. Peter loved Jesus. He prided himself on the fact...
When Churches Close, Who’s to Blame
America is experiencing a religious transformation, a de-Christianizing of the nation. The result is foreseeable. Thousands upon thousands of churches will close this year and next. This sad reality is affecting an ever-increasing population of Christians as they...
8 Skills to Help Your Kids Spend Wisely
How do we teach our kids to spend smart? It starts with taking them with us when we shop in stores or sitting them down with us when we shop online and talking them through what we’re doing to spend wisely. There are various ways to help your kids spend wisely. The...
Sound Doctrine & Modern Day Deliverance/Healing
The New Taboo in Christianity?
We Christians have always had our taboos; there are things we just don’t discuss. As a member of Generation X, I remember bans on drinking, dancing, and tattoos since each of these would absolutely lead to other things that would terminate your relationship with God....
Three Reasons to Help Churches Die
Researchers agree the American Church is shrinking rapidly. People are leaving the church in droves. There are few exceptions to this cultural phenomenon impacting every aspect of the Christian life. The tsunami of change is decimating institutions, including...
The Ultimate Source of Recovery: The Bible
In 1977 I began working with alcoholics, drug addicts and those with psychiatric problems. Being a Christ follower in secular settings with worldly theories and practices was not easy. In 1988 I founded NewLife Treatment Centers and we operated 32 Christian NewLife...
What Do You As a Christ Follower Smell Like?
I was what you might call a liquid nitrogen convert to Christianity. If you have ever bumped into anyone who has “seen the light,” you know what I am talking about—very excited, very passionate, tons of energy, and fully committed at the start. That was me—all jacked...
