Each of us experiences moments where we feel like God has forgotten about it, or failed to show up in a time of need or desperation. When life doesn’t go the way we planned, our gut reaction is to blame God for not coming through. When we pray for God to save or protect us…
Posts Tagged
God
Ghost Stories: The Enemy is a Tempter
Last Sunday at First Christian Church, I spoke about temptation and how Satan works to bring destruction in our lives. The message was based on Matthew 3:16-4:11. Here’s the video, as well as a few highlights and key thoughts from the message:
What Tomorrow May Bring
I’ll bet that if you and I were to sit down over coffee and I asked you if anything is worrying you or stressing you out, you’d be able to rattle off a handful of things without even thinking about it. I could too. There are a few things I’ve lost more than a little sleep…
Messy Jesus
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had a very particular perception of Jesus. I don’t think my version of Jesus was shaped by any particular person or event more than any other. Just years and years of filtering and layering and processing that have all worked together to create a finished product…
The Single Most Important Thing I Tell My Students (And You Should Too)
If you’re a youth pastor or leader, how would your students respond if I asked them what the most important thing you want them to know is? There are so many important things you want to teach. So many things you want them to hear, to own, and to hang onto. But I want to suggest…
Leaving 99
I don’t know if you’re like me, but whenever I read the Bible I look for the hidden truths. I’m always looking for the part I might have missed at first glance. I was reading a story Jesus told in Luke chapter 15 last week and had one of those moments. “If a man has a hundred…
Is ISIS Part of God’s Plan?
This is not a post about ISIS. I know the title would suggest differently, but this post isn’t about ISIS and it’s not about politics. See, I’ve been reading a lot about ISIS, and often when I read an article online I check out some of the reader comments below. I’ve read so many comments full…
Love That Overcomes
I spoke at First Christian Church this past Sunday about God’s love that has overcome everything to draw us close. Here’s the video. By the way, this whole series was incredible. If you’d like to watch video from the other messages, you can find them here.
In the Furnace: Keeping Your Faith Through the Fire
Maybe I’m not supposed to say this because I’m a pastor, but I’ve never questioned my faith more than I have in the past 18 months. I’ve never doubted God. Not His existence, not His love, not His presence. But I have done a lot of asking, searching, and chasing after answers to some tough questions…
Running From God: Sin, Shame, and a Father Who Pursues
Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking at First Christian Church. It was the third installment in a series called “Pursued,” all about realizing that God doesn’t give up on us, and He doesn’t chase us to punish us, but He pursues us because He loves us. A few of my favorite quotes/thoughts: “Sin…