The Tragic Consequences of Living Without Criticism
I remember the first time I sat down with my pastoral mentor, David Prince, to hear critical feedback after preaching a sermon. I had no idea what to expect. The only feedback I had ever
To Grow, You Must Practice
My son hit his first over-the-fence homerun the other weekend. It was a big moment against a tough pitcher who was shutting his team out. His homerun tied the game and ignited his team as
The Gathered Church is More Essential than Kroger
One of the many unfortunate side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the practice of government officials deciding which businesses and entities should be considered “essential” and which ones “non-essential.” While I understand the
Don’t Let Your Politics Ruin Your Witness
I know a lot of people personally who love Jesus, who would tell you that their only hope is in him and what he accomplished on their behalf, who lead their families lovingly, serve others
As You Decide Which Side to Take, Will You Consider Jesus’s?
As you take in the scenes from our cities—the violence and the chaos and the anger and the destruction—you will certainly have opinions. The images, videos, articles, and social media posts will undoubtedly stir something
Why We Need to Wait
No one likes to wait. One of the first pieces of advice that I received upon becoming a follower of Jesus was: “Don’t pray for patience; God will just make you wait.” I didn’t pray
Don’t Turn This Pandemic into a Self-Righteous Platform
Image courtesy of John Hopkins Medicine This past week has been a difficult week for churches. Churches are, by definition, an assembly of people who gather. Jesus suffered and died in order to make that
Why There’s No Such Thing as a Free Agent Christian
Photo credit to the Wall Street Journal “This fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.” Thus spoke LeBron James on July 8, 2010, before a live
How to Find Real Community in the Church, Part 3
You can read the first two installments of this series here and here. Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned Christians in his day against loving their dream of community in place of loving the actual community to which
How to Find Real Community in the Church, Part 2
Dietrich Bonhoeffer believed that one of the greatest enemies to Christians experiencing true community in the church is their idealized notions about what a community is supposed to be. In other words, Christians struggle to