February 2010
1 post
Protect This House
If you’ve given your life to Jesus and are committed to live for him, you are in a war. There’s no two ways about it—good versus evil, light versus darkness, Jesus versus Satan.
Because spiritual warfare is real, it’s crucial for us to protect God’s house. We do this by putting on the Armor of God. Notice all of the equipment mentioned is defensive, except for the...
January 2010
9 posts
Evaluate Your Obsession
I’ve noticed something recently that I believe is cause for concern. In fact, I’ve found myself caught in the thick of what I’m about to describe without paying attention to the dangers associated with it.
Maybe I’m late to the game, but I’ve noticed the obsession, sometimes bordering on addiction, that people have with social media. Everything from Facebook, to...
If You Think It, Ink It!
I recently had a conversation with a good friend and mentor, and during our talk, he encouraged me to write down what God is doing in the life of our family as we journey through this church planting process.
God has already answered so many specific prayers related to his plan for us—more than I can list in any single blog post. I spend time reflecting on what he’s done, but if I...
Faithfulness = Favor
No matter where Joseph found himself, or what he experienced as a result, he continually had the favor of God on his life because he remained faithful to God. Joseph positioned himself to receive God’s blessings through obedience.
However, Joseph’s loyalty didn’t always yield the desired outcome he would have preferred. In fact, there were many times when his life’s...
Jesus is Better!
Yesterday my mind was focused on this particular thought in relation to Abraham’s story, Former trials don’t exclude us from future trials. The fact that Abraham’s faith had already been tested by God didn’t mean it wouldn’t be tested again, and in an even greater way than before.
Today my thoughts are centered on the fact that Abraham proved, through his actions,...
Former Trials Don't Exclude Us from Future Trials
I’m currently reading through the book of Genesis, and God’s Spirit is teaching me so much about faith, specifically related to what it looked like in the life of Abram turned Abraham, and how those truths should impact the way I live.
As I was reading chapter 22 this morning, I came to the conclusion that, in addition to continuing with the reading plan I’m following this year,...
Where is God in All of This?
I’ve been thinking about the sovereignty of God a lot lately, and then this disaster occurred in Haiti, and it’s consumed even more of my thoughts over the last couple of days.
When things like what’s happened in Haiti take place, people begin to ask themselves questions like, “Where is God in all of this? Doesn’t he care about the tens of thousands of people who...
Messiah Meet Messiah
Wednesday afternoon we got a knock on our door from a man who was selling magazines and books. After he made his sales pitch, Messiah (which was his actual name) began to talk about how nice our home is and how, through his hard work and dedication, he would some day own something like it.
It was the perfect opportunity for us to share with him what God is doing in our lives, and how we are...
He is God, and You are Not
The Bible tells the story of a man named Job, who lost everything that was important to him in one day. Within a matter of moments he received the news that his livestock, his employees, much of his wealth, and even his sons and daughters were gone. Everything had been stolen or destroyed.
How would you handle that kind of news? What Job did next serves as the ultimate example of the belief...
Fellowship > Righteousness > Favor
In Genesis 6, God tells Noah his plan to destroy every living creature on the earth because of the corruption that was so prevalent in the human race at that time. God even goes as far as to say that he’s sorry he ever made man.
Then in verse 8, the Bible says, “But Noah found favor with the Lord.” God distinguishes Noah from the rest of the entire world. It seems as though...
December 2009
15 posts
The Benefits of Waiting (Part 4)
This study on the benefits of waiting is timely for me because as of noon yesterday, I became unemployed. I transitioned from an established position on a church staff to an unpaid church planter who is waiting for our house to sell, so we can move to Winston-Salem and follow God’s plan for us to plant New Church. With that in mind, let’s look at the 4th benefit of waiting.
4....
The Benefits of Waiting (Part 3)
The third benefit of waiting comes as a result of putting confidence in the very character and nature of God. The more we get to know him, the more we experience this benefit.
3. Waiting leads to trust.
There will be times when there is no evidence that God plans to move on our behalf, but as we choose to wait, believing he is sovereign, we will learn to trust him, knowing he has our best...
The Benefits of Waiting (Part 2)
Yesterday I wrote about the fact that nobody likes to wait, but if it’s something we have to do, we should consider the benefits associated with waiting. Today we’ll talk about the 2nd of 4 benefits.
2. Waiting leads to hope.
The concept of hope is difficult to grasp. It’s defined in Webster’s Online Dictionary as, “to expect with confidence.” But we say...
The Benefits of Waiting (Part 1)
Let’s be honest, nobody likes to wait for anything. We want what we want, when we want it. But there are at least 4 benefits to waiting that are helpful to consider when you find yourself in a situation where all you can do is wait. I’ll share one each day for the next 4 days.
1. Waiting leads to expectancy.
Most people like to have something to look forward to. Sometimes waiting...
I'm Glad Jesus Doesn't Have an Avatar
Due to the hype surrounding the hit motion picture, Avatar, and in light of what I read this morning, I’ve been thinking about the fact that I’m glad Jesus doesn’t have an avatar.
As we celebrate Christmas, we need to remember that there is only one Jesus Christ, and he came to earth in real human flesh, lived a sinless human life, died a painful human death on a cross, and...
R & R
In Revelation 3, the church in Sardis had a reputation of being alive, but it was, in fact, spiritually dead. However, it could be brought back to life if it listened to a few warnings and followed a few simple commands.
If you find yourself in the same situation as the church in Sardis, there’s hope for you, but you have to engage in a little R&R.
Verse 3 says, “Remember,...
Whose Name are You Dropping?
Last Friday evening, Wendy and I went to dinner to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. We were in the middle of enjoying a fine dining experience when I recognized a guy I played football with in high school. He was having an early Christmas dinner with his family.
This guy now plays acoustic guitar for a pretty popular band. In fact, if I mentioned the band’s name, almost every one...
Not Yet
After their return from captivity in Babylon, the Jews were supposed to get busy building the temple of God. Although they didn’t refuse to do what God told them, they kept putting it off.
In Haggai 1, God’s question to them was, “Why are you living in luxurious houses, when my house lies in ruins?” In other words, “Why are you building your kingdom instead of...
Make Your Resolution a Read-olution
Yesterday I finished reading through the Bible in 90 days by following this. It was the second time in 2009 that I read through the entire Bible. The first time I did it in 33 days, which I don’t recommend for everyone.
Both were huge commitments and took a lot of discipline, but were well worth the effort. I grew spiritually in ways I never would have if I hadn’t completed the...
Grace Abuse
I read the book of Jude this morning in my time with God, and verse 4 grabbed my attention. It says, “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who changed the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Here’s the critical issue with the false...
1 tag
Primal Blog Tour
A couple of weeks ago, I received a preview copy of Mark Batterson’s new book, Primal, as part of a blog tour to promote the book’s release on December 22nd. I was pumped to get it because I knew if it was anything like Mark’s other books, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, and Wild Goose Chase, I wouldn’t be disappointed. Well, I wasn’t disappointed, and I want...
The Church Plant →
1 tag
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the...”
– 2 Corinthians 5:17