What Will This Reality Teach Us?

The current trial before this nation and this world is difficult and deeply painful for many. To others it will remain a temporary “new normal” not without its inconveniences, fears and unknowns. Whatever the level of intensity and personal impact, this season of adversity will likely alter the way we perceive faith and one another. What we collectively and individually experience now, will be recounted and discussed for generations around dinner tables, campfires and pulpits. We have officially entered into a historic event whether we realize it or not. Reality is a great teacher. The following themes, from a pastor’s […]

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What Will This Reality Teach Us?

The current trial before this nation and this world is difficult and deeply painful for many. To others it will remain a temporary “new normal” not without its inconveniences, fears and unknowns. Whatever the level of intensity and personal impact, this season of adversity will likely alter the way we perceive faith and one another. What we collectively and individually experience now, will be recounted and discussed for generations around dinner tables, campfires and pulpits. We have officially entered into a historic event whether we realize it or not. Reality is a great teacher. The following themes, from a pastor’s […]

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Mr. Rogers Beat Me Up

In the post war 1940’s and 1950’s people sat on front porches and conversed with their neighbors. Today we hide from one another on our back decks, behind pressure treated screens. Families collectively ate something called “dinner” together around a table of some kind. People had something called “verbal conversations” inclusive of complete sentences, body language and eye contact. Back then there were “emoji-less smiles” and something akin to real laughter. If I could time travel, I would visit this era just long enough to enjoy it but not long enough to suffer through the absence of air conditioning. In […]

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Be Refreshingly Uncommon

My dad told me a long time ago, “Find out what everybody else is doing and don’t do it.” I have found this little bit of advice to be beneficial at times. As a pastor sometimes I observe other pastors and preachers and I read about church leadership, church growth, vision-casting and fundraising, and I do the exact opposite. Be refreshingly uncommon at times. For example, my wife and I see a marriage counselor and have no problem sharing that publicly. How can I counsel couples on the importance of checking in with a counselor when I’m not willing to […]

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What Makes Christianity So Special?

If Christ is the answer for the world, those that follow Christ should reflect something distinctively different than people of other faiths or those without any faith at all. In fact, if Christianity is what it claims to be as a religion, then it should be glaringly different than all other religions. But is it? Let’s evaluate Christianity in hopes that we solidify the notion that this particular faith is particularly different than all other faiths.  All faiths have an organized set of beliefs, practices and tenets, so this is not a distinctive. Many religions have a “holy” book or […]

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Are You in Reactive or Proactive Mode?

New Year’s resolutions can often last into early February, but intentional planning can make a huge difference. Here are some tips for you to be a more effective person and leader in 2020. Next year is going to be so great, in part, because you took some time to think through a simple personal plan for yourself and your family. Spontaneity is great, but so too, is having some sort of relationship/family plan. Good leaders make good plans that give others a real sense of purpose and accomplishment. If you asked a son, daughter or spouse what the family wants […]

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Worshipful

There is a place where you can go-a great expansive, yet intimate “room.” Expectantly and cautiously climbing the stairs upward through an open door, one can enter an ongoing celebration. At the epicenter of all things is a throne. From that throne emanates flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. The color is so very brilliant and intense, but not as beautiful as He on the throne. The area around the throne cannot contain the visual splendor. The colors and brilliance are reflected as in a failed attempt to diminish their intensity. There before the throne is sea of glass, […]

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You Are Bountiful

In Christ, you have a grasp of the far-reaching implications of generosity. You know that you are never more like your Lord than when you give. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). For you, faith, generosity and love are inseparable. Your faith is fully alive and fully energized by Spirit-led biblical generosity. While others think they own what they have, they can actually be owned by what they have. You are aware of the truth that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. You own nothing. God owns everything. You steward all that […]

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You Are Beautiful

You can clearly see the beauty of your Lord, though you have never seen Him. You see Him as wonderfully beautiful because you know something of the depth of beauty. Beauty, to you, is easily discernable without sight. You know beauty apart from visibility. You can measure your own beauty apart from a mirror; you are the mirror. In Christ, you know truths many others may never know. You know of the deep reality of a deeper beauty. Before the throne, there is a sea of glass, clear as crystal. This sea acts as a mirror reflecting the beauty that […]

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Abiding Joy

In Christ, you have access to a priceless, almost-hidden treasure. You can pursue, possess and be possessed by a God-ordained joy. Some pursue a fleeting and certainly temporary happiness, but not you. You can be apprehended by a lasting, sustaining joy, emanating from the One who purchased it for you. In a friendship with Christ, He excitedly gives you access to His joy, laughter and contentment. You were created to enjoy Him no matter what. You can chuckle, belly laugh, or sit as still as you can in silence and enjoy His joy.   Regardless of circumstance  The feelings of […]

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