I don't know who needs to hear this, but God is in control, and He has your best in mind.We too often get so caught up in the details and disasters that surround us in the moment that we forget to loo...  Read More

If you haven't seen the 1986 movie The Mission, it's worth a watch. In addition to an oboe solo that will stick with you for days, the story puts into contrast 2 sides of religion that we've been high...  Read More

In 2009 I took a group of teenagers to South Dakota on a mission trip. As part of our cultural exploration day, we took a side-trip to Devil's Tower, Wyoming. In the middle of a vast plain, a single t...  Read More

Take a moment and write down 8 characteristics of someone who you would consider for leadership in our church. Most of us imagine a leader as someone who has a dominant personality, strong vision, ext...  Read More

Behavioral psychologists like BF Skinner have given us a picture of how a temptation becomes a habit. A stimulus presents itself, followed by a response, and then a reward. The nature of the reward (N...  Read More

The LIFE WITH GOD posture is predicated on the view that relationship is at the core of the cosmos: God the Father with God the Son with God the Holy Spirit. And so we should not be surprised to disco...  Read More

Student Ministry Volunteers must see themselves as leaders, people who see the end goal, set the path forward, and guide others along the way. We are entrusted with the spiritual lives of vulnerable a...  Read More

I had a friend in High School named John who was an instigator. John would run over to someone, give them a shove, then hurry back to his group and act like nothing happened. Then, when that person ca...  Read More

I have a few recurring dreams that rotate when I am stressed. In one of them I am being hunted by the mob and I’m doing everything I can to escape. I usually start in whatever town we live in and alwa...  Read More

Mike Rowe made a name for himself by seeking out jobs that are dirty, overlooked, or taken for granted, and shining a spotlight on them through his Discovery Channel show, “Dirty Jobs”. From sewage to...  Read More

I have idols in my life. I think, if we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we all do.We don’t set up statues of stone and wood in shrines and set up a religious devotion to them.Or maybe ...  Read More

From time to time one of my kids will come to me and complain about something their siblings are doing. My usual response is, “That must be really tough. How are you going to handle that?” My goal is ...  Read More