We all want our lives to impact others in meaningful and powerful ways, but sometimes all God wants us to do is just show up and He will do the rest. My cross-country coach in high school had a saying he made the whole team memorize and I   Read More

This verse is a contrast. Paul invited the Philippians to mimic him and continue to look at the example of “those who walk according to the example you have in us.” He wanted them to faithfully pursue the way of Jesus, which is a way of service, humility, and even suffering for the truth of the gospel.  Read More

When I started college, I thought it would be great to join the Ultimate Team. The team had previously won the national championship for their division, so I was appropriately intimidated. I barely knew how the game worked, let alone the skills and strategies.  Read More

I was talking with a friend today and I shared with him something he had done in the past that powerfully unleashed a whole swath of ministry that would not have been possible without his faithfulness. We also talked about the struggles and difficulties in the world and in growing older. We both had tears in our eyes as we spoke of Jesus’ return and how he alone can reconcile the strain of faithfully following Jesus in this life with the ultimate blessing of being with Jesus forever. This is our joy and our hope.  Read More

Agur can easily get overlooked in the annuls of wisdom literature. If Solomon is front and center, Agur is behind the scenes. If Solomon is mentoring others from the corner office, Agur is doing his coaching from a corner in the office basement.  Read More

We all have goals. How about these: I want to lose 20 pounds. I want to start my own company. I want to get married. I want to travel to Vietnam. We have lots of goals and expend mental energy tracking those goals. This time, money, and planning invested show a goal's level of importance. Think about some of your goals. Which ones are you pursuing?  Read More

Most of us might look at this passage and think that the goal is resurrection, but resurrection to what? To life? To heaven? To perfection? These are all hopes we have beyond this life, but Paul doesn’t have just his destination in mind, he has Jesus in mind.  Read More

Is Christianity really credible? Or is the Christian faith just a blind leap in the dark? Is Christianity a reasonable position to take? Or is it simply a convenient crutch that millions of mindless people use to get through life?  Read More

Many of us try to get love from people by doing “the right thing”. We assume doing what someone wants produces a love reaction. Trying hard to earn someone’s love can drive goals, personal development, and even give a sense of accomplishment. What it cannot do is guarantee authentic love.  Read More

People have given up many things to follow Jesus: reputation, relationships, beliefs, physical well being, and even their lives. What have you given up to follow Jesus? Was it worth it?  Read More

A grocery store in New York, a church in California, and a school in Texas are everyday places, but in the past weeks, they have become places of grief. Unfortunately, these are just the latest griefs highlighted in our news feeds.  Read More

Have you ever played the game, “How much would it take to…”? It is played to see how much money it would take to get someone to do something they don’t want to do. For example, “Would you lick a worm for $100?”   Read More