I still consider myself a “new” pastor. I’ve been serving my current church for right at a year now. Which means I’m still learning. A lot. All the time. I took about a year to study my surroundings. I’m amazed by pastors who come in and immediately know exactly what do do, how to do it, and when to do it. I need more time than that. I guess I’m just not as smart as those pastors. I need to take my time. Observe. Learn.

But, after a year of observation, here are a few things the Lord laid on my heart for our church. Some things we need to think about. Some areas we need to concentrate on. So, here are seven areas of focus for 2013. Continue reading →

Anytime a church begins to move forward and take ground for the kingdom, the enemy will do everything he can to impede progress. He does so by getting us off track. By tempting us to focus on minor issues instead of our mission. There are great dangers that we face. We need to be aware of these dangers so we can avoid them.

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I’m an avid blog reader, podcast listener, and Evernote user. I’m always looking for ways to stretch, learn, and grow. And I like to take advantage of that natural times of the year that bring reflection and contemplation – like the New Year.

So, I want to share with you a few things from other sources that have really challenged and encouraged me recently. And I’m not sure I can do everything in each of these other posts, but at least I can do some things. And if I don’t try at all, I’m pretty sure very little of this will happen. Continue reading →

Everyone has some new things they want to do in the New Year. Even if you don’t like “resolutions” this time of the year naturally causes you to stop and think. What did you accomplish in the last 365 days? What do you want to accomplish in the next 365 days?

Goals are important. Set goals so you know whether you’re making progress. Aim at nothing and you will hit it every time. It’s important to plan and to think about the future.

But today, to put a small twist on the New Year resolution theme, let’s talk about three things you should stop doing. What are some things that you do now that you shouldn’t do this year? Ever thought about that? Continue reading →

This world is broken. Do you need any more proof? The entrance of sin has marred God’s creation almost beyond recognition. Terrorist bombings. Senseless violence. School shootings. Unimaginable pain and suffering. This world is a very dark place when wickedness abounds and sin prevails.

How do we make sense of these senseless acts? How do we comprehend the incomprehensible? We don’t. We can’t. Life simply doesn’t make sense apart from Jesus. Apart from Christ, there is no such thing as hope in the midst of wickedness, light in the midst of darkness, and purpose in the midst of pain.

Why do evil people do wicked things? The only possible explanation is sin. No one wants to talk about sin. We want to talk about personality disorders. Psychological syndromes. Emotional distress. Mental health. But we don’t want to talk about sin.

In the end there really is only one explanation. God’s perfect creation has been marred by sin. It has tainted every aspect of our society. It dwells around us. It dwells within us. This is not the world that God intended. Sin is an infringement upon God’s perfect plan.

But God dealt sin a crushing blow through the cross. The head of the serpent was crushed. And through His resurrection, Christ offers hope beyond this life. Jesus will be victorious over all His enemies – death, hell and the grave. And one day, God will right every wrong. He is good, He is faithful, He is just. But for now, as we journey through this sin-cursed world – in the midst of tragedy, trust Jesus.