Have you wrestled through the whole issue of forgiveness? This wasn’t really an issue for me before I became a Christian, but then after becoming a Christian I started to believe we were to forgive with reckless abandon regardless of the situation. As I wrestled through the application of forgiveness Jesus’ words to Peter often […]
Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry”, 2 Timothy 4:5. How are you intentionally building relationships with non-believers? Can you readily name non-believing friends you are burdened for? I think one of the greatest dangers for the pastor is losing touch with the world and to isolate themselves in a Christian bubble. This […]
Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your statutes”, Psalm 119:83 I have been preaching through Psalm 119 over recent weeks. I love the Psalms and the refreshment they bring to my soul. I don’t think I could preach straight through them as a whole, but I love […]
Last week, pictures circulated Facebook encouraging people to support Chick-Fil-A on August 1. Initially, I didn’t notice the cause because it doesn’t take much to convince me to eat tasty food! With this attitude, I shared one of the pictures with this statement: “This sounds like a great excuse to eat Chick-Fil-A to me!” I […]
Making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16 A couple of weeks ago, Kellen posted “Plan or Die” on the Cross Connection Network. It struck an area in my life that God has been at major work on–time management. One of the transitions I struggled with as I moved from […]
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with skillful hands. -Psalm 78:72 Sitting in seminary one afternoon, one of my professors shared a story that made a huge impact. Class hadn’t started yet, or we were on a break or something, but the professor began to share that […]
May and June have been an interesting months for me. I apologize for my absence in posting, but we ended up buying a new house and moving on May 5. The was a blessing, but a bit overwhelming at the same time. It wasn’t scheduled and this presented a problem because May was already booked […]
Extremes describe my life. I have often said, “I wasn’t given the gift of moderation..and anything worth doing is worth over doing!” Over the last 10 years I transitioned from the life of a Navy SEAL to the life of a pastor. There have been many positives with this transition, but one negative snuck up […]
The Act of Valor came out in theaters a few weeks ago. Since then, I have been repeatedly asked for my opinion about the movie. I am not a movie critic and find this review particularly difficult. My plan is just to sort of lay it out there without much thought. Initial Hesitations. Going to […]
There is no shortage of reading materials when it comes to church leadership and governance. This is a topic that people like to write on because so many struggle through these issues. I am no exception. This May 20, I am celebrating the 5-year anniversary of restarting Valley Baptist Church. We started with about 12 […]