1 Samuel 14:1-14 has been a very motivational passage for me for a long time. Hearing a sermon on this text 10 years ago was highly instrumental in pushing me to take the faith plunge to plant a church. There are several remarkable traits within this text: 1. Saul and Jonathan knew the same things […]
Jesus’ Authority Keeps Us Unshakable When Suffering Comes
I had the opportunity to preach at Trinity Church in Lansing this past Sunday on Romans 8:31-39. Romans 8:31 and Romans 8:37 are home run verses that we love (and I love), but if we’re not careful they can become verses we take out of context and use to formulate a theology that bad things […]
Why “All Ways Lead to God” Offends Me
It’s very politically correct nowadays to say that all ways lead to God. Your view, my view and their view are all equally true, and to say otherwise is extremely offensive. This offends me. This first and foremost offends my intellect because it simply doesn’t make sense. If I believe
Why Don’t More Evangelicals Do Justice Ministry?
I’m pretty sure I’m an evangelical. I think what this means is that we believe Jesus and his grace are the only way to heaven, that we want others to know Jesus and that the entire Bible is inerrant and authoritatively from God. If this is what it means, then I am definitely an evangelical. […]
Podcast Interview with Youth Pastor David Singleton on Race, Urban Ministry
Episode #5 of “Behind the Curtain” Ministry Podcast is here! Youth pastor David Singleton and I talk about the different narratives of the white and black cultures and how this relates to the Church. We discuss the Baltimore riots, racial segregation in churches, the differences between suburban and urban youth ministry, and steps we can […]
Why Churches Should Not Publicly Observe Mother’s Day
At church growing up, they would always have all moms stand up and then ushers would walk around and give each mom a carnation. While I understand the heart behind this, there are several significant reasons this and other Mother’s Day observations / celebrations should not be done in church: 1. Many women have had […]