The Bible wasn’t written to you… August 18, 2025 Several years ago, our family moved to Ireland, and one of the first things we learned was that you will always be offered tea. What we didn’t realize, though, is that if you accept it right away, it comes across as forthright and entitled. The polite thing is to refuse it one or two times before finally “giving in” and accepting. Much of Irish culture works this way. It’s the same reason you can’t just say “bye” once and hang up the phone — that would seem rude and abrupt. Instead, you say “bye, bye, bye” repeatedly, while slowly hanging up the call.   Needless to say, most of our time in Ireland had Lacey and me unintentionally coming across as forthright, entitled, rude, and abrasive — simply because we hadn’t yet learned the culture and taken the time to discover how people there think and behave.   The Bible works the same way.   Every ...READ POST

What if Jesus can’t relate to you? August 11, 2025 I remember sitting as a kid in a wooden pew, staring up at a painting of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane inside our old brick Congregational church, thinking, “There’s no way he gets me. He’s God.” You probably know the painting — Jesus with a soft glow around His head like a holy Chernobyl survivor, hands perfectly folded, peacefully gazing up at some celestial spotlight in the clouds. (If that doesn’t sound familiar, do yourself a favor and Google “Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann.” Tell me that’s not exactly what I just described.)   Have you ever thought that — “Yeah, but Jesus was Jesus — I’m just me”? Totally human, totally flawed, totally overwhelmed.   But here’s the thing — so was Jesus (to clarify, flawed as in human, not flawed as in sinner).   Hebrews 2.17 says, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in all things…” ...READ POST

Break-Through Requires Follow-Through August 4, 2025 We’ve all been there — a powerful moment of prayer, tears shed, truth spoken, breakthrough felt. And then… we get up, go home, and wake up the next morning feeling the same way, struggling with the same temptations, or continuing to grieve the same loss.   Don’t get me wrong — prayer is powerful. James 5.16 says the prayer of a righteous person “can accomplish much.” But the pattern of Scripture shows that prayer often ends with a next step. God speaks, moves, or convicts — and then expects a response.   When Jesus healed people, He usually followed it with an activation step: “Go, show yourself to the priest” (Luke 17.14). “Get up, take your mat, and walk” (John 5.8). “Go and sin no more” (John 8.11).   Paul affirms Jesus’ pattern by reminding us in Philippians 2.12-13 that we are to “work out” our salvation with fear and trembling — not because it depends on us, but ...READ POST

The Perfect vs Progressive Church (yes, this is click bait) July 28, 2025 If you’re looking for the perfect church, you’re going to stay disappointed. Why? Because the Church was never meant to be perfect by your standards — it was meant to perfect you through Jesus.   Ephesians 5 doesn’t just give instructions for marriage — it paints a picture of how Jesus relates to his Bride, the Church. Ephesians 5.27 says he is “sanctifying her… so that he might present to himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle.” But how does he do that? Through a messy, perfectly imperfect, progressive relationship. It takes commitment. It takes mercy and grace. It takes forgiveness. It takes repentance and beings willing to be cleansed. It takes vulnerability.   Marriage doesn’t take two perfect people becoming one. It takes two imperfectly perfect people and, progressively, through maturity, mutual self-sacrifice, and preferring each other, creates the perfect marriage. Perfection, therefore, isn’t found in the destination; ...READ POST

What is a “church”? July 21, 2025 Last week, I wrote about how participating in a local church helps us gain victory over temptation and the enemy. So naturally, the question becomes: what IS “church”?   I’m not talking about the capital-C Church — the global, unseen Kingdom and body of Jesus that is made up of every believer across time and space. I’m talking about the local, visible, perfectly imperfect (read: usually offensive and often messy) Kingdom embassy that represents the global Church.   If you’ve ever wondered whether a group of six people meeting in a living room can really “count” as a church, the answer is yes… kinda. But not if it’s just a couple of Christian friends sitting in a pub watching a game, and one of them happens to yell “Jesus Christ” at the ref.   The New Testament doesn’t define church by stage lighting, programs, or building size. But it does describe a local gathering of believers ...READ POST

Church isn’t optional — it’s how we’re victorious! July 14, 2025 We often think of the Kingdom of God as a spiritual ideal or future hope, but Jesus invites us into something very real and now: His Kingdom — revealed through the local church. Think of the global Church as the Kingdom of God and your local church as an embassy of that Kingdom. It’s not a metaphor for a building; it’s a gathered people empowered by God to represent Jesus, not just individually but collectively.   In Ephesians 3.10, Paul makes a radical claim: “So that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” Not through a quiet time. Not through personal devotion or Bible Study. But through the gathered church. The enemy isn’t just fighting you — it’s fighting us. And God’s answer to the attack on an individual soldier is “ya’ll”.   Later in Ephesians (6.12-17), Paul ...READ POST

Is your Christianity a crutch or a cross? July 7, 2025 I’ve been in church as far back as I can remember. With few exceptions, one common thread I have seen is the idea that becoming a Christian changes your life for the better. I understand that it is technically true. But at the same time, in a more real way, it is absolutely false.   This view lends credence to those who might say Christianity is a crutch — a life-bettering add-on for the weak or broken. But that perception couldn’t be further from the truth.   Following Jesus doesn’t guarantee comfort, ease, or success. In fact, Jesus promises the opposite: “In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16.33).   The Christian life often begins with disappointment; not because Jesus fails, but because we come into this lifestyle with the wrong expectations. Whether it’s from a misunderstanding or a wrong understanding of the Gospel, we expect fruitful blessings but end up facing painful pruning. We ...READ POST

Is your testimony an Instagram post? June 30, 2025 Taking family photos is like having an emergency tooth extraction… without pain killers… and it will probably (read: absolutely) cost you more money than you budgeted.   These “family bonding” moments are made even more “enjoyable” by the fact that you know that one person is determined to post the perfect photo to Instagram. That means dressing the kids, fixing everyone’s hair, sucking in your stomach, and begging your child to stop rolling in the dirt — all while being quietly yelled at (read: threatened) by that one person hissing directives under their breath. And after hours of chaos, sweat, erased tears, and forced smiles, the photographer finally captures one usable shot.   The final photo may look perfect, but it hides all the relatable details — the chaos, the tears, and the not-so-veiled threats of dismemberment. And yet, we post the polished picture and not the painful process that got us there.   Unfortunately, a ...READ POST

Is screen discipleship really a thing? June 23, 2025 About 20 years ago, my wife and I owned a production company. We created videos and designed graphics for churches and ministries (click the following link to view our super secret video project archive playlist: https://rumble.com/playlists/II8gOCGIiVo ). Additionally, we served as the creative directors for the church we attended. I prioritized everything to be the highest quality for online distribution.   I’m 41 now, and between life and ministry experience, I have discovered one BIG truth — while online is good in a pinch, in-person Spirit-led community is the key to real transformational freedom and spiritual maturity.   Staying home and watching church online while folding laundry while your kid is vomiting into a bowl isn’t bad (we’ve all been there) — but we cannot pretend it’s discipleship. Double-tapping a Bible verse or reposting a Christian quote by a famous Christian doesn’t equal evangelism. Following your favorite mega-pastor’s highlight reel is no substitute for ...READ POST

You weren’t designed for social media. June 16, 2025 Social media seemed to be a good idea for a generation that felt disconnected. It met a felt need. Facebook was for friends. Instagram was originally for unfiltered photos. Since then, we have been inundated with platforms that purport to “connect” us: Twitter, I mean X, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, Telegram, LinkedIn, and more. Social media has trained us to believe more followers (think “bonds”) means more connection — when in reality, it’s the opposite.   Psychologists talk about Dunbar’s Number — the idea that the human brain can only maintain about 150 meaningful relationships. Beyond that and the emotional closeness and connection break down. Our digital lives may be full, but very little of it actually feeds the soul (I’m looking at you, Christian grazers who snack all day long on the dopamine hits of inspirational graphics, Scripture verses, quotes, and video clips).   Even Patrick (Yes, that St, Patrick of Ireland) seemed to ...READ POST