It’s marriage week here at MTVPastor. A few days ago my gorgeous wife Robin and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary. In honor of that, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on marriage in three different posts. Today I’ll share 11 reasons why marriages fail. Wednesday I’ll write on 11 ways to strengthen your marriage. Friday I’ll finish up with 11 reasons why marriage is worth it. We see marriages around us fail for a multitude of reasons. Underlying the causes... Read more
This very well may be the most important sermon series I’ve preached since coming to Mt Vernon Church. In most evangelical circles, the Holy Spirit is someone mystical and unknown. We neglect him from a combination of apathy, self-reliance, and a fear of turning into a crazy charismatic. And yet in the book of Acts the Holy Spirit is mentioned fifty-five different times. Just a cursory reading of the early church in Acts would reveal that the church was entirely... Read more
If you had never before interacted with Christianity and simply picked up with the New Testament, you would be overwhelmed with the importance and primacy of the Holy Spirit in the early church. Looking at the influence and role of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, it becomes quickly apparent that the church was entirely dependent upon the Holy Spirit’s power. Yet when you look at today’s typical church, you tend to see just the opposite: a tragic... Read more
Happy Memorial Day to all of my blog readers. I hope this weekend is one not just of fun, but of remembrance to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. If you’ve got three minutes and want to know how Memorial Day came to be, watch this video from the History Channel. Have a great day! http://www.history.com/topics/memorial-day-history/videos#history-of-memorial-day Read more
Graduating high school is an incredible rite of passage, a marker on your journey of development that signals that you are casting off the last vestiges of childhood and beginning to step out on your own into adulthood. This transition from childhood to adulthood is not automatic. You don’t naturally begin to act like an adult when you turn 18, or 21, or 30. (That’s why you see some 35-year-olds with the maturity of a 16-year-old). Above all, adulthood is... Read more
Recently my town suffered a devastating loss as two young boys were killed in a tragic ATV accident. North of us friends and families in Oklahoma are walking through the utter devastation of an F-5 tornado. For those of you with kids, I know many of them might be asking difficult questions: Why did they have to die? Are they in heaven? Why did God let this happen? As a parent and as a Christian, there is simply no easy... Read more
Growing up Baptist, I was entranced by the abundance of committees that seemed to cover every facet of church life. A committee for flowers? Check. A hostess committee? Check. (Only later did I realize that this committee had nothing to do with a favorite brand of comfort foods). But one committee always intrigued me with its deeply authoritative and far-reaching title: the committee on committees. This was the pinnacle. This was the magical smoke-filled back room committee where the real... Read more
Several weeks ago Mt Vernon hosted its second annual Joy Prom for the special needs community. Here’s the highlight video. Use it as a way to start your weekend on the right note! Read more
If you’re looking for a solid left hook to the solar plexus, read Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal. His thoughts are piercing, unsettling, and full of truth. If you’ve ever thought that ‘church as usual’ wasn’t working but you couldn’t put it into words, McNeal will give you the words. I’ve heard about the ‘missional’ movement for years but have resisted it, mostly because I could never quite figure out what ‘missional’ was. People would ask, “Is your church missional?”, but... Read more
Last Friday’s Chick-fil-A Leadercast was an incredible experience! Listening to leaders such as Jack Welch, Condoleezza Rice and Mike Krzyzewksi filled up my leadership cup to overflowing. Another great blogger Brian Dodd has shared even more quotes from each of the speakers. Here are seven great quotes from the Leadercast Friday: 1. “Growth creates complexity, which requires simplicity.” Andy Stanley shared a great reminder that in the midst of the complexity that comes with success, we need to continuously seek... Read more
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