If you’re a parent with a son still living at home, then you need to read this. The most dangerous thing you can give your son is unfiltered internet access. I know you know there’s some bad stuff on the internet (primarily porn), but it’s worse and more pervasive than you think. Roughly 25% of all internet searches are porn related, and the average age of first exposure to pornography is 11 years old. When you were growing up, access... Read more
I’m not talking about weight loss. I’m not talking about getting out of debt. Those things are easy compared to this. I think the hardest thing you’ll ever do is forgive someone. Why? Because forgiveness is so emotionally charged, it can seem too difficult for us to forgive. Maybe it’s an ex-spouse who hurt you so bad that you can’t seem to see straight sometimes. Maybe it’s a friend that stabbed you in the back. Maybe it’s our parents. They... Read more
Last Sunday at Mt Vernon, we had the incredible privilege of sharing Carla’s story. This is an incredible story of life change worth sharing again. Enjoy! Read more
It happened to me (again) this past Sunday. That awkward moment when you introduce yourself to a new couple at church, and they tell you they met you last week. Mike and Shelly. I won’t forget their names anytime soon. Here’s how the conversation went: ME: Hey, I don’t think I’ve met you. My name’s Josh. MIKE and SHELLY: Yeah, we met last week when you introduced yourself to us. (awkward silence as I try to figure out how... Read more
Here’s a quick update to the goals I’ve set for myself for 2013: Mental Growth 1. Read 26 books and write a review on it (on my blog) with lessons learned. I read two great books this month, Unleash by Perry Noble and Oxen by Joseph Sangl. 2. Listen to 150 podcasts/sermons and keep notes of what I’ve learned (via Evernote). 10 podcasts in March. 3. (re)Memorize the Book of John. Still on chapter 3. Spiritual Growth 4. Write out the Book... Read more
Earlier this week I ran into this lie again, one that too many women have fallen for. I had a conversation with a young lady who had gone through a difficult marriage and a terrible divorce. As she was recounting her actions and discussing where she went wrong, I heard the lie come out. Here’s the biggest lie that women tell themselves when it comes to relationships: “I’ll fix him.” She said she knew that he wasn’t that good of... Read more
Have you ever been there? I have. It’s the moment after you listen to an inspiring message from a pastor, and you’re all fired up to go and win your non-Christian friends to Christ. And then you realize you don’t have any non-Christian friends. You’ve lived in the church bubble for too long. I like church people. They’re my kind of people. In fact, if it was up to me, I’d probably hang around them all the time. They share... Read more
It’s not more Bible study. It’s not praying more. Recently I was listening to an interview with the great Dallas Willard, a man of the faith with great insight on spiritual growth. A long term professor at USC, he has inspired generations of believers with his teachings. He was asked this question, “If someone came up to you and asked how they could grow in their faith, what would you tell them?” Here was his answer: “Do the next right... Read more
If you’ve been in church for awhile, you can sense it: the evangelical church is in a state of decline. Churches are struggling and dying off. Our influence is waning in culture. Our image in society is becoming increasingly jaded and extreme. In his book The Great Evangelical Recession, John S. Dickerson does an incredible job of giving the reader a comprehensive view of the evangelical church, pinpointing our weakest characteristics as a whole. According to Dickerson, there are six... Read more
You have a list. It’s a mental list of all the restaurants (many of them fast food) that you’ll never return to. Maybe the facilities were subpar, maybe the fries were cold. Usually, it’s the service. I know I’m not the only person who’s stood in front of the counter for five solid minutes waiting for one of the four lethargic employees behind the counter to acknowledge my existence. There are restaurants I’ll never go back to. Restaurants that I... Read more
New Wineskins
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