Let’s Begin With a Proverb “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV). It seems that I can only remember this proverb in the King James Version. It’s interesting though since modern translations such as the NKJV, NIV, and ESV translate it much different (you can read those translations here), but my mind seems to only have space for this verse in the traditional King James.... Read more
For most believers in the Western world today, victory over anxiety is possible, but it comes from the same place as all of our spiritual growth: from a lifetime of apprenticing under Jesus. Outside of a miraculous intervention from the Lord, there is no shortcut. When Jesus Says “Anxious” Perhaps the most famous teaching in all of scripture about “worry” or, in some translations, “anxiety” comes from Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel according to Matthew. In chapter 6, nearing... Read more
A Long Time Coming For a decade now, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to share with people what I’m learning and thinking about in my Apprenticeship to Jesus. Usually, at some point, I’m sitting in my living room chatting with a friend, and just rambling about what the Lord is showing me or how my understanding of scripture is influencing the way I’m living. Eventually, with age came the ability to listen others instead of constantly speaking, and over time... Read more
It isn’t possible for Christians today to follow Jesus while being willfully absent from a community of believers, and yet many of our Church practices developed over the last fifty or more years seem to act as if that were the case. As faithful followers of Jesus, we need to lean back into those commands of community and togetherness, realizing they are a gift and not a burden. The Ditch We Veer Towards In their book Misreading Scripture With Western... Read more
Middle School Questions I still have a vague memory of being at a youth group on a Wednesday night back when I was in middle school. I was in the recreation area right outside the Sanctuary just before service was supposed to start. All around me was the clutter of foosball tables, the blasting sound of early 2000s Christian music, and dozens of high pitched and crackly pre-teen voices. Walking towards the Sanctuary was the young Youth Pastor who, if... Read more
A Leadership Principle For a number of years, I’ve had the opportunity to teach leadership principles, and one of the most basic is this: you get what you talk about. A brief explanation of the principle would be this: if a leader wants their team to move in a certain direction, towards a certain vision, he or she needs to be verbal about that often. The things a leader spends time talking about reveals what his or her priorities are,... Read more
The Way I’m making an assumption that if you’re reading this, you identify as a Christian. When I say “we” and “us,” that is who I’m referring to, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I don’t normally take the time to draw those lines to define my terms, but I think it matters here. Why? Well, nothing I will say here will make sense unless you’re a follower of The Way (what Christians were called before the term “Christian”... Read more
A Vital Verse I come from a church tradition that generally discouraged drinking, and even forbade it amongst church leadership. Although I’m not personally on that doctrinal page (and even rebelled against it during my younger years) I’ve grown to deeply respect the desire for healthy boundaries. There is wisdom in being conscious of cultural stumbling blocks and staying away from them. In many ways, that’s what Paul was talking about in his letter to the Ephesians when he wrote,... Read more
A Lifestyle of Church During my earliest (and, perhaps, most formative) years in the Christian faith, I attended a mega-church. The whole church was made up of something like nine thousand attendees spread across three campuses, and even included a Christian grade school. It was massive and easy to get lost in, which is a common story with large churches. Despite that, I worked hard not to get lost in the crowd. I served faithfully in a few different ministries,... Read more
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