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2012
Encouragement to Pray— After Jesus prayed The Lord’s Prayer as a model for how we should pray, he followed that up with several parables that offer further encouragement for us to pray. (Luke 11:5-13)
How to Pray Like Jesus— When Jesus prayed what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer” he was modeling how we should pray. (Luke 11:2-4)
Where is Your Treasure?— The way you spend your time and resources shows where your treasure truly lies. (Mark 8:34-38)
Sowing Tears, Reaping Joy— We cannot let our hardships hold us back. We can look back on God’s faithfulness to us in the past and then look forward to his promised faithfulness in the future. (Psalm 126:5-6)
A Holy Ambition— The way we structure our lives and how we spend out time reveals our priorities, and the things we are passionate about reveal what we really worship. Do your priorities and passions center around God? (Hebrews 12:1)
The Power of Our Words— Our words reveal what’s really in our hearts. What do the things you think and talk about (or don’t talk about) reveal about what preoccupies your heart? (Luke 6:45)
Don’t Compartmentalize God— In our messy lives, we cannot add God to our “to do” list. Worship is meant to permeate all of our lives. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Video: Stop Kony 2012—Invisible Children, an advocacy organization fighting injustices against children in central Africa, released a video as part of a campaign to mobilize the global community for the capture of war criminal Joseph Kony.
The Intolerance Behind Theological Tolerance— There is a difference between “social tolerance” and “theological tolerance.” One allows for people of different faiths to live amicably amongst each other, and another forces upon everyone a whole new religion. (Matthew 7:14)
Why Europe is an Important Mission Field— “Europe is less evangelical today that parts of communist China. It is harder to communicate the true meaning of the Gospel to Europeans than to Muslims in the Middle East.”
Love, Unconditional— We love the idea of receiving God’s unconditional love, but do we reciprocate that love to God? (1 John 4:-21)
2011 — 29 Posts
Why 20-Somethings are Leaving the Church— Research shows a 43% drop in church attendance among Millenials due to a lack of good faith foundation in their upbringing and disparity in taking action on issues of social justice.
The Origin of Christmas (and Whether it Matters) — Refers to a blog post written by one of our pastors regarding common questions and concerns about the origins of celebrating Christmas.
Define Necessity: The Irony of Overspending to Celebrate a Homeless Savior — How our spending habits may reflect a myopic view of the world, a distorted perception of what our needs really are, and a weakened understanding of the gospel. (Matthew 25:34-46)
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement — How all Christians are called to be a part of missions, living faithfully to the Great Commission in one way or another.
The Grass Withers, But Hope Remains — Why God is all we need, and how Advent points to our hope in Him despite our surroundings. (Isaiah 40)
Advent: The Wait — Looking towards our first experience celebrating Advent and how it adds deeper meaning to the Christmas season.
Reflecting on Five Years of Marriage — Why marriage is a good thing, and why our culture’s avoidance of commitment is backwards logic. (Proverbs 18:22)
Check Out Our New Germany Blog! — Introducing our blog specifically for keeping up with our progress towards church-planting in Germany which we’ll also use for updates once we’re there.
Video: How He Loves — Video of the song “How He Loves” mashed with sermon clips from Matt Chandler and John Piper on God’s radical love of us in spite of us.
When Grace Isn’t Enough — How grace is one of the major differences between Christianity and other religions, and what our lives look like when we really live like we believe it. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Can Christians Walk a Political Party Line? — Regarding a study that showed the more people read their Bibles, the more open they were to science and involved in social justice; how political parties cannot become entwined with religion.
A Problem of Patience — On my personal struggle with patience and waiting on God’s timing. (James 5:7-8)
God and Science — Why science and theology are not at all incompatible, and how science can lead to worship. (Colossians 1:16-17)
Deutschland 2011: Our First Time in Germany And What’s Next — A re-cap of our trip to Germany and what the future holds as we prepare to move there as missionaries.
View from a Plane — Reflections on mankind’s smallness compared to God’s greatness, and how that makes God attention to and care for us all the more incredible. (Psalm 8:4)
Our First Trip to Germany — A video from Greater Europe Mission on why Europe is a strategic mission field; a run-down of our then upcoming trip to visit pastors and missionaries in Germany.
The “Christian Atheist” Movement in Europe — Looking towards our first trip to Germany and the growing trend of Europeans using the term “Christian” as a cultural qualifier and not a religion.
Forgiveness is More than a Feeling — A reblog of a quote from Corrie Ten Boom as found in the book Unconditional? The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness on what is means to truly forgive others as Jesus forgives us.
“Is Pluralism More Tolerant than Christianity?” — Quoting a series by John Dodson on The Resurgence, taking a close look at whether or not religious pluralism is really as tolerant as it claims to be. (John 14:6)
You Don’t Have to Be Perfect — We are all inadequate, but thankfully the one who places His calling on our lives is more than enough to make things work in spite of us. (Jeremiah 1:5-9)
The Cost of Discipleship — Quoting the book Hunger for God by John Piper, on what it really means to “count all as loss” and the consequences that ensue when we excuse ourselves from this command. (Philippians 3:7)
Do Justice, Love Kindness, Walk Humbly — Quoting an article on The Resurgence by Tullian Tchividjian about why faith isn’t a private matter and what faith in public should look like. (Micah 6:8)
Reflections on Norway: Fanaticism and the Truth — How Christians should respond to acts of violence, especially when coming from someone claiming to be one of our own.
Going to Church for the Wrong Reason and The Pursuit of Empty Things — Sharing two good blog from friends of mine on insincerity in church-going and looking at what the way we spend our time says about our hearts.
The Bible is Not About You — Video of Time Keller at The Gospel Coalition outlining how Jesus is the central theme of the entire Bible, not us, including how Jesus is the “new and better” version of all the Old Testament figures.
Repost: Everyone is a Believer in Something — A slightly updated repost of a previous blog post on whether atheism could be considered a type of faith and addressing a few common remarks against Christianity.
Why Are We Moving to Europe? — Explaining our decision to move to Germany as church-planters, and taking a look at Europe as a mission field.
Mended — When there is pain, God sustains, and whether He heals us now or later, He is enough for the moment. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
“Come All Ye Weary” — The importance of rest and the reasoning behind taking a Sabbath, with a music video of Thrice’s song “Come All Ye Weary.” (Matthew 11:27-12:8)
2010 — 25 posts
God, Save Me From the American Dream — How the “American Dream” is not only unsupported by the Bible but detracts from our faith, with quotes from David Platt’s book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.
Ten Years Ago on a Cold, Dark Night — Recounting my personal story of salvation as I celebrated 10 years since my heart was changed and I was given new life because of Jesus.
Tale of Two Infographics: Responding to Claims of Contradiction Within the Bible — A closer look at Project Reason’s claims on disconnects in the Bible, including a response infographic from Chris Harrison and commentary from Desiring God, The Resurgence, and others, as well as other thoughts about science and faith.
A Time for Everything — Nothing is a surprise to God; we like attributing thanks to God when good things happen, but what does it really mean for Him to be totally sovereign? (Ecclesiastes. 3:1-15)
What Makes Someone a Christian? — Is Christianity just about following certain rules and believing certain things, and if so, how is that any different from any other religion?
Article on the Increase of “Fake” Christians — Refers to a CNN article on American evangelicalism’s overall shallow faith and how Christianity has become a culture and not a belief system for many Americans.
Why is There So Much Violence in the Old Testament? — Trying to make sense of the bloody and violent passaged in the Old Testament through the lens of the Gospel.
Sermon Jam: “Because He Is Good” — Video clip of a sermon by Matt Chandler about the futility of trying to be a “good person” and the radical forgiveness of Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Slavery, the Bible, and Christian History — What the Bible really says about slavery, dispelling myths by putting things in context.
Don’t Believe Everything You Hear — On the disastrous effects of the false prosperity gospel, referring to a popular televangelist.
“Whatever Comes, We Shall Endure” — Music video of Sandra McCracken singing about how God is enough, no matter what happens.
When Jesus Wept — Jesus shows how the Christian God is unique from all other “gods” in that he can empathize with our pain. (John 11:1-16)
What You Don’t Hear About Sodom — The real reason why Sodom was destroyed is something deeply ingrained in our own culture today. (Ezekiel 16:49-50)
Consider the Birds — On my personal struggle with anxiety. (Luke 12:22-34)
Beauty is a Beast — How the beauty industry affects women; seeing physical beauty through the lens of Scripture. (1 Samuel 16:7)
Your Identity Determines Your Activity — Video clip of a Mark Driscoll sermon on how faith transforms our lives. (Galatians 2:20)
Everyone Believes in Something — Thoughts on whether atheism is a belief system; discusses a few common quips against Christianity, quoting Tim Keller’s The Reason for God and C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man.
Delusions of Power — Thoughts on human helplessness and our pride in feeling that we are “owed” anything. (Proverbs 16:9)
Against Therapeutic Moralistic Deism — Quoting our pastor Matt Chandler at the SBC 2010 Conference on the perils of religious behavior modification replacing faith in Christ.
Faith and Works: Like a Loaf of Bread — Quote from Francis Chan’s book Forgotten God about the relationship of faith and works.
Video: Jesus Wants the Rose — Video clip of our pastor Matt Chandler at the Desiring God 2010 Conference. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jokers and Princes — On the difference between the predominant cultural Christianity and the marks of a true believer. (Isaiah 58)
Jesus Doesn’t Need Your Validation — Christianity is not validated by it’s adherents, but by the life and work of Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Playing in the Mud — Thoughts on the Parable of the Prodigal Son and a famous quote by C. S. Lewis. (Luke 15)
A Disclaimer for This Blog — Explaining why I started my blog and what I hope to accomplish with it. (1 Peter 3:15)
