I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. –the Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 1:5, NLT) My grandmother wasn’t Lois, but my mom was and she’s associated with my earliest spiritual memory. I was three and at Bushkill Falls, … Read More
My Favorite Eugene Peterson Quotes
On Monday, October 24th, Eugene Peterson, pastor, professor, and author of The Message and numerous other books died at the age of eighty-five. He left a rich, reflective, earthy, and grace-filled legacy. Below are the insights from his writings that I’ve appreciated or have influenced me the most. At the beginning, I’ve also included one passage from The Message because … Read More
My Favorite Making Life Disciples Story of 2018
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. (Psa. 116:5, NRSV) I have the privilege of leading a national ministry that’s intimately connected to the heart of God. In short, my job is to promote the use of a ministry tool called Making Life Disciples (MLD) that’s designed to equip a select group of individuals in a local … Read More
The Strange Familiarity of God’s Mysterious Ways
We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. (Prov. 16:9, NLT) In late 2015, I was in a discouraged place. God was providing for every financial need our family had, yet he seemed bent on frustrating MY plans. I had been in the process of trying to transfer my credentials to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and … Read More
For Those Who Struggle with Depression
…O LORD my Lord. Act on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me. I am gone like a shadow at evening… (Psa. 109:21-23a, NRSV) A nothingness permeates my soul. My smile is forced and hollow. I can say nothing, write … Read More
The Best Christian Books I’ve Ever Read
These lists in no way represent the “best” Christian reading there is. Nor are they meant to be comprehensive. There are tons of great books—even classics like Augustine’s Confessions—that I haven’t, should, and hope to read. What follows represents only those distinctively Christian books I have found to be the most helpful to date. It’s my hope that one or … Read More
How to Avoid Toxic Leaders and Churches
I was in Barnes & Noble the other day and picked up a copy of Time magazine’s commemorative issue on cult killers. Charles Manson was the cover poster child as you might expect. As I leafed through the periodical, however, the images that caught my attention the most were those of the Jonestown Massacre. “Of the nearly 1,000 church members … Read More
Focus for Fall: Big Lessons from Small Creatures, Part 5 of 5
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, … Read More
Focus for Fall: Big Lessons from Small Creatures, Part 4 of 5
“Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings’ … Read More
Focus for Fall: Big Lessons from Small Creatures, Part 3 of 5
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, … Read More