Welcome! My name is Greg Austen and I’m a former carpenter, and a seasoned pastor licensed in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I also now work for an organization called Care Net and do seminars and retreats for churches that want to want to equip families to leave a healthy, grace-based legacy that prioritizes relationships and a heart for God. In … Read More
Thank you and My Next Season
Dear Friends, I want to thank you for the incredible honor of reading my blog. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since we started this journey and we now have about 100 subscribers! This post is an example of the “exclusive content” you get for signing up. 🙂 Besides thanking you, I wanted to tell you about … Read More
Becoming a Grandparent and Other Amazing Gifts
***This is dedicated to Matthew Gregory Austen, one of the finest and most humble men I know. You are an attentive and loving husband, and will be an excellent father. Ready or not, it came. My oldest son, Matthew, and his wife, Kylie, arrived with a small brown gift bag—white tissue paper sticking out—and set it down in front of … Read More
How I Became a Christian Despite the Church, Part 4 of 4
As I mentioned last week, from a theological perspective, I’ve come to see that saving faith is more than intellectual assent. That’s why when talking about my testimony, in addition to the “change in belief” experiences, I place considerable weight on a three-month series of events that occurred during my fifteenth year. I was working in a bus ministry that … Read More
How I Became a Christian Despite the Church, Part 3 of 4
As I mentioned last week, although much of our family’s church experience was toxic, it did put me in a place where I heard the gospel and was encouraged to respond. When I was 18, I made a list of several things that contributed to my understanding of salvation. These included comic books, a horror movie, an old classic, and a debate between … Read More
How I Became a Christian Despite the Church, Part 2 of 4
Influential and now scandalized mega-church pastor, Bill Hybels, is known for saying, “There’s nothing like the local church when it’s working right.” The reverse is also true: There’s nothing that can do as much damage as the church when it’s not working right. I spent 1973–1981 in a toxic environment called Beracah Bible Baptist—an independent church that morphed into something … Read More
How I Became a Christian Despite the Church, Part 1 of 4
By the power of the Spirit (Jn. 3:3), you come to know the love of the Father (2 Cor. 5:18-19) and embrace the gospel—that good news that your sins are forgiven by the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Further, your life grows to reflect a genuine heart for God—one that evidences your claim to be … Read More
Confessions of an Affirmation Junkie
Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Gal. 1:10, ESV) Feed your life with my life’s work. How many likes is my life worth? –Sick Boy by The Chainsmokers[1] My phone lies close by as I write. Although … Read More
How to Love and Desire Your Spouse
***This piece is dedicated to my daughter Emily and her fiancé, Josh Ginchereau, in view of their upcoming wedding on May 25, 2018. To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Gen. … Read More
Reflections on the March for Life
A person is a person no matter how small. – Dr. Seuss Last week marked my one year anniversary with Care Net and my second year participating in the March for Life. It was the 45th march protesting and marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the now infamous Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion through all nine months of … Read More