You may or may not have seen it but “the Disney movie Encanto took the world by storm with its visually stunning animations and emotional music. The visual aspects of the movie propped up a powerful story of generational trauma… the movie features songs written by Hamilton genius, Lin-Manuel Miranda. One of those songs, ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno,’ quickly … Read More
New Resource on Genesis 1 and Science!
Hey Friends, I just published a new “constructive conversation” booklet this week called Genesis 1 & Science: A Constructive Conversation. It’s available as a paperback and eBook. The first in this series, you may remember, was Baptism and Its Significance. My thanks to Connie Molitor for the great new covers that connect this series with this blog (notice the mustard-colored … Read More
Spread the Love Month, 3 of 3
Hi Friends, This is the last in the “Spread the Love” series and this one is about our Mantua Creek Church plant. It’s also the first time in my six-plus years of doing this blog that I’m sharing a video to better speak to you heart-to-heart.
Spread the Love Month, 2 of 3
Hey friends, the press release below is going out to several news outlets Tuesday and you can download the PDF version here. Also, besides this, here is another great article that Care Net posted this week that you can share on social media. Again, I so appreciate your prayers and tangible help in getting the word out. Happy Valentines Day … Read More
Spread the Love Month, 1 of 2
Hey Friends, I’m calling February “Spread the Love Month” because I have several opportunities that I want to invite you to help or partner with. The first is related to getting some reviews up for Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads. I have a press release being written that I will be sharing in the next couple of weeks, however, … Read More
Finding Forgiveness
January marks my sixth year at Care Net and our Church Engagement team is now in the process of revisioning our strategy for a new season. In synch with this, I’ve been thinking a lot about the church’s role in championing the forgiveness of sins. The below—something sent to me personally about a year ago—is one of the heaviest emails … Read More
God’s Core Values for Healthy Churches
Last week I wrote about our church’s core values and I thought I’d follow-up with a list of eight core values that correspond to Saint John’s messages in the book Revelation to seven real first-century churches. These are God’s core values for healthy churches if you will, and, as you’ll see, certainly have great relevance to our hearts and churches … Read More
Mantua Creek’s Core Values
The folks above are my friends and the people I’m blessed to pastor in this season. This week I finished writing our church plant’s core values and I thought you’d find some of our priorities thought-provoking, challenging, or encouraging: To all who are weary and need rest,To all who mourn and long for comfort,To all who feel worthless and wonder … Read More
Human Life is Sacred and Full of Wonder
“Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.” Ecclesiastes 11:5, NLT It’s no secret that I work for a pro-life organization– one that, albeit, is on the care side of the issue rather than … Read More
How to Maximize Your Joy in the New Year
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that … Read More