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

Love’s Fiery Passion, Part 2 of 2

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, … Read More

Three-Branch Unity: Reflecting the Heart of God

I’m a three-branch guy. What I mean by this is that I’m a Christian in the Protestant tradition that believes wholeheartedly that I share the same faith as my Orthodox and Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. There are three branches of Christianity: Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism. All three branches share allegiance to the cross and the Trinitarian faith expressed … Read More

Churches & Pastors: Toxic or Trustworthy?

If you’re a regular subscriber and missed getting the blog last week, I’m sorry about that. I was a bit overwhelmed with some other projects and deadlines which I’ll explain. It was my first time to skip a week since starting in June 2016! As I shared in a recent bi-monthly ministry update, I’m getting ready to do a soft … Read More

On Dragons and Manger Scenes

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten … Read More

Taking Care of Yourself as a Pastoral Caregiver

One of the most helpful books I’ve read to date on both giving pastoral care and taking care of myself in the process is Clergy Self-Care by Roy Oswald. Below are my favorite quotes and once you’ve read them, I encourage you to pick your top three and discuss them with your spouse, closest friend, or leadership team: Spiritual healing … Read More

What I Learned from Gregory Nazianzus

For most of my adult Christian life, I’ve been convinced that the cross and grace are at the core of the Christian faith. That hasn’t changed. What has is my appreciation for the Trinity as the foundational doctrine that binds all three branches of Christianity together. In my spiritual formation—largely in the evangelical Protestant tradition, the mystery and relational importance … Read More

New Booklet on Baptism & Its Significance Available on Amazon!

Hey Friends, I just finished a ministry resource I’ll be using for church planting called Baptism & Its Significance. I hope you’ll find it useful for you and yours too. Would you kindly help me in getting these wonderful gospel-truths out to others? Here’s how: Pick up a copy here. Read it and send me any feedback Share it with … Read More