JUST BE A FRIEND Most of us can point to the moment our faith became real. The encounter, the service, the small group, the conversation in a dorm room at 2am, whatever it was, something shifted. And in the days…
A Gospel Nobody Asked to Hear
Using the Bible as a Hammer
USING THE BIBLE AS A HAMMER There is a particularly dangerous version of the accidental Pharisee that shows up inside Christian marriages. He loves his wife. He is serious about God’s Word. He has done the reading, attended the conferences,…
Revisiting Cop vs. Coach (Tone and Posture)
THE 2:30AM CALL There is a moment every father secretly hopes for and never talks about. It’s 2:30 in the morning. Your kid is somewhere they probably shouldn’t be. Things have gone sideways. And instead of figuring out how to…
The Spirit Earns the Right to Speak
THE GUY NOBODY EATS LUNCH WITH There is a version of Derek at almost every church in America. He’s the guy who got serious about his faith, really serious, and now everyone in his orbit knows it. He’s got the…
Accidental Pharisee
FRUITFUL · WEEK 4 DON’T BE AN ACCIDENTAL PHARISEE “Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves.” Mark 11:13 ·…
Plant Something Worth Growing
Hey family, If you made it through this week being mindful of every word you spoke, same. I made it about halfway through Monday before I said something at home I immediately wished I could take back. Here is what…
Say It Anyway. Having the Conversation the Flesh Avoids
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Psalm 19 ends with a prayer, not a strategy, not a five-step plan….
Words That Build a Man. Speaking Life Into Your Family
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29 (ESV) Ephesians 4:29 uses the word corrupting;…
What’s Buried at the Bottom. Words and the Heart Behind Them.
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34b (ESV) When you restock a fruit display you pull everything out first, because the fruit at the very bottom has usually gone bad. And rotten fruit does…
Before You Send It. Slowing the Reckless Word
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 (ESV) Proverbs 26 says that someone who wounds a neighbor and then says “I was only joking” is like a maniac shooting…