Wednesday's Word

"Christ-Centered" - it's a phrase we love to use. It's probably in the mission statement of your church and in the title of a book you own. But "Christ-Centered" is a lot easier to talk about than to live, isn't it? In the mundane moments of everyday life, a lot of other things compete with Christ for center stage. Today I want to share four words that have helped mold my understanding of what a Christ-centered life looks like. 1. SOURCE A... Read More

What I'm about to ask won't be easy to answer. When was the last time you did something outwardly "for God" that was actually inwardly motivated by personal gain? That's a hard question because it first requires the courage of humble honesty. It's not easy for us to admit that we prioritize ourselves over our Lord and Savior. But second, it's a hard question because we struggle to see our motives, words and actions with biblical accuracy. Let me... Read More

I love a good picture book. As the father of four and now a grandfather, I've seen my fair share of illustrated stories. I don't know if you've thought about this, but the best picture book of all is the Bible. God, the great Author of life, employs everyday, earthly illustrations to communicate his invisible, spiritual truths to the reader. While these pictures are splashed across nearly every page of Scripture, Jesus draws three in particular in Matthew 6 that have helped... Read More

I live in Philadelphia, and a few miles outside the city limits is the King of Prussia Mall. This complex contains more dedicated retail space than any other shopping mall in the United States! A few years ago, the mall had a marketing slogan: "Your Kingdom Awaits." Whoever came up with the phrase was a brilliant theologian and deeply understood the condition of the human heart. Since the beginning of time, the lie of the Enemy has been this: ultimate joy and... Read More

Have you ever said, "I'll never do that again!" only to make the same mistake a few days later? If you're a Christian, at some point in your walk with God, you'll feel stuck in the same cycle of sinful decisions and foolish mistakes. So how do we get from where we are to where God wants us to be? Well, we need to start here: sometimes, we don't actually want to change. It sounds harsh, but I’ll lead the way. Maybe that selfish pleasure is just... Read More

I hope that your church pulled out all the stops for a raucous celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without this historic event, our Christian faith would be worthless. We should absolutely make Easter Sunday the biggest and best on the calendar. But what are you going to do with Easter for the next 364 days of the year? What will you do with Easter when a particular area of sin looks attractive to you, and you feel weak and unable? What will you do with... Read More

I love Easter. I love the celebratory music we sing at church. I love the passages of Scripture we read during worship. Most of all, I love the visual image of the Empty Tomb. In one culminating and specific moment in history, Jesus Christ summarizes and finalizes the salvation narrative. There are 6 things in particular that I love about the Empty Tomb. 1. The Empty Tomb reveals that God is faithful. Centuries earlier, after Adam and Eve rebelled, God... Read More

Why do little kids daydream about being a pilot or a princess? Why do college students volunteer for charitable causes? Why do sports fans lose their mind over a small round ball? Why do we keep records and try to break them? Why do we get hooked on fictional movies and scripted TV shows? Why do we look back on life and wonder what could have been? Because we all are trying to live for something bigger. This desire for transcendence – going beyond the ordinary range of... Read More