Suffering can be so hard for us. The pain—whether physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual—can become heart- and life-dominating. It will greet you in the morning, nag you throughout the day, and pull the last groan out of you before you fitfully sleep, assuming you can sleep at all. All this pain tempts you to spend too much time and energy wishing for what once was and craving what others have that you’ve lost. It’s as if life has winners and losers, and... Read More

A sad and significant amount of consumerism exists in the church of Jesus Christ today. Similar to our behavior in a local mall, we move from church to church, shopping for just the right combination of what we want. In a typical congregation, the paid staff carry the burden of the church’s spiritual health while the members happily play their role as the recipients. Many pastors have accepted this situation and seem content if their attendance is increasing, and if their budget has... Read More

First Baptist Church. It was the picture of longevity and stability. For over two hundred years, it remained faithful to the gospel. Sundays were marked by regal worship and elegant preaching inside its beautiful sanctuary. But within a year, they began feeling smothered by tradition. So they tried the Vine. It was a breath of fresh air. After the traditionalism of FBC, the warehouse environment, lively worship, and creative, conversational preaching was much easier to listen to than... Read More

Here’s a mind-boggling figure: scientists estimate that in the United States alone, 13.7 million birds die every day. It’s a seemingly random and rather unpleasant statistic, but when I came across it, my heart was deeply encouraged. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father.” (Matthew 10:29, ESV) There are hundreds of billions of birds in existence around the world today. Almost all of them have... Read More

We are living through a moment that will be written about in history books. You will tell your grandkids about the time the world shut down. Documentaries will retell the story for generations to come. It’s tempting to dwell on the weight of the global pandemic, but I would encourage you to step back. There is a far greater historical moment that you should be thinking about this week. It’s the most significant event in the history of the universe. It’s the bodily... Read More

When you’re experiencing a crisis in your life, it’s natural to dwell on that crisis more than anything else. Whether it’s a small personal dilemma or a global pandemic like we’re currently living through, the spontaneous response of our hearts is to meditate on the anxiety. Does this sound like your daily routine? When you wake up every morning, the first thing you do is check the news to discover the latest stats and developments: How many cases of COVID-19... Read More

Like most of you, I’m hunkered down in my house, not going outside, and distancing myself from everyone except my wife. It’s particularly crucial for me to observe strict isolation orders because I fall into the high-risk category. I’m no longer a young man, but more significantly, I live with a compromised immune system. After my kidney damage back and the six surgeries that followed, I’ve had to accept that I will never be a fully healthy person for the rest of my... Read More

We find ourselves in a time of unprecedented trouble. Faced with a global pandemic, we need to take a moment to think biblically about our response to COVID-19. I only have one thought that I will repeat in today’s devotional: Be afraid, but don’t give way to fear. That statement may seem contradictory, so let me explain. Fear is one of God’s good gifts to us. I think there are three types of spiritually healthy fear: 1. Fear of God. This is a holy reverence of... Read More

Has your personal study of the Word of God informed and enlarged your brain without convicting and transforming your heart? When I was a younger pastor, I was exegeting my way through Romans, engulfed in an intoxicating world of language syntax and theological argument. I labored over tenses, contexts, objects, and connectors. I studied etymologies and the Pauline vocabulary. Countless hours of disciplined private study were represented by page upon page of notes. It was all very... Read More