Trying to live the life that Jesus modeled and has called us to isn’t easy. It would be easier if we could be totally surrounded by others who are also trying to follow Jesus. The world we live in, however, plays by very different rules. One of the most dangerous temptations Christians fall into is […]
I lost. I am a loser. Those statements seem to go together. If you lost you are a loser right? They may seem similar, but those statements have very different consequences when deeply believed. One is a description of our performance, the other is a statement about who we are. I’ve become hopelessly addicted to […]
Is it fair to say that more and more people today use tragedies as a platform to present their own thoughts and opinions? Fair or not, it’s true. Following the tragic shooting in Charleston, SC, social media was packed with words of encouragement, words of hate, and everything in between. After our carefully worded posts […]
Next up in my list of 20 Albums in 20 Weeks is Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams. “Goodnight Rose” is one of my all-time favorite songs, so I decided to go back to the beginning for Ryan Adams. Heartbreakeris his first solo album after recording music with his band Whiskeytown. What They Think Pitchfork Media ranked […]
Extremes are almost never good. We all are driven to extremes at times. We hate some things and love others. We eat at the best restaurants on the planet or the absolute worst dumps around. Our trips to the beach are the best experiences of our lives and our setbacks are catastrophes that make the […]
Few things have the power to erode confidence and halt growth the way shame does. And few things destroy the credibility of leaders or of churches than the use of shame to motivate or control people. Guilt is a God-given and healthy way of thinking and feeling at times. Guilt is what we feel when […]