Christ’s joy made full
“The church is to be set apart (sanctified) not by possessing a special religious piety but by participating in and manifesting the perfect eternal love of God.” – Greg Boyd I was talking with a student last week who told me he didn’t like Christianity or the Church because we were so divided and lazy. I proceeded to to tell that was old news and he should check out today’s headlines. Over 13,000 people from almost every different denomination and affiliation joined together in Atlanta, GA this month to not only worship God but to discuss how they can be the hands of feet of Jesus in their communities through their churches (

An infinitely biased view
I said I would never be one of those parent who thought they had the most amazing child in the world. I’ve heard so many people say, “I know it’s probably just because he’s my son (or nephew, grandson, bff’s son, etc.) but I really think he is the greatest (cutest, most adorable, funniest, etc.) kid ever.” So I told myself I wouldn’t be that guy. Well it happened yesterday morning. I was playing with Safari and she was so ado

Turning 30, the decade that was, and the decade that may be
I’ve heard it said once you hit 30 you are now over the hill. My brother sent me a text this morning asking how the view was on the other side. I know for many hitting 30 is a sad moment in life, but if I can be honest I’m pretty excited. For whatever reason I feel as though my life is just getting ready to start. Lord willing I have four more decades of fruitful labor, then a decade to share my experiences and wisdom gained with anyone who will listen, and maybe a decade or two of telling absurdly crazy stories that make sense to no one. If I have my way I’ll be mauled to death by a gorilla at the age of 79 attempting to save my wife as we’re serving s

Just as Christ love the church
Last night we were on our way back from Skyline Drive and decided we wanted to grab dinner. My wife asked me what I wanted to eat and I told her it didn’t matter to me-”whatever makes you happy.” She explained that because it was my birthday it was “whatever makes you happy.” So in even more clever response, I told her that my greatest happiness came in seeing her truly happy. I’m especially happy when I see her life filled with joy in response to a choice I make or something I do for her. I know this sounds super cheesey but it is seriously the way I try to live my relationship out with her. I have found the more I die to myself and live fo

A person worth following
What should you look for when looking for a mentor or someone to follow? When looking for a mentor I have always looked for a person who is willing to make inconvenient sacrifices in their life for others. I’m not concerned with what a person is saying until I see what they’re doing. Who sits on the throne of their heart? This is also how I seek churches and pastors to follow. It is difficult sometimes to find a good church or a pastor whose teaching I trust, but every once in a while I hear of a story that draws me to a church or pastor. This past week I heard one of these stories. Some of you may have heard of National Community Church led by Mark