What makes a mature disciple? Previously I wrote some thoughts about how we tend to build the church on little rocks, neglecting the big rock that Jesus intended. This leads to a lack of maturity in our relationship with Jesus. In the next few blog posts I will share some thoughts about what it is that makes a mature disciple. A Mature Disciple Loves Jesus, [...]
"Could I be wrong about the church?" I started asking myself this question a lot last year. Here's some context. Being a pastors kid (pk) comes with a lot of baggage that you wouldn’t expect. Every PK has a different experience, but I think one thing that’s true for all PK’s is that, because of our proximity to the church, we can easily become [...]
Sometimes I look back at various seasons, situations or circumstances in my life where I've missed an opportunity, dropped the ball, or just completely flunked. As a leader in a local church setting, it's uncomfortable to talk about failure, but failure is part of this game. For most of you, church is just a small part of your leadership life. You lead at work, at [...]
A few weeks ago I opened up about some of my own fears & insecurities in front of a group of pastors. I was originally supposed to be the one at the table with all the answers, but they quickly realized I only had questions After our time together I got a phone call from one of the more “successful” people in the room who [...]
I had a dream the other night and woke up with a leadership thought. In my dream, I had double booked myself for two different weddings. Both of the people getting married were very dear to me, and I truly loved both their families too. I really wanted to do both, so I said YES to both and agreed to officiate. I figured I'd [...]
If you live in Holly Springs NC, and if you’ve ever left a church or felt displaced from your church after being engaged for 5-10 (or more) years, then these thoughts are for you… 1. Finding a new church home is HARD. You may have moved to holly springs NC recently and while the new job & new house is exciting, you are saddened [...]
Dear Young Men, I see you posting stuff online like “I’m bored af” or “I have nothing to do” or some other whiney, complaints like “nobody ever wants to do anything with me” etc. It blows my mind seeing you up at 2am talking about being bored. Brush your teeth and go to bed! Wake up at 6am and hit the gym. Get a [...]
I have never been “exceptional” at anything. Not academics, sports, church, performing arts, music, writing, clowning, or whatever... Talent might get you noticed, but TENACITY gets you wins. Dive on the ball, practice, show up, take risks, put yourself out there. Sometimes you don’t have to be the best, you just have to give it your best. The struggle produces endurance.The hustle brings favor. [...]
I recently joined a community of men who are known by the title “F3.” It’s a really unique and powerful organization that supports men in the areas of Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. At first I thought it was a slightly cheesy old guys club with all the nicknames and Dad jokes you could handle. But after a few months, I’ve really come to enjoy [...]
“...the main problem is, it seems like everyone wants to be great, but nobody wants to be good.” I couldn’t believe I said that out loud as I sat there among 4 or 5 other pastors talking about how to become great leaders. But I went on…. "There was a day when I was obsessed with becoming great. I watched all the great leaders [...]
You’re not that special. Your whole life you’ve been pampered, bragged about, helmeted, and bubble-wrapped. When you were growing up, the entire focus of everyone around you was building your self-confidence. Even if you had a hard life or bad parents, you still had school teachers and church leaders and possibly aunts and uncles who tried everything imaginable to convince you to believe in [...]
I was angry, exhausted, and scared. It was the year 2020 during the dog days of summer. We were a few months into this online-only church thing and we were all feeling like fish out of water. Racial tensions were high, there was literal pandemonium over a virus that was sweeping the nation, and with all the bad news headlines, it seemed like nobody [...]
To the mom, dad, or foster parent who needs grace… Rarely does anyone ever say “thank you” but you’re sill always putting others before yourself. Do you ever wonder if you’re making any kind of difference…if what you do every day really matters? I PROMISE you all these little things you are doing over and over again that nobody seems to notice are SIGNIFICANT. [...]
My phone has over 1200 “notes” in it, most of which are to do lists…but often it’s just stuff I write when I can’t sleep or when I’m up early drinking coffee in the mornings. Here are 5 notes I wrote in my phone that I can’t stop re-visiting…if we don’t embrace these 5 things, we will have a hard time gaining momentum this [...]
WOW! What a weekend! Here are a few thoughts: Our first Sunday "back" was awesome!!! Every team knocked it out of the park! The vibe was fun and exciting, but I reallly missed seeing my church fam in person! The worship team was 🔥 The altar was full of people praying and seeking Jesus at the end of the service. We relocated the Kids [...]
First of all....THANK YOU to the dozens of people who showed up to set up and take our first stab at relaunching in Holly Springs High School! What a night! -We spent 5 hours getting 3 trailers unloaded, cleaning everything, and learning an ALL NEW setup for church in the school. -Service starts at 10am (5329 Cass Holt Rd. Holly Springs) -There is Kids [...]
I’m about to jump out of my skin with excitement for our first SUNDAY MORNING back in church in over a year!!! And as I consider the significance of this weekend and the future our church, I can’t help but to also reflect on my own personal “pain & progress” from the past year. No doubt everyone faced challenges this past year. For me, [...]
Jesus stepped into human history over 2,000 years ago. He lived for 33 years, fully God and fully man. He is the son of God and came to bring peace to a world at war with itself. In humility, Jesus chose to sacrifice himself on the cross so that whoever believes in him could have eternity with him in heaven. He took on the [...]
SERMON NOTES I was researching bridges and came across a quote from AirForce Magazine - “In time of war, bridges make attractive targets for air attack. They constitute seemingly vulnerable links in the enemy’s lines of communication.” Photo - Bombing of a bridge in Novi Sad in 99, the second largest city in Serbia/Yugoslavia. Photo - Draw Bridge When I think of drawbridge [...]
SERMON NOTES America is being squeezed. I’m looking at the results of the squeeze in America, and it’s not all good stuff. In the past week, I’ve spoken with THREE different people who are wresting with their faith BECAUSE of encounters they’ve had with people in their faith family. The question that ALL THREE of these people asked me is “Am I Safe Here?” [...]
