I was in a songwriting seminar with Rich Mullins, and he made an interesting comment. He asked if any of us had been in a talent show or had seen one where someone said: “God woke me up and gave me this song. . .”We all raised our hands, as this was a pretty common thing that is said in Christian music circles. He told us that we had to be careful with this kind of language because if a song had b...  Read More

Yesterday I mentioned some tools that I had used when I was 15 to deconstruct the room we had been given to remodel. What tools do we use when we deconstruct our faith down to its elemental pieces? Do we use philosophical and hermeneutical sledgehammers, or do we use dental tools so as to be more precise? There are a lot of tools in our toolbox when it comes to studying scripture and creating a ne...  Read More

When I was in high school, I got the best job opportunity. It was the opportunity to work maintenance at the school. Doesn’t that sound good to you? Then you are not a 15-year-old boy with a driver’s permit and the hopes of driving the school’s truck and tractor all summer before he turned 15 years old. I figured I would be driving the tractor out on the fields to pick up the watering apparatus, a...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENHow would you describe your relationship with God right now? What are some verbs that describe your current level of faith? How does this season compare to other seasons of your life? Why?HEADWe covered sever...  Read More

Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. —Psalm 40:4Have you ever felt like going to church was a little like going to school? That was my experience growing up. I had the privilege of going to a church that was connected to a University, and was taught by pastors who were erudite, deeply read, and pretty significant theo...  Read More

Trust is hard. It is difficult for us to trust one another, to trust institutions, to trust our spouses even. When I do premarital counseling with a couple we talk about intention and how they need to always trust the intention of their partner. While their partner may do something terribly painful to them, if they trust the intent of the other person who made the mistake, they will get through it...  Read More