Surrounding my house is a large wooden fence with gates to allow entry and exit outside of its boundary. The fence does a great job of keeping people out. The fence provides a sense of safety when my children are playing or when I am sleeping. All of my neighbors have fences too, but I’m…
All posts in theology
The Goal of a Wedding
I officiated over a small, private wedding ceremony recently, and will be attending several other wedding ceremonies in the coming months (I will also be going to the a sports stadium in Atlanta in between). While weddings are a significant spiritual event, fewer weddings are taking place inside a church sanctuary. Certainly, God’s presence can unite…
The Gift of Encouragement
A few weeks ago I preached on the section of Romans 12 where Paul mentions about spirituals gifts: “if it is to encourage, then give encouragement” (Romans 12:8). This verse has always stood out for me because in one of my first years of my seminary studies I had a professor say to me, “you…
Called Out Episode 008: Godly Power with Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel
Last year I named the book The Way of the Dragon or The Way of the Lamb as the best book of 2017. It was not only helpful in and of itself, but I found its focus on power to be especially timely. Previously on the podcast we explored the subject gone viral, the #MeToo movement, but…
Called Out Episode 007: AJ Swoboda
This new episode of Called Out features a conversation I had with AJ Swoboda, an author, professor, and pastor from Portland. Although I’ve connected with AJ quite a bit when we were both pastoring in Portland, I also grew up int he same town as AJ. We went to the same high school, same church,…
Called Out Episode 005: Calling
Calling has been a subject of interest for me ever since I made the decision to enter seminary (graduate school for pastors) and pursue a vocation within pastoral ministry in the local church. I never had a moment where I sensed God distinctly say, “go there,” and I followed. Instead, calling has been a constant…