Whether it be with people who disagree with me online, or people who disagree with decisions I make in helping lead a church, I can easily create fake enemies. I say fake because nearly all who come to mind are actually my brothers and sisters in Christ, so to call them an enemy of mine…
Healing the Scars of Shame
Last weekend I spoke at our church on the subject of shame, a subject that holds lots of history for me personally. If you’ve read my book and know pieces of the story of my sin-ridden past, you know that I’ve walked the cycle of shame: sin, and guilt, which leads to hiding instead of confession…
Pray the Psalms
This summer I’ve been slowly making my way through the Psalms during my time of morning reading and prayer. My reasons for why are easily summed up by Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said, “Pray the Psalms whether or not they express adequately what you feel. It may be necessary to pray contrary to your feelings.” I’ve…
On a Boat in the Middle of a Storm
The older I get the more I see today’s culture validating toxic behavior, making this world a toxic environment to live in. The anti-thesis of the Gospel is the accepted norm: you are what you do; survival of the fittest; the hardest and most conniving worker wins the day. Stress is something only kept at bay…
Interview with Barnabas Piper, Author of The Pastor’s Kid
Barnabas and I have interacted together for a few years, mostly over our tortuous love affair with Minnesota sports teams. However, we also share another thing in common, we are both pastor’s kids; he being the son of a well-known pastor, John Piper, and me being the son of an unknown pastor who has been faithful to the call.…
Do You Condone Same-Sex Marriage by Photographing the Wedding?
This past Sunday I shared what I believe to be my most important message (you can stream the audio of that message here, as well as download the audio and notes), two years into my pastoral role. The subject was how Christians should respond to a culture increasingly accepting of same-sex partnerships and sexuality. Someone asked me…