When I was young, I'd take a magnifying glass and focus the sun's rays on a piece of paper. Soon the paper would smoke and eventually catch fire. Today, I'm fighting my second cold of the season. Colds make me miserable. I think "man flu" is the term. But while I'm tired and miserable, I notice something else happening. God has more of my focus. I've seen this before. When my flesh is weak, my spirit seems more alive. I think I first noticed this once when I first fasted for an extended time. My body broke down but I... Continue reading

Whenever we use words like good, better, and best, we should always ask: “Compared to what?” What does it mean to have a better small group? There are lots of reasons churches organize small groups. For my church, the reason is discipleship: training one another to be trained by Christ. So a better small group is one that grows its members in their ability train each other to be trained by Jesus. Being trained by Christ means knowing what Jesus taught and then aligning to it. Training one another is a community activity — each of us helping all of... Continue reading

I was in middle school when a gallon of gas was 40¢ and techies could own a TI SR-20 calculator for $240 (the equivalent of $1260 today). One especially unpleasant memory from that season of life comes from Mrs. Tucker’s English class where we were told to write a book report on John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Over the years I’ve grown to enjoy this book. But I guess I didn’t in middle school because I was making slow progress. Then Mrs. Tucker set the trap. One day we came into class excited to learn that we’d be watching... Continue reading

Like most people, I feel I should pray more. But as someone who’s been marinated in a materialistic, results-oriented culture, I find it difficult to really labor in prayer. What’s helped me over the years is to realize that prayer isn’t so much about obedience; it’s about humility — recognizing my many flaws and limitations and then thinking about God’s goodness and greatness. God is at work. And if I can tag along, I might witness something awesome. In fact, my very first word (My One Word) was ‘Discover!’ and it was all about observing what God is doing around... Continue reading

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5 ESV From the perspective of a disciple-maker, the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 lays out an effective strategy for helping people move forward in their walk. One... Continue reading

I imagine it’s because of my northern European roots that my skin is so sensitive to the sun. I’ve gotten to know my dermatologist really well. I’ve been scolded and warned and told to take precautions. But — at least so far — she hasn’t told me to avoid the sun altogether. If that ever happens, we’re going to have problems. I love the outdoors. I like to run. I like going out on the boat, swimming in the ocean, and exploring unfamiliar cities and towns on foot. Sometimes, I even like working in the yard — if it doesn’t... Continue reading

Becoming a Christian is often presented as “making a decision for Christ”. By this, people mean we need to recognize our sin, to see how sin separates us from Life, and to place our trust in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His victory over death. This is often expressed in the form of a prayer. But this decision is really just the first of “two” great decisions that define a Christian’s life. And really, it’s more of a response than a decision. Calling it a decision tends to trivialize all that happens in that moment: God, who has set... Continue reading