Five years ago, I was in the worst shape of my life. I was enrolled full-time as a student in a seminary. I was working both in a church and in another full-time job. My day began before five am and ended sometimes after twelve midnight. Because I was super stressed, I resorted to bad eating habits. All the usual suspects were present. Soda, junk food, carbs and foods, high in sugar. I reached a point in my life where this needed to change. So here is what I did Continue Reading…

He is one of the most towering figures in all of human history. The great reformer Martin Luther called him “the wisest man after Christ.” The early church father, John Chrysostom said: “Put the whole world on one side of the scale and you will see that the soul of this man outweighs it.” D.A. Carson calls him the second founder of Christianity. By foot, he covered twenty miles daily, across relentless mountain ranges and through swampy wastelands, bringing the message of the murdered but not defeated Messiah. Severely flogged, maliciously stoned and completely broke, he continued to bring a timeless message to a tumultuous world. He was sold out in sending out the message of the gospel to the outer-most parts of the planet. It is of no surprise that the risen Lord called him “my chosen instrument,” and for good reason (Acts 9:15). Continue Reading…

There is probably no better place for a young guy to grow spiritually, at an exponential rate, than in a solid, biblical seminary. I believe the two other places that take precedence in the spiritual formation of a young Christian is marriage and a ministry assignment within the context of a local church. No matter how many podcasts pastors you have listened to, how many theology blogs you have read and how many Christian conferences that you have attended – it will not prepare you as excellently and expediently as seminary will. Continue Reading…

I have been thinking a lot lately about the future of Christianity in a post-Christian culture. This is of course where we find ourselves today. Many basic virtues and values that were at one time held in a tight fist have been loosened to accommodate limp-wristed relativity.

When I was growing up in the home of my parents, it was precisely their role to pass down the faith to me. They did this wonderfully. Dad and mom continued to share with me the beauty of the gospel. They modeled for me a basic Christianity where Jesus was the centerpiece of worship and the church was a place of worship. I was always on the receiving end of instruction, admonition, discipleship and teaching. But I have realized for a good while now — that it is my turn to take this baton of faith, which has been carefully passed on to me — and to do the same for this up and coming generation. This adds a type of pressure that many of you reading this might not have experienced before.

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I believe that very early on in your adult life, you have to answer this question: As a leader, do you want to make a point or do you want to make a difference? An answer to this single question will guide and direct the entire span and sum of your life.

Your answer to this question will shape and mold you as the leader. The answer to this question will have a significant impact on the people who are led by you. Here is why: Continue Reading…

If you are at all interested in what is going on throughout the sphere of evangelical americana, you probably did not miss this dust-up. Your opinion of any preacher or speaker is of course entirely a personal preference.

They did provide some really weighty advice to young leaders. It is good for us to read it and to pay attention to it. Here we go, straight from the heavy-weights: Continue Reading…

A healthy team is a unified team. A healthy team, although highly desired is not naturally produced. Healthy teams are formed not inherently conceived.

You might be on a team with small group leaders. It might be a church leadership team. It might be a team within a department in your organization. If you want to achieve greatness within your team and with your team, there are certain signs that need to be evident. Without these twenty things, your team is headed for a catastrophe: Continue Reading…

Recently, the lines have been blurred between relevance and reverence. It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between what is distinctly Christian content and what is not.

The reason for this is because every side is positioning themselves as doing what they do in Jesus’ name and for the proliferation of Jesus’ fame. Both the relevant and the reverent tribes have a sleuth of Scripture verses ready to tweet out in defense of their preferred method of operation. Continue Reading…