Welcome to my blog. I mostly write about Christian Living, but I enjoy the Kentucky Wildcats, New Orleans Saints, and a good cup of coffee.
All in church
We live in a time where it could be argued that we are more connected than ever. Phones, tablets, social media, and online gaming make talking to someone as easy as picking up a device and tapping the screen a few times. However, people seem more lonely, sad, and anxious than they’ve ever been. What’s going on?
I grew up in a time where it was cool to hate on the church. “I love Jesus, but not the church.” Maybe you’ve heard a statement like that. Maybe you’re like me and you’ve actually said a statement like that. I’m thankful that the Lord helps us grow in wisdom and sanctification. One cannot love Jesus and hold disdain for his bride. It is true that no church is perfect and that every church is messy, which is why I’m thankful for this new book by Dustin Benge.
I wanted to take a little time to share about a series that still seems to be releasing titles, but I think can have a big impact on you and your church. The 9Marks Church Questions Series is made up of little books answering big questions. These books can be read in under an hour and are packed with great truth to answer hard questions that you or your church members may have.
What gives me pause is how Long Hollow is stewarding this massive move of the Spirit. They have totally bought into the online campus model. They consider their live stream a literal online campus. They have prayer groups meeting online, they are pushing online children’s and student (youth) ministries, and they even have an online campus pastor. For all intents and purposes they consider online just as much a campus as the main campus people are physically at when you’re watching online.
Jonathan Leeman has written a book that many will find very unpopular. I'm pretty sure he has to be aware of this fact, but I'm also sure his hope is to convince the reader that he is right. In his new book One Assembly, Leeman argues that the biblical model for church is one gathered assembly—no multiple services, no multiple sites—just once service. Is Leeman's argument convincing?
I think 9Marks is one of the best organizations for church help. They are regularly putting out articles, podcasts, magazines, and books to help churches, church leaders, and church members answer the question, "How should I think about this?" One of their newest resources is the Church Questions series, which they partnered with Crossway to bring about.
I saw a video the other day advocating that parents skip church on some Sunday mornings to go and have church with their kids in some location like the park or by the lake. The guy was arguing that a.) the church is a people and not a place and b.) that parents should be the primary ones teaching their kids about God
The Church has often mistakenly treated marriage like some sort of holy grail…
When I was in college, I approached a guy that I considered wise and asked if He would mentor me. He proceeded to invite my roommate and I to his house for dinner regularly…
“I like Jesus, but I don’t like the church,” is what I used to say. “I’m a Christian, but my relationship with Jesus is personal.” Back when I was in high school and college, I was heavily into the Christian rock scene.
Almost every Sunday I give announcements in our weekly service and pray before our time of giving. After giving announcements, I used to try and find a meaningful Scripture to read that applied to giving and then pray off the top of my head. Lately, I’ve been taking a different approach; I have been writing out my prayer and reading it.
I’m at summer camp. When I was in middle/high school I went to a lot of camps and had a lot of interesting experiences. Never in my life did I think I’d be the one taking students to camp. Yet, here I am. This is my third year and third different camp. I’m becoming a pro at the whole camp thing. Sunburns and sicknesses: I’ve dealt with it all. Camp is wild, exhausting, fun, and frustrating all at the same time.
