5 ways to be the church

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant...

The church’s first love

When we were getting ready to plant the church 10 years ago, we decided to work through a book called Don’t Call it a Comeback, edited by Kevin DeYoung and written by a number of prominent pastors. The general idea of the book was to root deeply into what had always...

How servants lead

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,...

A call to servanthood

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another,...

A few days away

I had the privilege of going over to Great Commandment Ministries (GCM) in Yakima for the first part of this week to teach on the Theology of Creativity. My connection to this ministry came through Pete Williamson, who taught there a number of times before joining the...

Jonah’s prayer life and the Psalms

This last Sunday, we talked about how the second chapter of Jonah points us forward to Christ and His sacrifice and descent to the grave. However, one of the things that stands out as we dig a little deeper into this chapter is that it is a combination of several...