Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

This is a little bit out of order than the original post. I talked about spending time with God, spending time with others, and then sharing your story. However, we have to talk about sharing your story before we can discuss spending time with others. So the question is: what does it mean to shareContinue reading “Share Your Story”

As a Christian, it seems obvious that you should spend time with God. But what does that actually mean? How do you do it? How often should you do it? How do you develop the habits and skills and practices in order to actually spend time with God? It is enough to be in-dwelt withContinue reading “Spend Time With God”

I celebrated the big 40th birthday in May this year. Every birthday reminds me that my body is getting older, and I must care for it and steward it well (My younger staff members… AHEM! Nate Stevens, also remind me I’m getting a little older as well). I know the method, eat right and exercise.Continue reading “Eat Right and Exercise”

What does it mean to Fill Up and Live Out? If we are going to use this as our tag line for Student Ministry, then we should have a purpose for it. Better yet, how do we go about helping the students embody this statement, and why do we do it?  Ultimately, we are toContinue reading “Fill Up and Live Out”

When I was younger, I used to love watching American Idol with my parents. More specifically, I loved watching the first few episodes when it was just the preliminary tryouts. I always found it amusing to watch the people who came in, sung horribly, dressed funny, or said or did something weird, and then leftContinue reading “Criticism and Correction”

Scripture warns us about this. “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation,Continue reading “Contending for the Faith”

Prayer  “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be  your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us  this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And  lead us not into temptation, but deliver usContinue reading “Prayer”

When I was five or six years old, I, like most kids, had fears to conquer. Mine was due to seeing a movie a little earlier than I should have. That movie was Stephen King’s “The IT.” It was a terrifying movie about a clown. After watching this movie, I had constant nightmares, and asContinue reading “True Hope”

The Psalmist David had no shortage of words in Psalm 119 that call our attention to an action on our part. Words such as: keep, delight in, seek after, speak of, fear (respect), trust, and choose, to name a few. So many more words speak to my heart of the active and living Word of God,Continue reading “Reading That Transforms”

You’ve likely heard the C.S. Lewis quote, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to a deaf world.” It’s impossible to mimic the acute focus that suffering provides. It quiets distractions, and quickly reveals who we functionallyContinue reading “Don’t Waste Your Suffering”