Category Archives: General

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly says, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Matt. 11:15; 13:43; Mark 4:23; Luke 8:8) It’s an interesting statement because most of the people listening to Jesus had physical ears. The issue wasn’t whether they could hear His words; the issue was whether they were truly listening and responding. The sameContinue reading “Listening and Responding to God’s Voice”

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 This past Sunday at my church, we looked at Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:15-20, where He tells us that a tree is recognized by its fruit. It’s a simple butContinue reading “A Fruitful Relationship”

One of the great struggles we face in life is the temptation to compare ourselves to others. And comparison can pull us in two very different directions. Sometimes we look at someone else’s life and think, I wish I was more like them. We see their gifts, personality, appearance, success, family, or spiritual life, and suddenly whatContinue reading “The Temptation to Compare”

On Sunday mornings, I’ve been walking through a series on the Sermon on the Mount. And one of the things we’ve continually seen throughout this series is just how high the calling of Jesus really is.  As we read His words, we realize that Jesus isn’t simply concerned with outward behavior—He’s after our hearts. HeContinue reading “Jesus Didn’t Come to Shame Us”

In last week’s blog, I asked the question: Who are we listening to? And that question naturally leads to another one: How do we actually hear God’s voice? Because if we’re going to be people who follow His voice, we need to know how to recognize it. In John 10:27, Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; IContinue reading “Hearing His Voice”

“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘“We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”’ -Numbers 13:30 I’ve found that it doesn’t matter where you go or which way you turn, we’re continuously surrounded by voices. And all of them are telling us something different.Continue reading “Listening For His Voice”

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’” -2 Corinthians 12:9 The past several weeks have been one of those seasons for me: the kind where the demands just keep stacking up; the kind where your time doesn’t feel like your own. As a pastor,Continue reading “His Grace is Sufficient”

Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” What a powerful statement. Jesus did not say the world would recognize us by our buildings, our arguments, our social media posts, or our ability to win debates. He said they would know us by our love.Continue reading “Loving One Another in a Divided World”

We live in a time where we are aware of almost everything. Within minutes, we can know what happened across the world, what crisis is unfolding in another state, what controversy is trending online, and what everyone else seems to think about it. We are flooded with information. But recently I heard a pastor sayContinue reading “When Awareness Brings Anxiety”

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” -Luke 9:23 This past week, we celebrated Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. It’s always a powerful and meaningful day as we gather together to remember what Christ has done for us. For many, Easter is theContinue reading “Easter Isn’t Over”