Todd Engstrom

Category: gospel

  • Forerunning, Not Competing

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in , , ,

    I recently got back from a spring break trip to Florida—family, friends, sunshine, the usual mix of chaos and rest that comes with traveling with kids. I left a day early, though. My oldest had a playoff soccer game, so I packed up and hit the road solo while everyone else stayed behind. That night,…

  • Lost and Led: Learning to Trust Jesus in the Unknown

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in , ,

    I hate feeling lost. I love leading. Recently, I found myself in an environment where I had zero familiarity—a dance competition for my daughter. Let’s just say I’m not exactly a seasoned “dance dad.” I showed up feeling like I had been dropped behind enemy lines with no map. The dance world has its own…

  • Hope that Does Not Put Us to Shame

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in ,

    Early this week, I found myself staring at the daunting task ahead. A quarter of my time has already passed for support-raising, and as I evaluated the results so far, I felt the creeping weight of doubt. Will I reach the goal? Some days, it just seems insurmountable. To make matters harder, I was receiving…

  • Meekness, Humility, and Humiliation

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in ,

    In the trials I experienced during the fall of 2023, one of the most profound insights I received came during a conversation with a friend. As we worked through conflict, he encouraged me to ask God for and pursue meekness. The word struck me. I have always relied on intelligence, and leadership roles have often…

  • From Faith, By Faith, and For Faith

    From Faith, By Faith, and For Faith

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in ,

    In this transition to a new season of ministry, I’ve been reflecting quite a bit on the journey God has led us through. I have often described this interstitial season as a feeling of “wandering in the wilderness,” which is an allusion to Israel and Exodus. While I can’t see fully what lies ahead, I…

  • Strategies I Use to Share the Gospel

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in

    I’ve been teaching a Theological Survey course at The Austin Stone this past fall and spring, and it has been a great experience in equipping the saints to think deeply about God, to love Him with a whole heart, and obey His commandments with willing hands.  Yesterday, one of the class participants asked me about…

  • Jesus and Mission

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in , ,

    I’ve spilt quite a bit of digital ink over the last few months working through the reasons why we pursue missional communities, the core practices of missional communities, leadership systems for missional communities, and a variety of other practical things related to missional communities. For today’s post, I wanted to share a sermon that my…

  • An Interview with Eric Geiger

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in ,

    My friend Eric Geiger did a short Skype interview with me on the topic of the Gospel and Community.  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

  • The Difficulty of Balancing Ministry and Discipleship

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in , , ,

    I’ve found that it can be extremely difficult to continually cultivate the centrality of discipleship, or the process of selectively investing a small number of individuals in order to teach obedience to what Jesus taught (Matthew 28:18-20). I tend to think of Ministry and Discipleship in two different grids: Ministry Discipleship Reactive Proactive Low relational…

  • Soccer and the Kingdom of God

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in , ,

    I played soccer up until high school, and always enjoyed the game, so when it came time to put Micah into sports, soccer was a natural choice.  After a few stints at the YMCA, we joined our neighborhood league and I volunteered to help coach our team. It’s been an interesting few weeks in the…

  • Individualism and Community

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in ,

    I think, therefore I am. One simple phrase that Descartes penned helped define a worldview for a future generation. No longer would humanity be fettered with group-think, old wives tales, and crude explanation. No, we would be released into the glorious future of rationalistic reasoning and society would soar to new heights. Centuries have passed,…

  • Consumerism and Community

    —

    by

    Todd Engstrom
    in ,

    Consumers, simply speaking, are people who purchase goods and services to meet a perceived need. In the most basic of forms, consumption is necessary to human existence. Each and every one of us is a consumer of something. But what happens when consumption goes from necessity to pleasure, from provision to identity? Consumerism. Our American economic ingenuity…