Category: gospel
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Hope that Does Not Put Us to Shame
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…
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Meekness, Humility, and Humiliation
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…
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From Faith, By Faith, and For Faith
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…
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Strategies I Use to Share the Gospel
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…
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Jesus and Mission
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…
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An Interview with Eric Geiger
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!
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The Difficulty of Balancing Ministry and Discipleship
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…
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Soccer and the Kingdom of God
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…
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Individualism and Community
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,…
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Consumerism and Community
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…
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Reflecting on Camden
As I’ve been with my family through the ordeal with Camden, there have been a few thoughts that have really struck me. In no particular order, here they are: -I learned what it is like to beg God…really beg, like I’m desperate for you to do SOMETHING beg. I’ve fervently prayed many times, but I’m…
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Good Friday – Isaiah 53
Isaiah 53 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? [1] And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty…