pastoring
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Four Moments in Four Days
Four days. Four moments. One thread: discipleship. Omaha, a podcast I will not name, a training in Liberty Hill, and a Sunday at The Stone, and what they showed me is that the terms and the…
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Lessons I Shared With a Younger Leader
What sustains a leader over decades is slow formation rather than visible success, a long obedience in the same direction. A younger pastor in Austin came with a notebook full of questions, and these are the…
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Gratitude for Partnership in the Gospel
Christian community is not built on consumerism but on covenant partnership, sustained not by preference but by promise. I used to teach at The Stone that we should aim for mission over community, and I have…
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Jesus Has All Authority—Stop “Releasing” People to Do Ministry
If you are in Christ, you have been commissioned, and you do not need a second opinion or a stamp of approval to make disciples. A friend recently told me he wanted to do that in…
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2025 Theme: Patience and Presence
My two words for 2025 are patience and presence, and both cut against how I usually operate, because I tend to run with a pretty high motor. Patience is not passivity, it is an active trust…
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Questions to Answer in Transition
I’ve primarily been focusing on missional communities over the last few months, but I wanted to take a quick break and post on another topic. Recently I’ve had a number of conversations with people who are…
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The Lobby – Day 2
Today has been another encouraging and challenging day of conversation, and has left me with some good thinking to do. Session 5: Mission and Community We began the day today talking through the idea of mission,…
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The Lobby – Day 1
It’s been a great day gathering with so many thoughtful and humble leaders here in Atlanta. Today was centered around four different discussions: Session 1: Disciple Making Our first discussion centered around the idea of making…
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The Lobby Conference
This week I will be spending time with many of the best and brightest small group thinkers in the country at The Lobby. I’m so thankful for our gracious hosts, North Point Community Church, and my friend…
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Ministry vs. Discipleship
My friend Sean Eppers posted some content on the Woodlands Point Pastor’s blog that Tyler David and I did on “Ministry vs. Discipleship” for one of our staff meetings awhile ago. Below is a sample: Ministry…
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The Church and The Surprising Offense of God’s Love
I’ve been reading The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love by Jonathan Leeman, and although I’ve had some disagreements with the book, it has been an excellent read. I wanted to share a few…
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Being a Pastor – Fun Sunday Questions
Here’s a rundown of some of the questions I was asked today from a variety of different people: Are you a young earth or old earth creationist? Can you tell me where the bathroom is? Can…