Writing
Essays and working ideas from more than fifteen years of writing about faith, leadership, discipleship, the church, family, and life in Austin.
Start here
New here? These four pieces offer a way into the writing: what shapes the church, how we lead, and how faith takes form in community. Begin with the recent essays, then explore the earlier work that helped shape those questions.
The church and the Spirit · 2026
The Organizing Principle of the Church
Start with a recent reflection on how spiritual gifts shape the church, and why I’m revisiting an old conviction about mission.
Leadership in practice · 2026
Leadership and Administration
Why leading people and bringing order to the work are gifts to recognize and steward, and what gets lost when we treat them only as skills.
Community and mission · 2013
What is a Missional Community? – Definition
A short introduction to the definition we used at The Austin Stone, and why a community of Christians is essential to a faithful witness.
Leading through change · 2013
Transitioning Your Church to Missional Communities
The opening of a practical series on our transition at The Austin Stone, with lessons about patience, learning, and the time real change takes.
For sustained explorations of a topic, browse the Selected Series.
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Missional community · Leadership · Christianity · Church · Personal · Austin Stone · Discipleship · Theology
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Discipleship | The Austin Stone Summer Conference
I’m on a panel called “Making Disciples in the Church” for The Austin Stone’s Summer Conference. Below are the questions I’m being asked (phrased from the point of a facilitator). Section 1 How did you start…
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Today is Baby Day!
Today, by God’s grace we will be welcoming Hudson Noah Engstrom (AKA The Deuce) into the world! You can find our updates here. Please pray for our family today!
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Today Was a Great Day
Every once in awhile, you have an absolutely outstanding day, and God’s faithfulness is overwhelming. Today was one of them. Here’s the rundown: Donuts with my wife and son Sermon prep Meeting discussing future vision of…
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Pastoring a Wedding
I’ve really grown to enjoy the role of officiating weddings as a pastor. I’ve had the opportunity to perform a half-dozen weddings over the last year–some for old friends, some for new friends–and I am consistently…
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Spontaneous Emergence and Connectivity | Alan Hirsch meets Seth Godin
I came across this quote today from Alan Hirsch, and thought it dove-tailed nicely into my thoughts on assimilation as connectivity. Most change in complex systems is emergent; that is to say it comes about as…
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Tribes Thoughts | Leadership is Influence
One good insight from Tribes has been thinking through how leadership is influence, which is practically exercised through commonality of an idea and communication. Godin’s most basic argument is that marketing has changed the rules for…
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Refreshing Perspective | The Blueprint
I’ve really enjoyed reading Jaeson Ma’s book The Blueprint: A Revolutionary Plan to Plant Missional Communities on Campus. Jaeson is certainly cut from a different theological tree than I am, but I have been challenged and…
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Passivity | Between Two Worlds
The following is a quip from Kevin DeYoung’s Just Do Something (via Between Two Worlds). Passivity is a plague among Christians. It’s not just that we don’t do anything; it’s that we feel spiritual for not…
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Biblical/Theological Preaching
Halim Suh’s sermon from Sunday at The Austin Stone is an excellent example of applying biblical theology to understanding a difficult text of scripture. Halim did a fantastic job of grappling with 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 by…
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Tribes Thoughts | Assimilation is Connectivity
In Tribes, Seth Godin talks about Senator Bill Bradley’s elements of movement: A narrative that tells the story of who the tribe is and the alternate future they are building Connection between the movement leader and…
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One Reason I Love the iPhone
Mobile note taking. I’ve never been one for writing thoughts down because I never wanted to carry a journal or notepad. Now I have an easy way to joy notes as I go, and sync them…
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Tribes
I just started reading this book (which is really more just a collection of thoughts), and it has been sparking some good thoughts in me. It naturally makes you re-examine your leadership and the people you…