The Shame Game
Shame is a story you tell yourself about yourself. Like a news ticker thatruns in the background of our minds, we have shame scripts that say: “I am unworthy, I…
Shame is a story you tell yourself about yourself. Like a news ticker thatruns in the background of our minds, we have shame scripts that say: “I am unworthy, I…
The best predictor of success in life, in love, and in leadership is your proficiency at please, sorry, and thanks. Those three words are the foundation of all healthy relationships…
For better or worse, our words function as self-fulfilling prophecies and create worlds. If you want to change the world, change your words. Just as ships are steered with a…
The secret to self-control is to make decisions against your ego, flesh and second bests in life. Establish goals. An absence of goals is an absence of faith. Establish boundaries…
In psychology, mental health has a scale from FLOURISHING to DEPRESSION. FLOURISHING is evidenced by things like optimism and empathy and authenticity. DEPRESSION is evidenced by things like hopelessness and…
Pandemics and crises feels a little bit like the GRINCH that stole Christmas for some of us, but we made a decision at the beginning of this ADVENT series—CHOOSE HOPE.…
The Hebrew word for peace is SHALOM. Shalom is RELATIONAL HARMONY and it’s four-dimensional. It’s right relationship with God, Self, Others, and Creation. How do we experience the peace…
Doubt is both a common and shared experience for many of us in the Beloved community. Although doubt can be a disorientating and a confusing experience, Christ walked through a…
Humility is not thinking less of yourself or having low self-esteem, it is thinking of yourself less, by thinking of others and God more. As the Spirit of God dwells…
“In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar. But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so…
At the end of the day, I want to be famous in my home. Success is when those who know you best respect you most. It starts with the last…
We live at the intersection of two theologies, two realities. The faithfulness of God is pursuing from the past—SO FAR SO GOD. And the sovereignty of God is setting us…
God wants to bless you beyond your ability to ask or imagine! The very first thing God does, after creating us in His image, is to bless us. Blessing is…
“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is…
I love back-stories, the story behind the story. Many years ago, our family watched the hit movie The Blind Side, and we loved it. The film is about a boy…
Time is measured in MINUTES, but life is measured in MOMENTS. You don’t FIND TIME, you have to MAKE TIME. How? For starters, curse the barren fig trees. These are…
If you find yourself in a dark place, Pastor Mark shares four helpful hacks:1) It’s always darkest before dawn2) Widen your aperture3) Live in day-tight compartments4) Let your light shine…
One of the greatest gifts God can give us is letting us get to the end of our rope! That’s often when and where and how we discover that there…
As the people of God, we live COUNTERCULTURE. When we love our enemies, heaven invades earth. When we pray for those who persecute us, heaven invades earth. When we bless…
It takes moral courage to STAND AGAINST what is WRONG and STAND FOR what is RIGHT. It takes moral courage to SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER, to SPEAK THE TRUTH IN…
We think forwards, but God is working backwards. God begins with the end in mind. Occasionally, he pulls back the curtain of time and reveals His plans and His purposes…
Life is infinitely uncertain and God is infinitely complex. The net result? Doubt. We think of doubt in negative terms, but it’s a key catalyst when it comes to faith.…
Joy. It’s not getting what you want. It’s appreciating what you have. Joy isn’t always the easiest choice or the obvious choice, but joy is a choice. The Apostle Paul…
Hebrews 12:27 moment—everything that can be shaken will be shaken. God is shaking false securities and false identities, false assumptions, and false narratives, false idols, and false ideologies. But we…
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” It’s only six words, but it’s an urgent exhortation with exponential implications. The word “obey” in Latin means “to give ear.” God speaks in…
Did you know that an observant Jew says a bare minimum of one hundred blessings per day? Those blessings cover the gamut of human experience. They offer a blessing before…
Psalm 139 fascinates me when I read “you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” I can’t help but picture in my mind that double helix design of DNA. God is knitting…
Without the Holy Spirit, we’re ordinary in every way. With the Holy Spirit, all things all possible. His anointing is the X Factor—it helps us do what we do better…
I have hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim and I have hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, I’ve done a couple of triathlons but that marathon was the…
Science fiction speaks to some of our deepest dreams and longings. It captures our imagination. And that’s why we love fiction. The old adage: truth is stranger than fiction is…
Joy is triumphant elation in the face of great loss. Joy is not getting what you want, it’s appreciating what you already have. You are God’s workmanship! Preached…
In the beginning, God created humankind in His image. We have been creating God in our image ever since. But what you end up with is a god who looks…
You can’t really appreciate the mercy of God if you don’t understand the wrath of God. And if you don’t have a handle on the justice of God, then you…
God’s name, YAHWEH, is spoken without the vowels. In fact, when a Jew spoke the Hebrew words, it was a whisper-a breath. God gave us our first breath and we…
Elijah called fire down from heaven. But in a moment of weakness, he doubted God and lost his way. How did God speak to him, and how does He speak…
God is above but He is not pushed up; He is beneath but He is not pressed down. He is outside but He is not excluded. He is inside but…
God has blessings for you in categories that you don’t even know exist. Preached at National Community Church.
I love history and I love America! Thought I’d share a little of both in a brief article. For the record, this isn’t a dissertation. It’s a blog. And I’m…
Wise Men followed the star. They jumped for joy, and they came bringing gifts. Mary and Joseph needed a miracle and it was provided by someone that God sent from…
Sometimes it is the troubles of life that get you exactly where God wants you to go. They are so scary when you are right in the middle of them.…
The secret to self-control is to make decisions against your ego, flesh and second bests in life. Establish goals. An absence of goals is an absence of faith. Establish boundaries…
The miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection doesn’t just foreshadow the resurrection of Christ, it foreshadows yours! When we sin, our soul is wrapped in grave clothes. Sin buries us alive. Sin…
What do we learn from Cain? Don’t play the comparison game. Jealousy and pride will kill you. Pray for the people you want to kill. Love someone you don’t like.…
Psalm 37 teaches us to enjoy God, to trust He will give us right desires. We don’t need to be anxious. Just walk in faith and do good. Preached at…
“Bless” is the most frequently used word in the Old Testament. Don’t fail to bless God and honor Him. To fail to bless Him is to rob Him of His…
Can you really argue that we are fearfully and wonderfully made? I became enamored with Science in a class in immunology at the University of Chicago. I know just about…
Let me chat with those of you who are control freaks. I’m a control freak, a perfectionist. I’m a Type A personality. I want to control everything! It is human…
We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Instead, we need to start playing offense with our lives. The world needs…
The somewhat seedy Book of Judges reveals a repeated pattern in the history of Israel. Life in Israel gets really bad. In fact, the only time the Israelites turned to…
How do you experience healing for the shame wounds in your life? Confess your sin. change your lifestyle. God believes in you. Don’t be afraid to pray simple, honest prayers.…
Nothing is more difficult to tame than the tongue, but this message will teach you how to listen longer, brag differently, criticize wisely and encourage more.
When you are dealing with someone, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Differentiate between the Holy Spirit’s revelation and your manipulation. Don’t ignore red flags. Don’t internalize, verbalize. And finally,…
There’s a genesis moment when we begin to pray, then we need to keep praying and believe that God is contending for us if it is in the will of…
In a sermon inspired by The Circle Maker, Pastor Batterson teaches about the desperate prayer in Luke 11. Desperate prayers mean you are going to pray and pray through until…
We all fight the three-headed dragon: the god of Me, Mine and More. In 1 Peter 5, Paul teaches us how to be humble and place Christ first in our…
Five principles should be considered when approaching the topic of Christianity and politics: blood is thicker than water, our Kingdom is spiritual, don’t pass judgment on disputable matters, if you…
Overflow with hope, the word overflow means to super-abound, to be filled to the brim, it would speak of a container that is filled where you can’t pick it up,…
We subconsciously feel like we need to bribe or blackmail God, that somehow for us to get what we want, we need to manipulate God into it. We employ the…
Altars are markers that remind us of God’s work in our lives. Four altars we can construct are for remembering God’s revelations, for remembering decisions we have made, for giving…
Being a good parent begins by loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. Listen for God’s voice to guide children need to hear you pray. Make bedtime…
The miracle of the talking donkey is about obedience to Christ. When Balaam refused to listen to God’s commands, God used a donkey to prevent him from blessing God’s enemies.…
Breakthroughs often follow breakdowns. All of us love breakthroughs right? We love spiritual breakthroughs when God answers a prayer or some miracle happens. We love breakthroughs, but in my experience,…
Events happen in our lives that are jarring or disorienting. It rattles the cage. You get a bad diagnosis or a pink slip or divorce papers and what happens is…
Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges…
I think there is faith on the near side of doubt and it’s a very shallow, superficial faith. Then there is faith on the far side of doubt, and if…
Do you find tailgating irritating? It can be comforting. Here’s what I’m trying to say. The book of Psalms begins the word ‘blessed.’ This word choice is significant. In fact,…
The Israelites didn’t want to be facing the Red Sea with the Egyptian Army breathing down their necks. They thought God made a mistake. But it’s because we are totally…
I love back-stories, the story behind the story. Our family watched the hit movie The Blind Side, and we loved it. The film is about a boy named Big Mike…
Self-examination is a lost spiritual art. This message will help you learn to discern and make sure you are “in the faith.” Preached at National Community Church. Please wait for…
Conscientious Christians need to think critically and biblically and tactfully about every issue facing our country. I think every political issue has spiritual overtones or undertones. I think we need…
Nehemiah, the king’s waiter turned national leader, mobilized the Jews and rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem. He was a leader of power, passion, and limitless faith. We can also be…
When it comes to measuring spiritual maturity, it’s about the fruit of the Spirit. If you plant yourself in the right place and let your roots grow deep, your impact…
The apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from a dark prison cell in Rome. We learn much about inner joy and contentment from his story.The prisons of loneliness,…
Social scientists tell us that 70% of happiness is the byproduct of relationships, yet a lot of us look in a lot of different places for happiness. We will often…
Two thousand years ago the term “disciple” was synonymous with danger. We tend to remove the risk from the Gospel. Jesus did not die to keep you safe. He died…
In the 1990s, a psychologist by the name of Anders Ericsson and some colleagues did a study at Berlin’s Elite Academy of Music. They divided violinists into three categories –…
Disasters and detours in our lives jar and disorient us. They “rattle the cage.” You get a bad diagnosis or a pink slip or divorce papers. Often those things…
Sometimes our plans have to fail in order for God’s plans to succeed. Divine detours and delays are the ways God gets us where He wants us to go. Paul’s…
God’s forgiveness of us is contingent upon our forgiveness of others. If we don’t forgive others, we put ourselves in a spiritual prison. The only way to be set free…
Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit An Geadh-Glas or the Wild Goose. A wild goose can’t be tracked or tamed. Unpredictability or a hint of mystery or an element of…
At some point in our journey, most of us trade adventure for routine. While some routines can be good, we have to be careful. Sacred routines become empty rituals that…
Our assumptions keep many of us from faith. As we age, many of us stop believing and start assuming. We stop living out of our right brain imagination and start…
John 1 says that Jesus “was full of grace and truth.” Grace means, “I’m going to love you no matter what.” Truth means “I’m going to be honest with your…
Blind spots and facades can cripple our relationships. We must learn to receive honest feedback and speak the truth in love.
God’s limitless love is beyond logic. How can we pass it on? Love someone when they least expect it and least deserve it. Read Pastor Mark’s Sermon in Punjabi.
We want to do amazing things for God, but that isn’t our job. God is the One who does amazing things for us. Our job? To consecrate ourselves to God.…