That’s right, my title is biting off TLC a little. That’s aight. At least this thing ain’t called “Red Light Special”.

“I have tweeted 4 times and updated my Facebook status twice today”. Ten years ago only a modern day John the Baptist or Nostradamus would have any idea what the heck that statement means. Social networking is simply a game changer when it comes to the way people communicate and relate to one another. “Oh my gosh, I follow you on Twitter” is definitely an awkward way to introduce yourself to someone you’ve never met face to face. Today, you can instantly connect with anyone in the world. I just Skyped on my laptop with my friend in Australia who was on his iPhone in his front yard.  Texting allows us to skip the formalities of hi, how are you, and get right to the point. By the way,Texting surpassed phone calls in 2007 and it will never go back again.

Since it is inevitable that technology will keep connecting people on almost unimaginable levels in the coming years, it brings up …

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I am a Christian. I am a husband, father, son, and friend. I am a pastor. I am an American. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the source of my feelings on a particular issue because I am complex. We all are. Because I am a Christian, I strive every day to make sure that I have a Biblical worldview, that is to say, a view of life that is entirely seen through the lens of God’s Word. This is not always an easy task. Why? Well, because as I mentioned I am a husband, a father, a son…etc… there are so many things that make up who I am. Plus, I am just straight opinionated.

Last night it was announced that one of the most evil men of recent history was killed. Is there an appropriate way to feel when you find out an evil man has been killed? The reason for my question is pretty straightforward. The responses to the news on Twitter and Facebook seemed mixed within Christian circles. Granted I would say that nearly 80 per cent …

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You will not pray for something you have no hope for.

What else is prayer, especially effectual fervent prayer, than putting your faith in God and believing that He will do what only He can do. Anything else that falls beyond the realm of hope, people simply give up on.

How many dreams have been trashed? How many lives have been discarded? How many destinies have been abandoned? How many sicknesses have won a battle in which they should have been defeated? All because someone lost hope.

Psalms 27:13

13 I had almost given up my hope of seeing the blessing of the Lord in the land of the living. (Bible in Basic English Version)

The KJV says, “I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” I grew up in an organization that used to sing way more about heaven than this life. I’ll Fly Away and Beulah Land are great old songs, and I do believe that where your treasure is there your heart is also, but what is life if we have lost …

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I’m not huge on poetry but I wrote this a couple of years ago after I went through a huge test of my faith. I may have failed the test in some ways but God’s love has a way of running into me wherever I go.

The weight of failure presses on my shoulders

My crimes leave stains on my skin

Heavy laden with regret

Discoloration…nothing pristine anymore

I feel something like a magnet

Drawing my emotions to a realm unseen

A hope mixed with sadness and joy

I remember how much I love You

All You’ve done to love me

Pressure turns into an embrace

My skin dissolves as my spirit becomes material before my eyes

Restored.

Renewed.

It’s not about me.

I remember You.

This mirror has reminded me…

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Proverbs 4:23

23             Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Having a family with 2 small kids (soon to be 3) it is very important to me that the content of what media we consume is not only age appropriate for my children but also edifying as well. There are plenty of shows that have an age appropriate rating that seems to be satisfactory but do not have the kind of message or spirit that we want our family to take in.

I’d like to offer a few websites that we use to help evaluate movies. I’m recommending kids-in-mind.com and movieguide.org. They are great resources to evaluate the content of films before u see them.

Kids In Mind does not review the quality of the film simply the content.Here is the kids-in-mind rating explanation. It has a 3 number rating. The first number is for sex and nudity, the second is violence and gore, the third is profanity. For instance the recent Justin Beiber movie received a 2.1.1. As you can see pretty safe.

Movieguide has similar ratings but also reviews the quality from a filmmaking AND Christian worldview (separate …

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We think in linear fashion. God does not. The name Alpha and Omega buries that notion. That is why Jesus is seen in the book of Revelation as a slain lamb by John and is later referred to as the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world. How can He die before there was anyone to die for? I think you get the point. That is why Gods Word is to be viewed as a complete work. God did not give Moses instructions to start out the first page of his book with the words “Old Testament”. God did not give Matthew instructions to start out the first page of his book with the words “New Testament”.

John 1:1 tells us that Jesus IS the Word. Not just the New Testament, the whole thing. Some people do not hold a very high view of scripture. If someone holds a very low view of scripture, they are likely to change God’s Word, interpret its meaning so drastically wrong that it becomes invalid, or just write part of it off. God’s written …

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During a time of loss or tragedy you hear people offer a lot of sympathy. When I was much younger I would try and say something profound to people who were grieving with the hopes that I could bring some peace or resolution to their suffering. Many times I ended up making things worse so over the years I have tried to let people know how much I love them and also let them know that despite how things may appear, God is always good.

Sometimes people say things out of habit though, that are just not true. One of the things I have heard lately is that Dave was an angel and God needed him now. I want to address that.

First of all, I had the privilege of putting my hand on Dave’s shoulder the first time he ever felt the presence of the Lord when was 13 at our youth conference. I watched hip weep as this quiet introverted boy became a man of rock-solid faith. From that moment forward I was able to experience nearly every facet of …

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Today I have had an opportunity to sit back and truly think about what happened at City of Life through our Blink: The Door production.  It is one of the largest evangelistic outreaches in the history of our county. Since Blink began I have been getting dozens of messages every day from people who have found hope in Christ and that truly makes me happy.

One mom wrote me and said that her daughter had been taking boxing lessons before she knew the Lord at Blink. She came home after practice the next day and said, “Something doesn’t feel right anymore. I don’t want to hurt anyone now, I’m different”. Now I’m not coming down on boxing or other violent sports, (like football =)) but I think it is such a powerful thing when God turns people’s hearts and their outward life begins to reflect the inward change they have experienced.

One young man said that he was addicted to pills for two years and he hasn’t even had the desire since he accepted Christ on opening night.

Another satisfying element of what …

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Living life with a Biblical worldview can sometimes be uncomfortable when conversations with certain people reach a point of contention. Such a moment occurred with me the other day when I was asked, very frankly, by a self proclaimed atheist if I believed in a literal hell. My answer apparently enraged her. She considers the notion of hell to be a contrived means of manipulating weak minded people into following a bunch of made up rules so that organized religion can manipulate people to eventually drain them of all their money, intelligence, and free-will. (or something like that) Though it is not a very original argument, I was enjoying the conversation.

She told me that I can only compel others by fear because of the prospect of hell. This brings up an interesting point. Can we effectively preach the gospel without preaching hell?

A couple of points to ponder.

1. Jesus clearly taught on hell.

Matthew 8:11-12, Mark 9:42-48, Luke 16:19-31

2. Since God is omnipresent, hell is the presence of God in His full judgment and wrath.

3. Hell is just because God is just.

4. Hell is …

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After Elijah called down fire against the prophets of Baal in the spiritual Superbowl, he informed King Ahab that there was a “sound of heavy rain”. Ahab had just been through 3 years of being called out by God. Elijah had prayed for the drought and God brought it to humble Ahab and the nation. The Baal’s they worshipped were specifically honored for things like fertility, harvest, and…RAIN. After Elijah proved, by God’s mighty hand, that there is no question whose God is the strongest, there was no need for the drought so Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of heavy rain”.

Even when you are a great person of faith who has seen the miraculous, there is always a moment where a huge demand is put on your faith. Elijah knew that God had caused the drought and he knew God would end it. Still, Elijah climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel (revisiting the place where God had done amazing things before ) and bent down with his face between …

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