In 2008, I was deep in the middle of my doctorate studies when our first child, Obadiah, was born. A 10-day seminar was scheduled 6 weeks after his birth. As naive young parents, we thought it would be easier if we were all together. I had all-day classes and all-night reading and writing. Obadiah wasn’t sleeping well during those days and neither was …
Since the people got stuck in a cycle of sin during the time of the judges, it showed the need for a stable leader. Instead of relying on God or a godly leader, the people rejected the model of a king they needed. The Rejection of Yahweh Judges 21:25 sets the stage: “In those days there was no king in …
Judas betrayed, the disciples fled, the people accused, and Peter denied. After all Jesus had done for this world, the world abandoned Him. Mark 14:43-72 43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.44 Now the betrayer had …
I am nearing completion on a book that has been simmering in my soul for years now. It is called Wiki God. The book is my attempt to remedy theological misunderstanding by teaching the biblical attributes of God. It has been a difficult yet rewarding endeavor. While I am in editing mode, I wanted to share the description of the book …
As we registered our sons to play Upward Basketball at our church, there was one question lingering at the end of the form. The question read: “Would you be willing to coach your child’s team?” It should have included a checkbox for, “Do you want to be a glutton for punishment?” I realized that I had yet to coach my …
After Joshua settled the people into the Promised Land, the people failed to finish the task of removing idolatry from the area. The people got stuck in a cycle of sin which God would alleviate through the hands of judges. OVERVIEW OF JUDGES In between Joshua’s leadership and the establishment of King Saul, Israel was led by a line of judges. …
What a privilege to serve New Prospect Baptist Church in Inman, SC at their Gospel-Centered Parenting Event. Here are the notes for the 3 sessions on parenting with purpose. #1. Faith of a Child [Deut. 6:4-9] – How do you create your home to be an environment to help nurture the faith of your children? In this session, learn practical …
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” Winston Churchill You don’t have to live that long to figure out that people will tell you their opinions even if you don’t ask for them. Your lifestyle, your decisions, and your faith are all open to speculation for those near enough to observe. From …
We were months away from being married. I was counting down the days. While I loved getting used to calling Amanda my fiancé, I was extremely eager to introduce her to others as my wife. I was looking forward to every aspect of marriage, but there was this thing that got in the way of it – it’s called …
Let’s go a little deeper into the makeup of this wonderful portion of the Bible known as the Psalms. The following info is gathered from Holman Old Testament Commentary: Psalms 1-75. Here are 10 things you might not know about the Psalms: The Book of Psalms is the original hymnbook. Psalm comes from a Greek word meaning “the plucking of strings” indicating …
After wandering through the wilderness for 40 years, Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. As they move into the land, they are to remove any trace of idolatry from within Canaan or within their hearts. JOSHUA OUTLINE Entering the Land (1:1-5:15) Taking the Land (6:1-12:24) Dividing the Land (13:1-21:45) Occupying the Land (22:1-24:33) ENTERING THE LAND Joshua is charged …
Jesus gathered His disciples to celebrate the Passover and to institute the Lord’s Supper. The head of the table not only recalled the Passover sacrifice, but He showed them that He was the true Passover sacrifice. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Psalm 23:5). Mark …
Romance, nurture, and communication takes time. Setting an appointment to spend together is going the first mile, but that isn’t enough to have a thriving marriage. Do you want your relationship to feel vibrant again? It’s time to go the second mile by making time for your marriage. Subscribe to The 2nd Mile Podcast >> 5 Reminders The tragedy of how …
While we see today closely, remember yesterday vaguely, and anticipate tomorrow anxiously, God sees every single day of history as clearly as another. While each of those days have enough to overwhelm us, the eternity of God provides a grounding like no other. “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before …
After the Israelites’ receive the commandments, they begin their trek to reach the Promised Land. Due to their disobedience, they suffer through the wilderness wanderings for forty years. THE REASON FOR THE WANDERINGS The Israelites wandered 40 years in the wilderness before ever reaching the Promised Land. Part of their delay was due to worshiping other gods or idols. One …
As Jesus prepares for His sacrificial offering on the cross, Mary prepared a sacrificial offering for Him through an alabaster jar. As followers of Jesus, there is no gift too extravagant to lay before our Savior. Mark 14:1-11 14:1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were …
Recently, someone asked me a question regarding family discipleship and my wife responded for me, “How much time do you have?” I’m very passionate about the subject. It’s been a burden for our home and ministry. The topic was the focus of my doctorate. Since I talk about it a lot, I often get asked what Bibles or books do …
Before moving into a house, most people go through a home inspection. Years ago, our inspector caught numerous issues that had to be addressed, but he missed a small one. Honestly, the discrepancy was only a few centimeters. I never even noticed it until we had been in the house for quite some time. The discrepancy was a pipe that …
My family and I were still learning our way around the church campus. It had been a few weeks into our new assignment, and we were heading back to the other side of the building to get in the truck and drive home. Somewhere along the way, I started quickening my pace to see if my kids could keep up. …
After God rescued the Israelites from bondage, He provided instructions for them to live by. The commandments were God’s instructions for His people to live a wise and obedient life. Facts Pertaining to the Law The Old Testament contains 613 commandments. All are found in 4 of the 39 books: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The purpose of the Law was …
People have attempted to predict the end times, but Jesus assured that no one will know the precise time. While we don’t have the exact details of Christ’s return, we can hold the certain reality of His return by faith. Mark 13:24-37 24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give …
Every believer has experienced a sense of separation from God at some point on the journey. It can be overwhelming to experience. One of the most crippling things about a time like that is being unaware of why that is happening. Here are 5 reasons God may seem distant from you: #1. Unconfessed Sin First, you could miss the presence …
After we moved into our home, I had the challenging opportunity of getting grass to grow in a new yard. The ground was so compacted, I had to break it up. I bought an aerator for my lawn but it first required some assembly. I didn’t have the exact size wrenches I needed, but I was sure I could make …
Last night, the 91st Academy Awards took place. Regarding the 2019 Oscars, people still question the apparent influence on culture and yet also note how out of touch they are with the rest of society. In some ways, they tell us what to think, and in some ways, they refuse to stay in touch with what the public thinks. In …
After the Israelites are placed into Egypt, they are enslaved and suffer a great injustice. Through the Exodus, God sets the Israelites free. The Reason for the Exodus All of Israel moved into the security of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world (Ex. 1:1-7). Generations later, a new Pharaoh is in leadership who does not know Joseph or …
Providing the people with signs of the times, Jesus prepared them for coming persecution. Jesus taught on the coming end times, not to increase our anxiety in the future, but to increase our activity in the present. Mark 13:1-23 13 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and …
Soli Deo Gloria means “Glory of God alone.” When we discovered that a daughter was on the way, we wanted to name her Gloria. We envisioned that every time we would call her name could serve as a reminder of God’s glory and His glorious call upon her life. To the glory of God alone, our daughter Gloria has received the gospel. …
Churches with an effective mission strategy have pastors who not only cast vision but who are personally involved in the activities of the mission of the church. In this session, we will not share a specific model but rather biblical principles that any pastor of any church of any size can adapt to their context. Audio from Impact Conference 2019 …
My wife and I had just enjoyed a wonderful night of worship with some of the dearest people in our lives. The miles spent to the church out of town was well worth the time. As we all got back in the car for the ride home, our spirits were energized but our bodies were depleted. My wife wanted to …
God covenanted with Abraham to bring about a great nation. As this family grew, God revealed a great plan with an intentional placement of Joseph into the land of Egypt. Jacob’s Transformation Abraham fathers Isaac, and Isaac fathers Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25:21-28). God tells Isaac’s wife, Rebekah that “two nations are in your womb…the older shall serve the younger” …
The rich and distinguished people in Jesus’ day believed that their worldly affluence provided them with divine acceptance. When Jesus praised a poor widow’s offering, He revealed that the heart of giving is more important than the amount of giving. Mark 12:35-44 35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the …
You can learn so much by studying someone’s Bible. In it, they leave clues regarding personal practices. When possible, I love to use someone’s personal Bible when preaching his or her funeral. It is a special connection. That proved to be true yet again while holding Stoney’s Bible. Stoney Huggins passed away at 88. I had the privilege of ministering …
In June 2018, Apple did the unthinkable. They warned everyone regarding an upcoming feature. iPhones were about to release a feature called Screen Time. This new addition would inform you regarding how much time you spent weekly on your phone. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook referenced his beta using of Screen Time and stated, “I’ve been using it and I have …
Someone recently asked me to describe my pastoral political values. What role do I think a pastor should have regarding political issues? Here is my incomplete and imperfect list to consider. Don’t speak on extra-biblical issues as if you had biblical authority. Many people equate the words of a preacher with the words of God. That is a dangerous line …
God’s covenant with Abraham is pivotal not only for an Old Testament understanding but for a global redemptive plan. Through Abraham’s faith, God’s plan for salvation is further revealed. The Call of Abram Yahweh calls Abram to leave his home for another country (Gen. 12:1). God promises to make a great nation from him (Gen. 12:2). He was blessed in …
Out of the 613 commandments in the Old Testament, some religious leaders wanted to know which one that Jesus thought was the most important. Not only did Jesus provide His top two commandments, but He summarized them all and gave His followers a simple direction for all of life. Mark 12:28-34 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard …
Have you ever found yourself comparing your workload with another’s? It’s natural to do. Someone tells you about the great stress regarding what he or she does and inwardly you are somewhat skeptical of how hard that job actually is. You might have even thought to yourself, “Your job sounds easy – you couldn’t handle what I do!” We often …
I used to be so good at being last-minute that I was dangerous. I was dangerous because I knew that I could cram things in right before the deadline. Whether it was a school paper, a home responsibility, or a work project, I figured out where my limit was, and I kept trying to push it. The scary thing was …
While most of us would say that God is great, do we speak in a way worthy of him? God is great. God is big. God is transcendent. The natural line of thinking regarding God’s transcendence is to picture him as higher than us. While that it is true, this attribute is not about him being taller or having a …
After Adam and Eve’s eviction out of Eden, sin continued to run rampant while corrupting God’s good Creation. Through the flood, God made a statement very clearly in that He doesn’t play around with sin. Cain and Abel The first children of Creation reveal how sin is severely corrupting Mankind. The problem was not in the type of offering but …
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