Speaking the Truth in Love (So You Don’t Get Hit by a Bus)
It is not loving to allow people to continue down dangerous trajectories. To speak the truth in love sometimes means we have to confront people because we care for them so much.
🗒️ Articles
Pivotal Student Ministry Values
For a church’s student ministry to succeed, it cannot be isolated from the overall strategy of the church. Your students need certain things at this critical stage, and your ministry values can help accomplish them.
Protect Both Your Heart & Your Head
Don’t walk through the battlefield of this life without protecting your heart and your head. There is a war raging, and you best be prepared for attacks on both.
Kenya Highlights 2023
Our mission trip to Kenya was full of incredible opportunities to share the gospel and disciple believers. Here are some updates from our unforgettable week with Spread Truth.
God Is Not Annoyed by You
You can be sincerely convinced in your mind about what God is like, and you can be sincerely wrong. God is not as bothered with you as you might think.
Expository & Engaging Preaching
Due to heretical content given by engaging personalities or boring deliveries given by robust theologians, preaching has received mixed reviews. Preachers can and should be both accurate in content and passionate in delivery.
Unavoidable Afflictions and Undeniable Opportunities
We can endure sufferings better if we know there is a redeemable purpose among them. If we consider how our perseverance through trials could encourage others going through similar situations, we find the hope needed to go forward.
The Fellowship of the Unashamed
This anonymous writing describes a passionate devotion to live for Jesus. Are you a part of “The Fellowship of the Unashamed?”
Defining Successful Parenting
Successful parenting must be defined by what God values most in our children’s lives. Parents must take the responsibility to be the primary evangelists and disciple-makers.
Rebels Require Reconciliation
Since sin is rebellion against God, we are in need to be reconciled to Him. If you don’t think your sin warrants such an action, you really don’t grasp the weight of disobedience.
Organic & Organized Local Missions
Some churches pit organic and organized evangelistic efforts against each other. Both are important. You want the natural relational evangelism to take place, but churches would benefit by creating organized efforts too.
Eliminating Newlywed Debt
Nothing can bring strain to a newly married couple like debt. Do what you can to reduce debt together and enjoy the freedom you were meant to experience.
Suffering Is Necessary for Sanctification
No one seeks to experience suffering, yet many of us could testify that it was necessary for our personal sanctification. As we struggle through life, we see that the trials we experience drive us to need spiritual growth.
What If You Actually Believed That God Wants to Use You?
Christians say that God desires to use us, but we each struggle with the believability of such a claim. Your life would radically transform if you bought the fact that God wants you as His ambassador.
Family Ministry Rules & Responses
How should church leaders and ministry volunteers interact with misbehaving children and questioning parents? You’re not helping anyone if you don’t address the issues, but there are wiser ways to do so.
What Does the Bible Say About Gossipers?
We belittle gossip too much. Running your mouth hurts others, offends God, and damages yourself.
4 Things God Has Called You to Be
We often have dreams of what we can accomplish and deal with what others pressure us to become, but what about God’s desires? Here are four things God has called you to be.
LESS Is More in Counseling
While there is great wisdom in utilizing people with counseling licensing and experience, we often belittle the good that others can do even without proper training. Any ministry leader should be able to take some initial steps with someone in need.
No Place for Entitled Worship Leaders
Stages can lend way to entitled attitudes, and worship leaders aren’t immune from it. If we keep our focus on Jesus, we will maintain a proper perspective.
Quoting the Great Commission Won’t Fulfill It
Many Christians can quote the Great Commission, but that doesn’t mean they are fulfilling it. Start today by taking what you have and sharing it with another.
Walk Worthily & Togetherly
In our desire to prioritize one’s personal relationship with Jesus, we often miss the necessary nature of discipleship being worked out in community with other believers. We can’t seek to walk worthily if we are unwilling to do so togetherly.
Intentional Imitation
Our commitment to fleshing out our personal walks with Christ overlooks our need to learn from one another. True discipleship prioritizes imitation over information.
You Should Take Responsibility for My Spiritual Growth
God uses others in our stories of salvation and utilizes relationships in our processes of sanctification. We are gifts to one another to grow closer to Jesus.
Let No Hobby Separate
Our hobbies can easily become our obsessions when we spend more thoughts, time, effort, and money on them than anything else. Learn to like your hobbies and love your spouse.
Spiritual Slumber
There are many people out there who are spiritually dead, but there are others who are simply asleep. We are called to help one another wake up to the spiritual realities around us to stay watchful.
Why Some Christians Thrive in College
I have witnessed too many students begin college following Christ but leave far from Him. In my years of ministry, one particular element makes the difference between those who make it and those who don’t.
2024 Sermon Planning Resource
Preparing to preach one sermon is daunting, and planning to preach a year’s worth can feel overwhelming. That’s why I created a simple resource to help you as you pray and plan.
Church Changes to Unite Families
If we are not careful, our churches’ programming will widen the division already present among family members. Here are some changes to consider regarding how your church can unite your family to pursue Christ.
Waypoint (Fall 2023)
God has been so good to us at Rocky Creek. Here are some updates on what’s been happening over the last quarter, and we also want to share some important news about what is happening next.
We Advertise What We Adore
We’ve all felt guilt for not talking about the LORD intentionally with others, but we should never have to force ourselves. Without prompting, we advertise what we adore.
You Can’t Give Directions Until You Know Where Someone Is
You cannot give directions to a person without knowing his or her starting place. The same is true with discipleship.
Evangelism (Entrust Course)
You don’t have to be crippled in fear when sharing the good news of Jesus with others. Learn how to share the gospel confidently in a manner that is faithful to the biblical message and with a method that is adaptable to each individual.
Jesus Loves Us This I Know
Jesus loves me, this I know, but the Bible tells me that He loves us so. The widespread form of His love teaches something important about His heart and our need for one another.
We All Don’t Need the Same Type of Encouragement
While we all need to be encouraged, we all don’t need to be encouraged in the same way. Depending upon how we are wired and what is happening, we need something different from those around us.
The Chutes and Ladders God
Many people follow the Chutes and Ladders God. We reckon that God depends on our ethical integrity to determine how he should best deal with us.
Church Hurt Is a Real Thing
Being a part of a church is difficult because people are involved. We must learn how to be patient with others and pray they can be patient with us as we seek to follow Jesus together.
The Necessary Switch in Your Marriage
Marriage cannot work if someone has a higher priority than the spouse. There must be a thorough yet healthy leaving of one’s initial family and a complete and eager cleaving of one’s unique spouse.
Fuge 2023 (NGU Recap)
As Christians, we are called to bear this image as Christ did on earth. Therefore, we are called to live as a new creation, one who is set apart and is a reflection of the God who created us and loves us.
How Pride Shows Up on a Worship Team
Pride can show up within a worship team in many different ways. If unchecked, its presence can ruin the potential ministry of the whole church.
The Real Heroes of Student Camp
The real heroes of a student camp aren’t the people on the stage but the chaperones driving the church vans. Here are some tangible ways to continue making an impact once you get home.