When I was in college, I heard a preacher quote A. W. Tozer and my life had a dramatic change. Here is the quote: What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us (1). At first, that statement seemed dramatic, but the longer I thought upon it, the more I agreed with …
Powerful day focusing on Isaiah 45 today! We tried to do some minor tweaking to the service to allow people to prepare to meet with God. It was pretty special seeing people quiet their souls before we began. Today’s service (well, at least the 11:00, we changed some things around on the spot at 9:30): Are You Washed in the …
I recorded this mini-sermon for a university team to watch while they were on the road. I pray it is a blessing to you. James 1:22-25 teaches that we are not to be merely hearers of the Word but doers of the Word.
Nowadays, when one begins to use such dirty words such as “truth,” the crowds begin to cry from the streets: “There is no absolute truth!” Well, is that statement absolutely true? “All truth is relative!” Apparently, all truths are relative except when it comes to that specific phrase. “That might be true for you but not for me.” Can I …
I don’t like to blog about too many political issues, so this post will be brief and clear. After Super Tuesday’s unsurprising results, I want to share just a few thoughts in a few hundred words. In this election, many people are voting against what they hate rather than for what they love. A common theme you hear on every …
Many people interpret circumstances in their lives believing that God does not care enough about them to get involved. Scripture paints a completely different picture of our Father. One of the greatest qualities someone can have is that of consistency. Children long to see that trait exhibited within their parents. You may or may not be able to say …
This sermon was used by a college traveling team when they had an away Sunday game. The message is from Matthew 16:13-23 and talks about the need to get Christ’s identity correct. It doesn’t matter what you or I think about God. It matters what God thinks about God.
Oftentimes, prayer lists in churches are full of those in need. It is very regular to pray for those who have medical setbacks, personal loss, and situations of grief. In these moments, the lists can grow very long and the prayer time can unfortunately grow very short! You know of some legitimate needs around you. Instead of letting them overwhelm …
We want to invite you to our Easter weekend special worship services on Friday and Saturday night at 7:00 pm. This year’s worship nights will be called “The Old Rugged Cross.” Join us as we cherish the old rugged cross this Easter weekend. Using hymns of old, we will recount the sacrifice of Jesus and worship the risen King. You …
Don’t let Leviticus scare you away! While this book can be hard to read with its long lists and gory details, it is a picture of all that Christ fulfilled with his sacrifice. As you read the pages, be amazed at what Jesus accomplished once and for all through his death. Here are some notes on the sin offering and …
One way to promote trust in a marriage is to share passwords with one another.
Above is a sermon I preached on Isaiah 41 at North Side Baptist Church on February 21, 2016. God never reassures people based on their potential but with his presence. The greatest promise of God is the presence of God. God’s presence is the only promise powerful enough to subside our fears. Sermon Notes God invites the people to try to …
In this 5th installment of a series on productivity, I want to throw out some ideas for you on how to moderate social media. While there are so many positives concerning social media, it can turn into an addictive time-waster like no other. Social media is like a walk through Walmart. You spend more time than intended & walk out …
Great time with our church family today. The worship team was great. The leadership and volunteers were getting after it all over the place. I loved getting to meet some new guests! The preacher was decent ;). It was an honor to be able to preach today at North Side but also to be led by such a great team! …
Here is a sermon I preached at North Side’s 2016 Marriage Conference. In this intro session, we look at Malachi 2 and seek to divorce-proof a marriage by looking at the steps that drive us away from our spouse.
Leviticus seems to be the Bible reading plan killer. After the commitment to read through the Bible, we make it through Genesis fairly well. We slow down a tad in the middle of Exodus when we start reading about commandment topics spanning from morality to construction. Then we arrive at Leviticus and make our ways back to the Psalms or …
This sermon clip is from a message at North Side’s 2016 Marriage Conference. When does a marriage begin to drift? Check out this week’s Family Alter. The sermons for the Marriage Conference will be up later this week.
During my senior year of high school, I struggled with a calling into ministry. Years earlier, I was confident concerning the direction but lacked the specifics. I knew I wanted to serve Jesus with my life but just unsure how. The ebb and flow of high school seemed to be challenging that leading. Years removed from the initial prodding, I was struggling with …
In the classic bestseller His Needs, Her Needs, Willard F. Harley, Jr., identifies the ten most vital needs of men and women and shows husbands and wives how to satisfy those needs in their spouses. He provides guidance for becoming irresistible to your spouse and for loving more creatively and sensitively, thereby eliminating the problems that often lead to extramarital affairs. …
Powerful day with the North Side family! It is simply amazing watching the church be the church! Today’s services: Reading – Isaiah 40:28-31 Everlasting God – North Side Worship Christ Be All Around Me – Michael W. Smith Prayer Time (we have 11 Baptist churches in our community without a pastor and we split into groups, choose one of them, …
What do you do with all the thoughts that consume you throughout the day? When sinful thoughts swarm your subconscious, acknowledge their presence in God’s presence.
Prayer life boring? Non-existent? Try this method with your family. Pray the Psalms I pray through one psalm everyday. All Scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16). The Bible is God’s Word spoken to us. The psalms are God’s Word intended for us to speak back to him. We know not how we ought to speak to God, and …
In the Book of Exodus, we see the divine design of God’s plan for the tabernacle and how he used his people to build it. Not only was it a place for the people to meet with God, but it was a pattern that pointed to something still yet to come. According to the New Testament, God sent his Son …
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” -Isaiah 37:16 Powerful day of worship as we built our services around Isaiah 36 and Isaiah 37. Here’s the service order: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross – North Side Worship Reading – Isaiah …
Greenwood Calendar is a site that seeks to promote what is good about our city. In addition to numerous news articles, they feature a band of the week. After hearing North Side Worship lead at the YMCA Prayer Breakfast, Robert Stevenson wanted to come over and shoot a video of one of our practices so that others could get a taste …
Serving as a pastor in the Bible Belt comes with quirky challenges. As a pastor, one of my greatest burdens is watching how churches compete with one another. You would think we would realize we are on the same team. You would think we would grasp that there are enough unchurched folks out there to fill every congregation. You would think we would …
On January 27, 2016, I preached at North Greenville University’s chapel on the topic of “Racism and the Gospel.” I think it struck a nerve that needed to be struck. I had some incredible conversations with students and faculty since then. Pray that maybe this will cause you to think about what the Bible has to say about our racism. …
In this fourth post in a productivity series, I want to give some tips on how to organize projects. I was speaking at an event recently, and someone came up to me who had read a book I had written. As we talked about the content for a while, she eventually acknowledged, “I’ve always wanted to write a book myself. …
For those making a list of that future perfect spouse, you might need to focus on an even more important list.
You’ve probably heard of the 10 Commandments. You might even be able to cite some of them from your memory. One thing I have noticed is that not many people understand the difference between the first two. Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of …
Since Connie Maxwell Baptist Church is in a transition time, I took a band over to lead worship with our family over there this morning. It was such a great time to serve that church. Love the ministry of our partners over there and excited to serve them! I knew that North Side was in excellent hands. I heard the …
I was recently contacted by a youth leader who was considering if his group should make the switch from the summer camp they had been used to and go to MFUGE this summer. I want to share with you my response because I believe in FUGE camps and am excited to be one of their camp pastors again this summer. Here’s …
How can you make your marriage a priority? You can start by giving it time.
In a strange turn of events today, a grand jury indicted two people who pretended to want to purchase aborted fetal body parts rather than the organization that was selling them. Months ago, a group’s sting operation provided footage that showed Planned Parenthood employees admitting to illegal activity concerning partial birth abortion procedures and the potential profits. So, fetuses that are …
I remember exactly where I was when the Ferguson verdict was read. I remember weeping as I watched a city unravel before my eyes on the television. Days later, a post by Benjamin Watson (Tight End for the New Orleans Saints) went viral. Out of all that was being said in those days, I thought his words rang the loudest …
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men -Isaiah 29:13 Such authentic services today. Amazed at what God is doing through his church. Here is how the service based on Isaiah 29 came together: …
In this third productivity post, I want to discuss the importance of choosing the right tools to keep you organized and focused. A few years ago, we remodeled a good portion of our home. As we went from project to project, I was on a first-name basis with all the employees at Lowe’s. I am a penny-pincher, so if I …
In this second post in a blog series on productivity, I want to talk about the importance of learning discipline. I mentioned in the previous post on “Disguising Laziness,” that I struggled greatly with procrastination. I tried to blame it on my wiring, but ultimately, I was simply succumbing to laziness. My close call with an online Greek course in seminary …
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