Here’s my sermon from this past week, from Easter. You can listen to the audio, if you’d like, here. You should also subscribe to our podcast. He is risen. He is risen indeed! That’s why we’re here today, right? To talk about His resurrection. He is risen. He is risen indeed! But what should our response be - to the fact that He’s risen? And what result should it bring about in our lives? That Christ has been raised from the dead? That’s what I want us to think about today. Our world is a pretty disturbing place today, isn’t it? Here in America, so much division. And we’re now in an election ..read more

Here’s the manuscript for Sunday’s sermon from our Matthew series. You can listen to the audio here. I’ll make a confession to start. I’ve never been back to one of my high school class reunions. There are a number of factors as to why. I didn’t particularly enjoy my small Missouri town. I didn’t have the greatest childhood memories. And I didn’t really feel like I came into my own - and really began to thrive - until I left there and moved away to college. I’m honestly not excited to see most of my high school classmates. And I wouldn’t enjoy climbing back into that box they had me in. The s ..read more

Here’s Sunday’s message in our ongoing Matthew series. You can listen to the audio of the message here. Now imagine this. It’s the 1950s in China. Missionaries have just been run out of the country. Followers of Jesus there have had to go underground. And you’re on a trip over there. You connect with some Christians. They invite you to a gathering. And you find yourself huddled and cramped with 40 or so others in the dark, quietly singing songs, hearing God’s word read and explained in whispers, and by candlelight. Now you might have been encouraged by their commitment. But you also likely wo ..read more

Here’s my sermon from this past Sunday - an introduction to the parables of Jesus. You can listen to the audio here. You should also download our podcast here. Now brace yourself. I’m about to bring the controversy right here. I won’t be surprised if a few of you up and walk out. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez. Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush. Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong. Ciara and Russell Wilson. Gisele and Tom Brady. We could go on. This kind of thing - power athletes dating big time celebrities - has been happening for awhile. But for some reason, Tra ..read more

Here’s my sermon from this past Sunday. You can catch the audio here.  When people look at our church - and the church in America - do you think they see evidence for the existence of God? Would they say, “When I look at them, their life together, I believe in God. Or at least I really want to.”? And do you think, as they look at our lives - and our life together - that it helps them believe that the gospel changes things? Would non-Christians say, “I want Jesus. I need Jesus. He’s done something in them. I want that in me.”? Yes? No? Why? Why not? That’s what I want us to consider here ..read more

Here’s my sermon from this past Sunday, November 5th, from Matthew 12:15-21. You can also listen to the audio here. Want to know how to keep a guy humble? Give him a woman he couldn’t pin for three seconds if three million dollars were on the line. That’s my Amy, if you didn’t know. Perfect for church planting. Extremely hard to control. Back before we started dating, in her pre-Christian days, a guy started yelling at her as she was pumping some gas. Catcalls turned into cusswords, and then, suddenly she had had enough. She dropped the nozzle, walked over to the guy, and punched him right in ..read more

Here’s my message from this past Sunday in our Matthew series. Check out the audio here. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast here. Now, as you hear these words of Jesus, how do they make you feel? They may make you really uncomfortable. You’re used to the milder, softer version of Jesus. The one who stays away from the shock and awe. Who says nothing that makes you flinch or cringe. He doesn’t challenge what you think - or how you live. Like the music you hear at the dentist’s office. Easy listening. Adult contemporary. Not really that good. But not very offensive, either. This sounds way mor ..read more

Here’s my sermon from this past Sunday, September 17th, 2023, from Matthew chapter 10 in our ongoing “Our King, His Kingdom” series in Matthew. You can listen to the audio here, or by subscribing to our podcast. Now you might be wondering - why my hair and beard always look so dang good. Every Saturday, we have a routine in our home. My wife cuts my hair and trims my beard. It’s all her. But post-chemo and radiation treatments, my wife’s been dealing with a lot of weakness, along with a lot of pain. And she doesn’t enjoy doing it as much as she used to. We have this weekly Saturday schtick th ..read more

I bet your grandma blocked you on Facebook - at some point over the past few years. Or maybe you had to block her. It wouldn’t surprise me, at least. Our world today has gotten that crazy - and divided. Especially online. Fighting over foreign policy. Killing people over…. candy corn. Am I right? Everybody running to their corners - or ghettos - and hurling grenades. Most of them verbal - and electronic - thankfully, But that’s not even always the case. Holiday dinners are more difficult than ever. You have to keep your guard up. And avoid the land-mines. Or people flee the dining room and ju ..read more

Here’s my special vision message from August 27th, 2023. You can listen to the audio here. Now maybe you heard those words we just read. And you have some idea of what they mean. “Go” and “make disciples.” But you think, “How in the world would I ever have time for that?” You’re taking 16 hours at Mizzou, and you’re working a part-time job. You work full-time at the hospital, and you pump for your newborn over your breaks. You’ve got chores to do around the house. You can’t seem to ever even get to the gym. You feel like you can’t keep up. You barely have time to breathe. And do important thi ..read more