The Youth Pastor and Sexual/Social Ethics A family member has invited you to his wedding, where he will marry his true love, who happens to be another man. What do you do? How do you decide? One of the students in your group informs you that she now identifies as non-binary and requests you use “they, them” pronouns when referring to her. Do you have to follow her instructions? How will the other students respond if you do – or don’t? The ascendancy of LGBTQ+ culture confronts Christians with a battery of fresh and novel moral issues – gay weddings and trans identity among them. Let’s examine ..read more

“That’s the one question I dreaded.” A couple years ago, a friend who was a students pastor at the time told me his students had been asking questions about God, Jesus, and the Bible. He started taking time to answer their questions at their weekly meetings and found it helpful to hear what was on their minds and what might be causing them to question their faith. While primarily a positive experience for the students, he found himself unprepared for some questions. For instance, one experience occurred when a student asked how we could know God exists. She had heard an atheist on TikTok descr ..read more

Abortion and the Will of God I recently posted a simple statement on social media affirming a pro-life position and in favor of striking down the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. The outcome of this landmark case granted women the Constitutional, and thus federal, right to have access to abortion. Following the outcome of Roe v. Wade, abortion was henceforth the law of the land.   While I have posted things my followers haven’t always agreed with before, this time seemed different. The comments section became cluttered with insults about my intelligence, the typical “my body, my r ..read more

205 years ago, Joseph Mohr, a young priest from Austria, first penned the now famous song “Silent Night”. He, and those he pastored, had undergone extreme violence because of the Napoleonic wars, and finally they were experiencing peace once again. During one of his evening walks, Mohr found himself wandering through the vast countryside and paused at a spot where he could overlook the very quiet, winter-laden town. As he stared down upon the town, the words to the soon to be famous song came pouring forth. Two years later, on Christmas Eve, the first notes of “Silent Night” filled the air. It ..read more

Step Four: Practice Achieving God’s Present Wants God doesn’t always get his way in the here and now. I know that may seem like an off-the-wall crazy statement at first glance, but consider this. We live in a broken world where redemption is possible, but we are awaiting that universe-shaking moment when God will restore and make all things new. Even while living in a fallen world where we are redeemed but not yet restored, God has desires for his people. The season of redemption offers us so many incredible opportunities, many of which hinge on our obedience. Therefore, the last step in a li ..read more

Step Three: Plan for Daily Renewal Once we have responded to God’s love and awakened to the everyday reminder of grace, the foundation has been laid to create a plan. The need for a functioning plan in our lives cannot be overstressed. Plans that contribute to health and well-being should include four steps. For our purposes, we want a plan that helps us to live in the beginning place, a plan that contributes to a rhythm of renewal. Redemption is something God accomplishes; renewal is something God gives us grace to pursue. We are all prone to entertain invitations that detract from and derail ..read more

Step One: Choose God’s Love Each person has to make the decision for themselves to choose Jesus. At the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, following his baptism, he went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and nights, he then endures a series of temptations all centered around Jesus’ authority and worship. In the final portion of their discourse Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him” (Matt. 4:10). It’s not surprising at all that this temptation occurred immediately following Jesus’ baptism ..read more

Every part of God’s story really does whisper the name of Jesus. Jesus is God’s way of getting us back to the beginning place. You see, the end of God’s story brings us back to the beginning: grace. The beauty of grace is that we are privileged to live in the place of beginnings. Sure, we age; our hair falls out or turns gray, or does a little of both. We wrinkle, our joints ache, and we become forgetful. Technology becomes a thing for “a younger generation,” and we like our old gadgets just the way they are. The world spins on faster and faster as we begin to move a little slower. Seasons co ..read more

We are excited to kick off our November Blog Series with Brent’s newest book, 10 Steps to Your Best Life. For the next four weeks, you will get a sneak peek of the first of ten steps that Brent outlines that equip and prepare us to live our very best life, one that has Jesus as the center and equips and prepares us to fulfill His calling and purpose on our lives. This week, we will begin at the beginning – Step 1: Create a Rhythm of Renewal There is something very human about longing for a fresh beginning. I have experienced this on a very personal level. Beginnings are full of hope and possi ..read more

Dear class graduating from the long dark winter,               I have written, recorded videos, and spoken at more graduation ceremonies than I can count. Each time I try to encourage, edify and communicate my confidence in the impact the graduates will have on the future. But all of that was niceties for normal times. To the graduating class of the zombie apocalypse that was the previous year, I have one message: it’s time to be a bold and courageous risktaker. Our lives can be measured by what we are willing to risk ..read more