I celebrated faith in Jesus on Easter 2010 in a hospital bed recovering from an emergency c-section—as my baby struggled to breath at another hospital. Those days I begged God for my son’s survival more than I imagine I’d plead with someone if they held a gun to my head. Over and over I wept, “Dear God, please save my son. Dear, God, please save my son.” Day by slow day, through miracles and attentive doctors and nurses, my son lived—and he turns 14 this week. So this Easter Monday, I pause to remember God’s power to bring my son home when it seemed hopeless. At the same time, I also see in ou ..read more

I came to faith decades ago when a girl down the road shared the gospel with me—and that was it. Somehow, so she thought, I should magically transform into a Bible reading, sin shirking, prayer-warrior disciple of Jesus. But instead—for a bit—I returned to my daily drug habit. Sharing the gospel with someone is just a part of discipleship—walking with someone in their faith journey is where discipleship brings transformation. The DNA of Disciple-making To focus on exactly how to make disciples, we will consider one key Scripture known as the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then J ..read more

My wheels glided like a toddler learning how to ice skate. I pumped the brakes, hoping to catch traction in an unexpected snow storm. We just passed an abandoned car in someone’s yard; a moment later the flurry of white blinded me like midnight fog. All I wanted was to get my three kids home safely from school—but I couldn’t even be sure of what was right in front of me. Have you ever felt like this? Unsure of what is right in front of you in an unexpected life storm? Sometimes storms blow into our lives unexpected like a flash snow storm in Indiana and we feel totally unprepared, stuck out ..read more

Sometimes I stop to really think about Jesus’ blood paying the price for our salvation. In my western American experience, it kind of sounds strange. Human sacrifice to provide salvation? But when we take a closer look at Scripture, it begins to become clear—the way forward for us, was the way down for Jesus. Let’s explore a string of key biblical passages that helps us understand “Why did Jesus have to die?” The Consequence of Sin: Our Need for Salvation Genesis 2:15-17 and Genesis 3:6-7 The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden sets the stage for understanding the cost of sin. God c ..read more

The truth about Jesus was proclaimed through the words of demons, John the Baptist, and the disciple Peter—but what did the religious rulers say about Jesus? Sometimes what others say reveal more about who they are than who they talk about. The Truth About Jesus Take a deep breath. Focus your mind on the Lord and then read the passages below. ​Mark 1:23-24 (NIV)​ 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” ​Matthew 9:32–34 ​(NIV) 32 ..read more

Sometimes anxiety begins to swell and consume my thoughts. In times of what can feel like a mental hurricane, I almost always can trace me inward chaos to a lack of consistently prioritizing a devotional time, that is, setting aside time to seek God through prayer and scripture. Intimacy with God quiets our souls and clears the chaos. Jesus often slipped away to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). If the God of the Universe, made flesh, set solitude and prayer as a priority to seek the Father—we know we can benefit from a similar practice. But what do we DO in devotional time? But what can devo ..read more

Before Jesus chose the 12 disciples, he went to a secluded place to pray all night. The God-of-the-universe-made-flesh, prayed to the Father when he needed guidance. As followers of Christ, we follow Jesus’ pattern of living, but what does seeking God in the place of prayer look like? Read About Jesus’ Night of Prayer Luke 6:12–19 (NIV) 12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he name ..read more

The New Year rings in loudly—not just with fireworks and clinking glasses of bubbly, but with the expectation of setting resolutions and summitting our goals. But a few years ago, I realized I’m leery of declaring resolutions or assuming I can reach the top of my yearly dream list. How can we know what tomorrow brings? In some ways, resolutions are unbiblical to assume we can foresee the next 12 months and lay it all out neatly on a calendar (see James 4:13–15). However, let’s not throw out our vision casting and planning with the leftover charcuterie. Instead, let’s follow biblical guidance i ..read more

Biblical prophesy is seen in the Old Testament as a message given by God to a chosen messenger (prophet), who in turn, proclaimed that message to God’s people. Some Old Testament prophets also foretold details about the coming Messiah, the Savior. We can now look back at prophesies about Jesus’ first coming and marvel at the accuracy of details, written 400–800 years before Jesus’ birth. The specifics of Messianic prophecies (prophecies about Jesus) build our confidence to 1) Trust God’s Word as true and 2) Trust Jesus as our Savior. 3 Biblical Prophecies about Jesus Old Testament Prophecy &n ..read more

The ideal holiday doesn’t exist—and for many of us, Thanksgiving arrives with both gratitude and grief.  Maybe the empty chair reminds us of loved ones past, or too far for a visit. Maybe we feel pressure for a perfectly crisp, moist turkey which brings stress rather than gratitude. We try to muster a grateful heart—but that feels like work too. I know; I’ve been there. The picture at the top is the last time I celebrated Thanksgiving with two of our family members—now passed. Thanksgiving does not mean stuffing down all sadness and concocting plastic joy. I think we can hold both gratitu ..read more