Have you ever extended a hand to give a homeless man a couple of bucks?  Have you possibly extended a hand to help a family (or even family member) in a tough time?  Or have you ever traveled across the Atlantic to pass out some much-needed items to those in a third world country?  Bread? [...]

Tonight I had a few of our student ministry leaders over to celebrate what God has done with and through them in our student ministry this semester.  Some of them lead small groups.  Others are leaders at our Wednesday night service.  All of them lead in separate ways depending upon their schedules and passions, but [...]

SERMON: Where Are We? Who Are We? Where Are We Going?: The Position, Essence, and Trajectory of the New Covenant People of God – Ezekiel 36:22-38

Here is a sermon I preached at Ryker’s Ridge Baptist Church on October 9, 2011. In this message, I try to explain the significance of the New Covenant for believers today. In doing so, I provide a bit of context for the listener by showing where the New Covenant fits into the overall metanarrative of Scripture. I then examine what Ezekiel has to say about the the New Covenant believer. Finally, I show the direction New Covenant believers are headed.

I hope you enjoy the message!

Youth Ministry is hard enough without having to think about your ministry growing.  Believe me, I know.  There are several things about youth ministry that make it hard.  Conflict with parents.  Working with volunteer leaders.  Middle school students.  Small budgets.  High expectations.  Low salaries.  Low totem-pole mentalities.  Etc.  Yes, there are several amazing things about [...]

Here is a sermon I preached at Foothills Church a couple of Sunday ago.  It focuses on the mission of God from the birth of the New Testament Church in Acts 2 to Revelation 21 when the church will come to an end.  What’s more, it focuses on what I think a healthy externally focused [...]

It’s always insightful to look at church through history. The challenges and themes of the past are not that different from those of our own. How to use money in the church is often a vexing and contentious issue. The wealth of congregations being devoted to primarily “in-house” areas is often taken for granted as [...]

This months 9Marks eJournal is fantastic.  If you have an hour or so, then we encourage you to take the time and read through the articles in this months issue.  Some of the topics include: The case for a Sr. Pastor; the case against a Sr. Pastor; when staff should be hired; paying pastors appropriately; [...]

After spending two days camping in Yosemite National Park (It was an amazing trip. I highly recommend you visit, especially if you live in or near California) a group of seven guys including myself had to leave after a torrential thunderstorm left our tent under 3 inches of water. We had hiked half dome that [...]

Over the past couple of months, God has been teaching me several things about this up-and-coming generation.  Many of the things I am learning is simply having them — young people — as my teacher.  I am learning by talking with them.  I am learning by hanging out them.  I am learning by hearing their [...]

John Piper stated about 15 minutes ago in a tweet, “Seriously, as before, may you fare well, Rob Bell.http://dsr.gd/otctwX.”  Bell is stepping down as the lead pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, reports Christianity Today.  Click on the link above for the full scoop. Interesting enough, Bell is stepping down as pastor right after he [...]