Blog Archives

Forgiving Like God Does
Have you ever watched a reality TV show where they are all trying to live together in a house or […]

Dr. King, the Cross and Unity
by Brandon Cox Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been an inspiration to me for a number of years because […]

Satan’s Four Favorite Tactics
Satan has been sowing seeds of deceit in my family. This is not surprising or unique because Satan is a […]

God’s Answer to the Problem of Loneliness
In Genesis chapter one, the Bible describes the creation of the world. As God paused to contemplate His work at […]

Giving God Control
The day my oldest daughter gave birth is a day forever imprinted in my memory. Since he was the first […]

A Solitary Firefighter
Every summer, I enjoy my precious bit of free time by reading a few books merely for enjoyment or my […]

Our 3 Excuses for Not Reading the Bible
I make excuses for not reading the Bible every day. And this is coming from a pastor. A formally-trained-in-biblical-theology pastor. […]

High School: How to Survive and Thrive
Seriously, high school is tough. If it’s not the AP classes and the pressure for more college credits, it’s the […]

Whose Truth is True?
Truth. It’s a subject that has evolved and changed. A topic that has been stretched, questioned and misused over time. Where […]

Tending the Gardens of Our Lives
It’s too nice of a day to stay indoors! The flowers that the kids and I planted are doing GREAT, […]

Six Ways to Prepare for Worship
Last Sunday was an incredible day of worship at our church! The music, fellowship, serving, and community that took place […]

Comparison-itis and Christ
by Joyce Parker When I get in a room of other women that I don’t know very well, I’m not immediately uncomfortable. […]

Go Ahead: Burst Your Bubble
By Larry Barker, Director of North American Church Planting Our family was living in Romania in 2000 and we had […]


Ten Ways to Survive & Thrive in College
by Yalanda Merrell Thinking back to my college years, I’m reminded of . . . long nights staying up late […]

Hungry & You Fed Me
by Larry Barker, Director of North American Church Planting Lately, whenever I go into a gas station someone is always […]

Three Reasons Your Prayers Should Always Include Praise
My wife and I are old school. We try really hard to teach our three daughters their manners. We believe […]


Greatest Wedding Story Ever Told
We should be making ourselves ready to be found without spot or blemish for our perfect groom, Jesus Christ.

God of the Mountains and Valleys
“For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the […]

Sharing Your Faith
Fear of rejection is the number one reason for neglecting to bring up spiritual topics in conversations.

Three Reasons to Have Patience
1 – Because love is patient “Love is patient,” (1 Corinthians 13:4). Anyone else think “ouch” Yeah, my hand would […]

My Spiritual Journey
A SEASON OF GROWTH Time moves quickly from us, never returning. It’s our most valuable, non-replenishable asset. We can make […]

From Your Big Sister
Dear baby, This is Melody, writing to you the night before you are born into this world. There are a […]

But It’s Not My Fault
It’s obvious to me in the last sixty years there’s been a dramatic decline in the acceptance of personal responsibility […]

Part Two: Free From Pornography For Good
Pornography is a deadly mistress. She stands poised with promises, willing and ready at a moment’s notice. She strikes unexpectedly, […]

Part One: The Prominence of Pornography
Pornography addiction is most assuredly an androgynous affair, but for men in particular, the stimulus from pornography activates parts of […]

Discipleship Part One: How Did Jesus Do It?
It wasn’t until after my first year of college that I was truly saved. You’re probably thinking, what does that […]

What it Means to Have a Christian Attitude
The following is adapted from a sermon by Jeff Swart. Philippians 4:8 may be the most important verse in the […]

Static? Move Closer to the Tower
I hate static. Not like the kind that makes your clothes cling to you. I’m talking about static on the […]

How to Control Your FOMO Once and for All
FOMO (the “fear of missing out”) is a real thing, and it’s more intense than ever. We’re afraid we’ll miss […]

Four Practical Lessons from Job’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Have you ever had a day that goes something like this: You are trying to leave for work and the […]

Your Marriage May Be Falling Apart
t I remember very clearly the day God showed me an important truth about my relationship with him. I’m either actively […]

How to be Content in Three Acts (#2 of 3)
Act II: A Gift From God You Don’t Want (Numbers 11:4-20) In Act I we defined covetousness in four parts. Covetousness […]

How to be Content in Three Acts (#1 of 3)
First Timothy 6:6-10 says, ”But godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing […]

From Worrier to Warrior
My imagination ran wild…What if my friends or the kids got too close to the edge? What would happen then? And how far down was it?

Tips From the Must Have Parenting Handbook
Dr. Spock. Neuropsychology. Behavior modification. Brain science. Energy profiling (huh??). With the plethora of books, blogs, and methods on parenting […]

Complicated Yet So Simple
CGenesis 1:1 says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We often read the familiarity of […]

Static In Our Lives
I hate static. Not like the kind that makes your clothes cling to you. I’m talking about static on the […]

The Real Truth About Real Men
There are countless voices in our culture ringing through the air with definitions of what men should be like in […]

Your Truth or My Truth?
In people’s lives, there must come a time when they decide for themselves what they really believe. Because I grew […]

If It Feels Right, Do It?
“A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which […]

To Each His Own?
“That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” Has anyone ever said this to you in […]

“Just follow your heart.”
Every time I see that phrase tweeted or represented in a pretty meme of some kind, I want to yell, […]

Deliverer From the Enemy
John Paton (1824—1907), missionary to the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific, was on one occasion surrounded by a […]

I Never Dreamed
“I never dreamed” when I was a teen that my lifelong best friend would be murdered while sleeping in bed. […]

The Evil in This World
The most formidable problem against Christianity isn’t whether or not God exists, but rather, if he does exist, why he […]

Saved to Serve
In people’s lives, there must come a time when they decide for themselves what they really believe. Because I grew […]

Letter to the Class of 2019
Dear high school graduate, I see your smiling face, your parents’ arms thrown around you, hugging you tightly, and I […]

Invitation to Life
All it took was an invitation. An invitation to go to the church around the corner. My family had just […]