Theology
Start the Conversation! 3 evidences for the existence of God
Lot’s of people ask me about how to share Christ with their friends who are philosophically minded. Obviously such a venture is very nuanced and takes a lot of prayer and time and we must journey with people, but, practically speaking while there are many reasons that belief in God (theism) makes more sense than…
Read MoreRadical Marriage #2 : 7 Financial Principles to live by
A couple of weeks ago I said I would do a short series on a few of the things we shared at our Radical Marriage Newlyweds class. Part two is about Money. Obviously this is a complex topic because everyone’s financial scenario is so different. But here are a few of the principles we shared.…
Read MoreRadical marriage #1 – Devotions for couples
Over the last two weeks Erin and I have taught a class at Village Church called Radical Marriage: Newlyweds, geared toward those married for 3 years or less. Originally we had planned the class for just 25 couples, but when we posted it, over 60 couples signed up in just 24 hours! We found a…
Read MorePersonal transformation
Every month the pastors of Village Church get together for the sole purpose of talking about our lives with one another – our families, our devotional life, wins, losses, etc., – and to pray for one another and our church. In that time we discuss a few chapters of a book we are reading called…
Read MoreWhat can I listen to to learn more about Christian Theology?
A friend messaged me this morning asking about a friend who had just become a Christian, and she really wanted to understand all the essential doctrines of Christianity. Her question was “Is there a school or something she could go to online where she could learn all that stuff?” It dawned on me that there…
Read MoreClarifying the gospel
The other day I was giving feedback to a young preacher who asked for it. He had preached a sermon and it was great. Filled with good teaching, good stories, and great flow. He was an engaging communicator. I told him there was only one problem. For someone committed to want to preach the gospel…
Read MoreHow often should you be having sex?
At the risk of stepping into a minefield… one of the most frequent questions couples ask me in marriage counseling is, ‘How often should we be having sex? What is a healthy sex life?’ Statistics show the present realities as follows: Couples under the age of 24 have sex an average of 132 times per…
Read MoreOn Fairy Stories: Cinderella & us
The old stories and myths, are at times misguided, but nevertheless they steer us toward the true harbor. They are echoes; anticipations of the full truth. ~J.R.R Tolkien, “On Fairy Stories” We went and saw Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella the other day. I admit I cried a few times. Not just because of the story though, but…
Read MoreViolence & Carrying on
This week I met with Ed Wilson – the Executive Director of International Justice Mission, Canada. The mission of IJM is to rescue victims of violence and protect the poor by strengthening their justice systems. They do this in 18 countries around the world. Ed was in town because the founder of IJM, Gary A.…
Read More“Death”: the story of Shiloh Johnston
A few weeks ago I learned of a tragedy that happened to a young college girl who attended Village Church, and her sister, that I could barely believe. Shiloh Johnston started coming to Village last year (2014) and soon after joined a Community Group. She loved Jesus and others with a deep passion. On February…
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