Blue Rock vs. Deer Hunting

I'm not a hunter by any means (if you know me, you might have laughed at the title).  It's a hobby that requires a lot of money and time which are two things that I don't have in excess right now.  I've only gone deer hunting once, but I've shot blue rock or clay...

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The “L” Word

Some (if not most) of you are thinking, "Lit-what?"  Liturgy (lit·ur·gy) simply means "a form of public worship."  In other words, a church's liturgy is just the order of elements that shapes a church's worship service. The purpose of a church's liturgy has been...

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Making Worship too big a Deal

Hopefully the title of this post caught your eye and you thought to yourself, "Impossible!"  If so, you are correct. Worship is the reason that we exist -to actively take pleasure in God.  Why?  Because God created us to worship, God commands us to worship, and God...

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My Favorite Kickstarter Reward

So for those of you wondering which Kickstarter Reward Package I like best, you might be wrong.  It's not the $2,500 reward package (although I wouldn't be upset if you chose that one).  My favorite is the $75+ package.  Heres what it entails: 1. My Soul to Save EP in...

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My Soul To Save EP

"My Soul to Save" is a short three-song album that aims to highlight and "kickstart" what I have to offer you guys with my first full-length album that I hope to record this summer, "Love Has Come".  Here's a quick break-down of each song: Track 1 "Righteous Deeds"...

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My First Full-Length Album!

Hello friends and family!  You guys have been such an encouragement on my musical/life journey, and I want to do my best to keep you in the loop with some big things that could potentially happen with your help. I am attempting to raise the needed funds to record my...

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The Current Potentials In My Life

Here's just a peak into my life as of late. I've been SO busy lately (yup, a capital S-O).  I'm an American and we idolize business, right?  It's true, I do in fact find myself in the trap of idolizing business, but in this particular season of my life I feel like I...

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Advent

ad·vent - The arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. As we enter the Advent season, the church is in an interestingly beautiful place in history.  We look back and remember Christ's first coming.  The promised Messiah was delivered to us as a baby. In a...

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LIVING A CHRIST-CENTERED LIFE

One of the most daunting and under-explained commands that the church gives to people is telling them to live a Christ-centered life.  It's advice that applies universally, right?  I remember when Lauren and I first were married.  We received a lot of advice that went...

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A Misunderstood Reality

The call to suffer in Christianity is a most definite reality, but a misunderstood reality at that.  Perhaps a question that gets assumed in the church today is “if Christ died in my place, why would I have to die for others.”  You see, the Bible does teach that Jesus...

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Jesus My Glory

Just as hymns can be helpful in the church because they have stood the test of time, so can prayers by those who have gone before us.  I stumbled across this one, "Jesus My Glory," that came from a book I have on Puritan prayers and devotions called "The Valley of...

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ANGELS WANT WHAT WE HAVE

The title of this post may reveal a pompous attitude, which may be partially true, but my hope isn’t to boast in us but rather our inheritance that has been given in Christ. As I am reading 1 Peter 1 this morning, I am struck by the joy of Christianity.  We have a God...

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THE SABBATH, THE SHADOW, AND THE SUBSTANCE

In the biblical account of creation, God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Gen. 2:2).  In creating man, God made us in his image (Gen. 1:27).  Throughout the Scriptures we find a concept of working hard for a period of time, gathering the resources...

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The Way and The Life

[Christ] is, at one and the same time, the ultimate means of relating to God and is himself the object of homage or worship (David Peterson, Engaging With God). Jesus is both the means of our worship and the object of our worship.  That’s right, he is at one and the...

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Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Fruit

Here are some helpful thoughts from Tim Keller regarding spiritual gifts and spiritual fruit in the life of the Christian. Gifts are abilities God gives us to meet the needs of others in Christ’s name: speaking, encouraging, serving, evangelizing, teaching, leading,...

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Crushed by Jesus

Most of Jesus' teachings crush before they encourage, and  lead to despair before leading to delight.  "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).  Notice that Jesus doesn't say, "Try to be perfect like God."  Being perfect is a...

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A Gospel Buzz

If you have hung around me much, you probably know that I like the word "gospel."  The word "gospel" is packed.  I believe it is supremely important.  In fact, I would dare to say that the church globally is off base if it is not centered on the gospel.  On the flip...

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Glorifying God at Work

I read this post on how to glorify God in the work place this morning from desiringgod.org.  Weather you are a student working part-time, married working full-time, or anywhere in between, I think you will find this helpful. Dependence. Go to work utterly dependent on...

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APPROVED

Approval is a packed word.  To be approved is to be accepted, pleased with, and enjoyed all at the same time.  We all seek approval from someone.  If you don't want to be accepted and pleased with, you need to check your pulse to see if you are living or perhaps...

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Proverbs are not Promises

I love my wife.  I desire her well being, her comfort and security, as well as her holiness (I hope to see my wife look more and more like Jesus).  I don't have children at the time being, but if I did, I'm sure I would desire the exact same for them....

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A Hatred for Sin

The following quote comes from Jerry Bridges book, "The Pursuit of Holiness." We often say, ‘God hates the sin but loves the sinner’. This is blessedly true, but too often we quickly rush over the first half of this statement to get to the second. We cannot escape the...

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Suffering Together

I normally don’t try to write a book for a blog post, but it just happened. The church I serve at is going through some of the broader goals we believe God has for every believer: loving God (soaking in the gospel and responding to it daily), growing up (building our...

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