Category Archives: Bible
God’s Classroom
It has been said that a tourist passes through the land, while a pilgrim lets the land pass through himself. There’s a big difference between merely exploring these lands and allowing this physical space to transform one’s heart and mind. … Continue reading
The Fifth Gospel
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.” Acts 20:22 Seven years ago, I came to Jerusalem with seven other pastors. To describe our story sounded like the beginning … Continue reading
The God of Jacob
I rarely ask my readers for any favors, but today, I’m asking for one small request. In about 10 hours, we leave for our Uprising Student Ministry Getaway. Could you lift just a quick prayer for our students and our … Continue reading
God Anthology
We are kicking off a new sermon series, CD project, and small group curriculum at NCC this weekend. The God Anthology. Check it out here.
The Wrong Opportunity
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that … Continue reading
The Romans 16 List
This weekend, our leaders got to hear from one of my mentors and friends, Bill Donahue. Bill trained leaders at Willow Creek Community Church and spearheaded group life initiatives with the Willow Creek Association, and he now serves as President … Continue reading
Pilgrim’s Process: The Bible is Real
Pilgrimage gives me a new perspective on Scripture. I know the Bible is real. I believe that and teach that. In fact, one of the things that compels me to do my job is an insatiable desire to see people … Continue reading
The End of Garden to City
This year, NCCers journeyed through the Bible together from Lent to Lent. We called in From Garden to City. I may blog some reflections later, but for now, here is a video I shot for NCCers to close out the … Continue reading
Final Thoughts From St. Peter’s Basilica
Well, we just returned to the hotel from our final night in Rome. Here is a wrap-up of our trip.
Martyrs and Witnesses
Just a couple of quick thoughts from Rome. One spot is called Tre Fontane, and it is the location of Paul’s imprisonment and execution. The other is from St. Paul’s Basilica, which traditionally is believed to hold the remains of … Continue reading
Loving God in Athens
Spent the day in Athens. Toured the Acropolis, including the Parthenon, the Odeion, and the Erechtheion. Temple of Hephaisteion, Stoa of Attalos and Temple of Zeus. Ate some great gyros. And scrambled all over Mars Hill, where Paul proclaimed the … Continue reading
Going Crazy in Corinth
Alright, there was a lot to show in Corinth, so…let’s get started. Video #1: Port of Cenchrae (Acts 18:18, Romans 16:1) Video #2: At the Bema in Corinth (Acts 18:12-16) Video #3: Between To Temples (1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 1 Corinthians … Continue reading
Ryan and Heather in Nicopolis
Here are Ryan’s reflections on Nicopolis. And here are Heather’s reflections on Nicopolis. And she meant when Paul was writing to Titus…not Timothy. Details, details.
Thoughts From Berea, Vergina, and Preveza
Here’s another video update.
Thoughts From Philippi
I recorded this for Theology 101 the other day and thought I would share it here, as well.
Thoughts From Thessaloniki
Alright, Campers. It’s too late to blog, so I’m bringing you a little video instead!
Tripped Up in Troas
Acts 15:40- Paul begins his second missionary journey The Holy Spirit doesn’t allow him to preach in Phrygia or Galatia. So he goes to Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit won’t let him preach there, either. “So, passing by Mysia, they … Continue reading
When Leadership Hurts
Here’s the backstory. The children of Israel are slaves to the pyramid builders of Egypt. God raises up a man by the name of Moses and sends him and his brother Aaron to the palace to demand their freedom. The … Continue reading
The Ten Commandments of the Family of God
Then Ten Commandments of the Sawyer family reveal something about our character. In fact, I would argue that their value is not found primarily in their use as behavioral enforcement, but in their declaration of the values, heart, and focus … Continue reading
The Cross at Christmas
We are reading through the Bible together at NCC this year. This week’s reading landed us in the book of Luke, where we find the most important question ever asked in Luke 7:20: “But who do you say that I … Continue reading
Spirit of Peace
We’ve entered into a season where we start to feel the “Spirit of Christmas.” For Ryan and me, it started on Thanksgiving night with a family viewing of Elf and continued with a tour of the Christmas lights at the … Continue reading
The Prayer Wake
I’m intrigued by Psalm 72:20, “The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” At first glance, it seems like one of those throw away verses. Like the one that says “And Jesus went to Galilee.” But it struck … Continue reading
The Prophets Repeat
When people start talking about the Old Testament prophets, I often find myself in a very small minority. Common frustrations include their repetitiveness, their focus on the harsher attributes of God, the gloom and doom, their lack of Gospel oriented … Continue reading
Carry the Mat
Community requires physical exertion. It costs us our sweat. One of my absolute favorite stories about the sweat of community is found in Mark, chapter 2. Mark 2:1-5 Several days later Jesus returned to Capernaum, and the news of his … Continue reading
The Final Apologetic
On the night of his crucifixion, Jesus looked forward to that day. He prayed that his disciples would be “one.” (John 17:20-21) The second part of Jesus’ prayer was that “the world may know.” In a similar manner, Jesus told … Continue reading
Jesus’ Dying Wish
Do you know what Jesus prayed for on the night of his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion? Us. In John 17, we read one of the prayers that Jesus prayed for his disciples: “I am praying not only for these disciples … Continue reading
Who Are You Serving?
All of us have some level of influence. As leaders, do we use our influence to serve ourselves? Or to serve others? When we are given a level of authority, what do we do with it? This weekend at NCC, … Continue reading
Who Are You Listening To?
Who are you listening to? The answer to that question can make you or break you as a leader. As I shared the story of Esther this weekend, I encouraged NCCers to consider the voices in the lives of King … Continue reading
Thoughts From Esther
I’ll be finishing out our Legends series this weekend with a message from the book of Esther. Here are just a few quick and dirty thoughts before I go into final prep mode: I discover new moments of comedy, tragedy, … Continue reading
Leadership Lessons From Mary
At (re)Vision, I talked about the life of Mary and some principles and practices that were worth considering as we aim to become women of influence. God has called each of us into his story. To influence a generation. Each … Continue reading
Fresh Anointing
This is Part 8 of of the (re)Vision talk on leadership principles from the Life of Mary. For the past several days, we’ve been looking at different episodes in and characteristics of the life of Mary that we can apply … Continue reading
Fierce Devotion
This is Part 7 of of the (re)Vision talk on leadership principles from the Life of Mary. Fast forward to end of Jesus’ earthly life. Jesus was betrayed, falsely accused, beaten, stripped, and hung on a cross. In John 19:25 … Continue reading
Creative Encouragement
This is Part 6 of of the (re)Vision talk on leadership principles from the Life of Mary. The fifth characteristic of Mary’s that we see in Scripture is creative encouragement. Real influence is not nagging or begging or hounding or … Continue reading
Focused Reflection
This is Part 5 of of the (re)Vision talk on leadership principles from the Life of Mary. The fourth thing we can learn from Mary is her capacity for deliberate, focused reflection. Our nativity scenes, which reflect a scene of … Continue reading
Quiet Courage
This is Part 4 of of the (re)Vision talk on leadership principles from the Life of Mary. We’ve been talking about the leadership lessons we can learn from the life of Mary. That she aggressively embraced the call of God … Continue reading
Affirming Friendships
This is Part 3 of of the (re)Vision talk on leadership principles from the Life of Mary. In Luke 1:38, Mary aggressively embraced the calling of God on her life, telling the angel, “May everything you have said come true.” … Continue reading
Aggressive Receiver
This is Part 2 of of the (re)Vision talk on leadership principles from the Life of Mary. We don’t know much about Mary. There are only about 40 verses about her in the entire New Testament. We are introduced to … Continue reading
When Women Lead
In the Story of God, women have played critical roles at pivotal times. They have influenced history as wives, as mothers, as queens, as prophets, as military leaders, as friends, as daughters, as sisters, as mentors… And as the Story … Continue reading
One Moment
Yesterday, we read the stories of David’s Mighty Men in our From Garden to City reading plan. It’s one of my favorite sections of Scripture. These men were incredibly gifted, yet they were completely loyal to David. They killed 800 … Continue reading
He Knows Your Name
The Gospel is simple. We theologian types love to make it complex and then re-discover the greatest truths when we see it from a child’s perspective. Last week, I hung out for about an hour with my old children’s pastor … Continue reading
MVPs
Who are your MVPs? The people– whether paid or volunteer– that you cannot imagine doing ministry without? The people who make it happen, keep momentum flowing, keep the vision at the forefront, and give you joy. As I read the … Continue reading
Guides and Fathers (1 Corinthians 3-4)
Reprinted from yesterday’s From Garden to City Blog. Toddlers are sponges. And parrots. My two-year-old niece Ruthie has begun copying everything she sees and hears. My sister Laura told me of a recent traffic incident in which she yelled out … Continue reading
The Yearbook Bible
In The Story, I do a quick overview of a couple ways NOT to read the Bible. The first is the Bible Roulette Method, where you flip until you stop and then read whatever your eye lands on. I’m not … Continue reading
Miracle in the Mundane
As many of you know, we are reading through the Bible in a year at NCC. It’s called From Garden to City, and it’s kinda a modified NCC Liturgical Plan. Right now, we are reading through Numbers, Joshua, 1 Kings, … Continue reading
From Elevation to Garden to City
I just completed a behind the scenes look at the process for developing National Community Church’s From Garden to City Bible Reading Plan. It all started at Elevation Burger in Virginia and then moved from coffeehouse to art gallery to … Continue reading
Assessing the Outcome
This is Part 7 of a behind the scenes look at the development of National Community Church’s “From Garden to City” Bible reading plan. It’s step-by-step through our process of developing our church-wide reading plan with the hopes that there … Continue reading
Developing Resources
This is Part 6 of a behind the scenes look at the development of National Community Church’s “From Garden to City” Bible reading plan. It’s step-by-step through our process of developing our church-wide reading plan with the hopes that there … Continue reading
Crunching the Numbers
This is Part 5 of a behind the scenes look at the development of National Community Church’s “From Garden to City” Bible reading plan. It’s step-by-step through our process of developing our church-wide reading plan with the hopes that there … Continue reading
What is Truth?
John’s Gospel gives us a detailed account of Jesus’ interaction with the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. When asked about his identity, Jesus answered, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world– to … Continue reading
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