The Way Home featuring David Prince

What does our love of sports teach us about God? Can sports be used to glorify God and introduce others to him? David Prince, author, pastor, and professor joins the podcast to share from his excellent new book, In the Arena: The Promise of Sports for Christian Discipleship. He says that we make one of two […]

The Way Home featuring Trillia Newbell

In this 100th episode, Trillia shares her compelling story of race, conversion to Christianity, and pro-life activism. Trillia Newbell is our director of community outreach, but more than that she is a gifted author, an inspirational speaker and Bible teacher and one of the most encouraging people I know. We are going to talk to Trillia about […]

What is Advent, and Why Should We Celebrate It?

There is something really wonderful about the word, advent. We know this word from other contexts besides religion. We say things like, “Since the advent of the automobile…” Or “Since the advent of the modern era…” Advent signals something new is coming. The dawn of a new and better era. This is really what Christmas […]

Some Things I’m Reading Right Now

First I tweeted this and then I got the idea to share a short post on some things I’m reading lately. As for books, I just finished the brilliant Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance. I highly recommend it. I did the audiobook version. Now I’m onto another audio book, this time, Churchill, A Life by Martin […]

How Pastors Can Help Their People Find Their Calling

I remember sitting in church hearing sermon after sermon on the importance of giving it all up to serve God. These were great convicting sermons God used to melt my heart toward him. But I never knew exactly what God’s will looked like, specifically. Did it mean leaving it all behind to go to the […]

Shepherding the Flock: A Conversation About Pastoral Ministry and Cultural Engagement

At the 2016 ERLC National Conference: Onward, I sat down with David Prince, Robby Gallaty, Jimmy Scroggins, and Bryan Loritts to discuss pastoral ministry and cultural engagement.  I asked Bryan Loritts, “Do you feel that many churches, by being afraid of speaking on cultural issues, have seeded authority in many ways to other voices in […]

Teach Us To Pray: “Thy Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven”

This is part of an occasional series of posts on the Lord’s Prayer. You can read the previous entries in this series here, here, here, here, here, and here. In this post we will discuss the third request found in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” This […]

Teach Us to Pray: Hallowed Be Your Name

(This is the fourth post in a ten post series on The Lord’s Prayer) In this post we’ll take a look at the first of six requests in this prayer. And it’s an unusual one, perhaps one we don’t quite understand. Jesus says we should pray, to the Father, “Hallowed be your name.” What exactly […]

The Church of the Future

Most of the time, expert musings about what the worldwide church will look like involve demographic surveys, technological advancements, and philosophical reflections. Bestselling authors and popular conferences focus on future trends. It’s important for churches to be part of this discussion so they can freshly apply the gospel to the moment and help their people […]

The Way Home – Episode 17 featuring Erin Davis

Is it possible for us to be both connected and lonely? This is the epidemic Erin Davis describes in her new book, Connected: Curing the Pandemic of Everyone Feeling Alone Together. Erin joins me on the podcast, along with my colleague Lindsay Swartz, to discuss how life in Christ and life together in the body of Christ […]

Should Pastors Have Good Friends From their Church?

At Leadership Journal I discuss the advice I received, upon ordination to ministry, to not become good friends with people in my congregation. It was well-meaning, but wrong advice, I thought at the time. Here’s an excerpt of the article: I don’t see a detachment from people in Jesus’ public ministry. Yes, Jesus took time to get away […]

Three Questions to Ask About Your Job

“Nothing matters except what happens in here.” How often have you heard that in church from well-meaning pastors? I know the message trying to be sent: the supremacy of the gospel and the importance of evangelism. I share those desires, but this kind of reductionism is not a biblical view of culture. Which is why […]