In the spring of 2008, my wife and I united with a small group of people to begin a new church in the heart of New Orleans. That small group of people has now multiplied all over New Orleans and even around the world. We are so thankful to be on this journey. Here is a little background to my journey.
Read MoreAs a part of our Church of the Future series, we learned that we don’t just have a responsibility for the kids in our own families or even within our own church. Rather, we have a responsibility to raise up the Church of the Future from all children of the world. Here are two ways you can participate right now:
Read MoreI read a lot. Whether it’s books, articles, blogs, or magazines, I like to read. However, one thing that frustrates me is when an author doesn’t answer the “so what” question. This question tells us why what we’re reading is important and how we can apply it to our lives. Over the past five weeks, we’ve been answering the question, “How do I know I’m saved?” We’ve answered that question with five tests: (1) what is my relationship to Jesus Christ?, (2) what is my relationship to the world?, (3) what is my relationship to sin?, (4) what is my relationship to people?, and (5) do I have the witness of the Holy Spirit in me? We’re concluding this series with the “so what” question: What should I do?
Read MoreWe teach your kids some pretty cool stuff in vKids. For example, we just had a month where we looked at how creative God is and how he made us in his image so we could be creative too, which means that these kids can use their God-given, reflecting, and enabled creativity to share the gospel with everyone and solve huge world problems. Whew, that was a big sentence because these are BIG ideas.
Read MoreIf you’re like me, it is much easier to grasp tangible, practical realities than to assess subjective, internal experiences. So far, this is the journey we’ve taken through 1 John and the question, “How do I know I’m saved?” We’ve looked at our interactions with Jesus, the world, sin, and people. Yet, in this post, we’re going to move to something deeper and even more fundamental to our salvation.
Read MoreThough it is fulfilling, satisfying, and eternally secures us, there is much more to being a Christian than just going to heaven. We have a responsibility, privilege, and task to accomplish here on earth. If we are truly in Christ, then our relationship to Jesus Christ himself, the world around us, the sin that we have to actively put away, and the people that God puts in our lives, must be centered upon His Word and character. But what does it really look like as we interact with people? What does it mean to truly love others?
Read MoreIf you’re like me, chances are you’ve had a moment in the past where you considered saying “goodbye” to social media. The passive aggression, emotional rants, narcissism, and overall productivity drain on life can make anybody question the benefit of staying plugged in. Join that with what appears to be a decrease in tangible community in modern culture, and social media actually begins to look like a fundamentally negative aspect of modern life. Yet, most modern advances, including social media, are not inherently evil. Rather, it all comes down to how these powerful tools are used.
Read MoreOne of the greatest gifts that you can give to your child is the gift of God’s word. Kids need their own copy of the Bible for a few reasons. First, they need to know that God’s word is for them, not just for mommy and daddy or for their vKids leaders. Second, God’s Word never changes, but how we present it to kids does. Kids need a developmentally appropriate version of the Bible so that they can begin hiding the stories, themes, and messages in their heart. Finally, God’s word, regardless of how it is packaged, has the power to change hearts and lives.
Read MoreIn this post, we continue to answer the question, “How Do I Know I Am Saved?” We’ve discussed three tests thus far, looking at our relationship to Jesus Christ , the world , and sin. Today, we look at the fourth test. On Sunday, Pastor Rob kicked off our “Church of the Future” series, looking at Deuteronomy 6:1-9. Before turning to this passage, he mentioned the story of Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40. In this story, someone asks Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus responds, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” In our first post on our relationship to Jesus Christ, we looked at the first commandment. Today, we look at the second commandment, answering our fourth test question, “What is my relationship to people?”
Read MoreA day has more meaning than its cultural value. A holiday is not limited to just its celebration. Take my birthday for example. Every year, I get to spend time with my family celebrating the moment when I was born and reflecting on every moment since then. But, that’s just my family and however many Facebook friends decide to post on my wall. In reality, the rest of the world hates my birthday, because the rest of the world only sees it as April 15— Tax Day.
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