And that's why today I want to put a little bit of urgency in your heart. If you have a lot in common with me and you get nervous and you're not sure if the timing is right, today I want Jesus to slightly nudge you, maybe strongly kick [...]

But instead of you having to build something like this, instead of spending your whole life trying to build something so impressive you can get like from your life to the presence of God, Jesus says he just gives it. Wow! We are here! Jesus was [...]

So today, I want to challenge you. What could you do to put these words into practice? How could you write the words of God on the gates that you go in and out of each day? Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this [...]

And we feel so small, like running up on our two little feet trying to tear down those walls and it feels like we can't and that things will never change. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to [...]

That it might not take decades and decades of study. We might be 12 inches, or 12 seconds, or 12 verses away from the beautiful thing that gets to our heart and reminds us of the beauty of the kingdom of God. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not [...]

Who's the person who thrives spiritually? Who's really blessed in the eyes of God. The one who meditates The one who doesn't just take step after step mindlessly, but instead thinks about each one very, very carefully. Wow! We are [...]

But every time we open the pages of this book, and not just skim them but really chew on them, meditate upon them, we get one inch closer to the mind, the heart and the thoughts of God. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. [...]

And God might mess with your plans, too. For your family, your job, your health, your entire life. But he's made you a promise. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm [...]

I mean why do relationships or marriages get tense or ugly or fall apart? Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet [...]

In a world where we worry, where we find it hard to sit still, where we panic about our medical results, or our kids and their choices, about our president, our nation, a thousand different things. God says to us, "Hey. Be still". Wow! We [...]

I bet if I asked you if you worry, the answer would be obvious. The better question would be: what are you worry about today? Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, [...]

See, God never claims that his plans or purposes should make sense to you. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet [...]

Have you heard that old jab, you know, showing up in a garage won't make you a good mechanic? And showing up in a church doesn't make you a great Christian. I'm not sure if your brain is anything like mine but I find it natural; like [...]

Today, I want to take you back to that Thursday night before Friday's cross, the night before Jesus bled, and read to you just a big chunk of Scripture; what Jesus taught his disciples about what to expect in this world. So if you want to [...]

You don't have to raise hands or anything but I wonder how many of you kind of grew up with that view of God that was all about the rules; all about what you do and what you don't. If you're pretty familiar with the Ten Commandments, [...]

Can you imagine if our church had double the amount of love? I mean, I really love our church family; I think it's a fairly kind and accepting and honest and hospitable place. But if I could push that button and like every person who walks [...]

There's a little sentence I want you to write down if you're taking notes in your program. I think most of our fear is summarized by these two words that begin so many of our thoughts; the words "what if". What if I don't [...]

Now thankfully, Jesus actually answered that question. And he answered it with a series of verses that I actually shared with you about six months ago at this church. Ironically, we were in the middle of a sermon series called "Out of [...]

No matter what your age, no matter what the year of your high school graduation, let's remember what Jesus taught in Matthew 18. He said, "In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should [...]

There is a picture in my office that keeps me passionate about the next generation. I brought that picture with me to show you and I even took a picture of the picture just in case you're sitting in the back. Here's my picture. This is my [...]

Last fall, my little eight year old dressed up as an 80 year old woman. And she stepped out onto a stage with about 50 of her peers who were also dressed as elderly people; gray-haired, cardigan-wearing, walker-pushing people. And they raised up [...]

There are three words that God used to change my life. Three words so powerful that I wrote a whole book about it, called "3 Words That Will Change Your Life". If you want to get a copy of the book, you can jump over to [...]

GOD is here! Those three words are so amazing and powerful to me. In fact, they're so amazing I wrote a book about them, called "3 Words That Will Change Your Life". If you want to check out the book, you can run over to [...]

There are three words that God used to change my life. Three words so powerful that I wrote a whole book about it, called "3 Words That Will Change Your Life". If you want to get a copy of the book, you can jump over to [...]

There are three words that God used to change my life. Three words so powerful that I wrote a whole book about it, called "3 Words That Will Change Your Life". If you want to get a copy of the book, you can jump over to [...]

GOD is here! Those three words are so amazing and powerful to me. In fact, they're so amazing I wrote a book about them, called "3 Words That Will Change Your Life". If you want to check out the book, you can run over to [...]

Back in 2005, actor Steve Carell, who became famous through his role as Michael Scott in the show The Office; ever seen that before? He played the role of Andy Stitzer who was an electronic salesman and avid toy collector and as the title of the [...]

That's a really good question, which is why before I just jump into the Bible, I want to give you three really good answers to that really good question. Why talk about sex in church? If you're taking notes in your program, let me give you [...]

A couple years ago in church, I was trying to reenact this ancient custom that the Jewish people had in the Old Testament called the "whole burnt offering". You ever heard of it? Every morning and every evening in their temple, they would [...]

"Hello, my name is Mike". Haven't you ever been to a recovery meeting before? Let's try this again. "Hello, my name is Mike". Thank you. "And I am a comfortholic". It's true; I am addicted to comfort. I [...]

Kanye West had never seemed so spiritual. Back in 2016, Kanye graced the stage of Saturday Night Live as their musical guest and from the second he stepped on it was worship. Behind him stood a crowd of gospel singers; incredible booming voices [...]

Where is the line between lovingly pointing out a neighbor's sin versus approaching people the way the Pharisees did? Alright, let's imagine... let's imagine your best friend is gossiping. You know, just trash talks everyone. And [...]

Next question. I'm watching people at my stage of life get engaged, move in together, get married, etc. in jumbled up orders. How can I keep my standards high and be patient when I really want the relationships I see everyone else having? [...]

Will we recognize people in heaven? Also, in heaven will we have memories of our time on earth? Revelation 7, so when John gets this glimpse of heaven, he says, "I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from [...]

As a Christian church, how do we respond to the #MeToo movement? I'm a guy who lives with three females and I cannot imagine how my heart would be broken if anyone hurt any three of them. And if God has a fatherly heart that's way more [...]

What passages can I turn to for mental illness? And is mental illness sin? Let me start with the second question. Mental illness is not a sin but it is a result of having sin in the world. Alright? So if there was no sin, would we battle depression? [...]

A few years ago, a female Christian blogger, Glennon Doyle, posted a picture; a picture of herself after her divorce snuggled up in the arms of another woman, soccer star Abby Wambach. I'm guessing Glennon knew that the topic would be [...]

The kid's Bible never tells you the whole story. Now, maybe it's because kids don't get the nuance of it, right? They want good people and bad people; they want heroes and villains. But when you actually read the Bible, the people [...]

If I told you that today's message was about God and gender, about being male and about being female, about the way brothers and sisters in the faith treat each other and work together in the church, I wonder what kind of thoughts you would [...]

Matthew 5:48 says, "Be perfect". How is it possible for us to be? Why would God say that when Jesus died for our sins, thereby proving our imperfection. It's kind of a famous verse. Jesus is preaching about loving people. In the [...]

How do you know that God is real? If you've never wrestled with that, I'm not sure if you've thought deeply about it, huh? Lots of us were raised just believing that there is a God but God is unique in the fact that he is spirit. [...]

"Coexist" is a very popular school of thought. What does God say about coexist? Ooh, are you familiar with the theme? Have you seen the bumper sticker? Coexist, I don't know a ton about the origins of the movement, but the word [...]

We hear that we shouldn't be angry; that anger isn't a fruit of the spirit. But aren't there some things we should be angry about? I.e., injustices against people who can't defend themselves or things done in God's name that [...]

Why does God want us to wait until marriage to have sex? That actually is a great question. You know, it's a great question because some people would say if, if sex is such a vital part of a relationship and if the Christian church says that [...]

Well we are ending our week of great questions and biblical answers with an interesting one. The question someone recently sent me was simply this. "Can I trust my conscience"? Think of how massively important that question is. Right now [...]

Is it bad to tell people just to believe in Jesus because it's a good bet? That was a question that a woman asked me recently at our Question and Answer Sunday. She's passionate about sharing her faith and she knows that people have all [...]

So this week we are wrestling with really good questions about church and faith and the Bible. And I had to smile when someone wrote me this question. "If Jesus came to our church, would he have to talk with the pastor before taking [...]

So, someone fired back a good question to what I thought was a beautiful answer. We were in church the other day and I started gushing about how amazing Jesus is. And how unique the Christian faith is. That God loves us unconditionally. That he [...]

Two nights ago, I was sitting at a Starbucks with a guy who had a lot of questions. I love this guy because he was really, really honest. He told me his wife had this, like, solid faith. She just trusted all the things that she would hear in church. [...]

What's my part in the body of Christ? I'm not sure if that's a feeling you ever wrestle with but I know I do. And I think most often that question comes into my heart when I walk into a room and other people are there who are better [...]