What happens when our emotions get the best of us? Does the Bible speak of joy, sadness, anger, and sorrow? If so, what does that look like? These are questions that all of us ask. And thankfully, the Bible speaks to our emotions. In our new sermon series, Songs of the Summer, we’re diving right in…
In elementary school, I won first place in the 4-H baking contest. My mom didn’t have time to make homemade cornbread, so she took out a box of Jiffy Cornbread and the rest was history. I actually had no part in the actual making of the cornbread, but regardless, I still received the coveted blue…
What if more Christians were able to see evangelism, not as some intimidating task, but as part of the rhythm of following Jesus and loving people? Our new sermon series, One Small Step can be an enormous aid in seeing that come to pass. This four-week series explores how evangelism relates more to our identity and…
This is the third and final post in my short series on Leading Change (Part 1 | Part 2). Leading change in the church isn’t easy. It requires great boldness. But that boldness must be born out of brokenness. We must be broken by the gap between what could be and what is. That brokenness…
Life is full of change and transitions. Oftentimes, transition exposes cracks in our faith – those places where we’re not fully trusting God. But through the difficulty of change, we can still rely on God and that’s why we’re excited about our new sermon series, In Transit. This five-week series explores characters from the Bible who…
All of us build our lives on something. All leaders are building their ministries and leadership on something. And that something is the thing that determines what our lives become. The people we become, the places we go, and the impact that we make. The problem for us is many of us never stop to…
The New Testament makes it clear: we don’t need to try and level up, we need to hit game over so that we can live a new life. When the crowds followed after Jesus, he would turn to them and tell them they must deny themselves in order to be His followers. We know His…
My senior year of high school was a good year for me. It was spring of my senior year and I had worked hard at my football craft. It paid off when I was invited to the Central Illinois All-Star Football Game. I played wide receiver but split time with players from all over the…
What if more students were telling their friends about what Jesus was up to in their lives? What if more students had a holistic picture of what evangelism really is all about? That would be powerful and this is why we’re excited about this new youth sermon series: Followers. This four-week student series explores how evangelism…
Much of Jesus’ preaching and teaching was showing his listeners his points rather than just saying them. He used sermon illustrations all the time. And we should too. Often times, though, it can be a struggle to come up with good sermon illustrations. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The Prerequisite for Finding…
Humility. Wisdom. Servanthood. Imagine if more people were characterized by those qualities. In a time when social media is at its peak, self-centeredness is common across all ages. That, combined with all the challenges students face can create a recipe for a perpetual focus on oneself. But that’s not the way of Jesus. Jesus calls…
Picture this: you and your team have a full day with a few church leaders you respect the most. They don’t live in the same area as you do, so this is a rare occasion. So… What do you ask them? Maybe the situation is a bit different and you’re at a conference and there’s…
What does it look like to follow Jesus? It looks like grit. It looks like radical obedience in a world that is radically disobedient. It means going against the grain, against the tide, against the direction of the raging river of culture. That is why we believe this new series for students, Grit: Radical Obedience,…
Many preachers aren’t administratively minded. I know that is a total over simplification of people and pastors, but generally speaking, my experience finds that to be a true statement. It seems as though, when your brain is wired to be a story teller and inspire people, it’s not wired to manage tasks or projects. On…
A sermon series on leadership. Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it necessary? No doubt. Popular blogger, leader, and author, Brian Dodd has a new book out and we’re excited to release a sermon series based on his book, Timeless. Not only do we highly recommend you grab the book for you and your team, but we…
Ministry Pass is excited to announce that we are offering our very first internship role. We are looking to add a passionate and motivated student to our growing team. This summer internship is paid and will provide a fun learning experience in media production and design. Ministry Pass is a media resource tool that serves…
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Jealousy. Envy. We all feel it. We look at people in our field of work, we look at other parents, other athletes and wish we had what they had. We want someone else’s career, their platform, notoriety, success. But do we? Why is that such a big deal? The longer I think about this and…
What is the Christian faith? To answer that question, many pastors and theologians have turned to the book of Romans. In it, Paul lays out our desperate need for restoration, Christ’s sufficiency, and what life following Christ should look like. This is why we’re excited about our new sermon series, Romans: Discovering the Foundation of Our…
I have had the privilege of leading a church of 220-250 partners through two three-year capital campaigns which raised over 1.2 million dollars for the sake of major building renovations and improvements. Privilege… Privilege? Depending on the day, that may or may not be the word I would use to describe this experience. Some days…
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Jesus spoke these words in Mark 1:15 as he was beginning his ministry. Jesus’ arrival was the breaking in of the kingdom of God and as followers of His, we are a part of that kingdom. We…
We’ve all done it. We’ve all spent time on it. We’ve all made the mistake. As a preacher, you spend time in preparation. If you plan ahead, the weeks coming into a message are filled with preparation and reading scripture and commentaries. The week of the message you’re fine-tuning each word and relearning the text….
Our world can sometimes make us think that everything is falling apart. But God’s word gives us hope. It tells us that God is in control, that He does have a plan, and that there is hope in the midst of the difficulties of this world. The book of Ephesians is a powerful letter that Paul wrote…
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There is an explosion happening to how people consume content. Many people’s commutes, exercise sessions, and grass mowing is accompanied by audio in the form of podcasts. As an avid podcast listener and on-and-off-again podcaster, I know the power of podcasting. But what used to be something people were unfamiliar with has now become a thing…
In the beginning, God created. Later, He created man in His own image. He saw that His creation was good. God is an artist, a creator, a painter, a writer, a poet. He creates. And as His creation – in His image – we are creators, too. But does that mean we can enjoy the arts? Does that mean…
Most churches have some kind of First Impressions team. You may not call it first impressions, you may call it guest services or greeting, but most churches have some type of team or process for greeting people when they enter the building on a Sunday morning. I don’t know if I’ve ever come across a…
If you were put on the “hot seat” and your congregation was encouraged to ask you tough questions on tough issues, what do you think they would ask? Here’s the thing: there are a lot of difficult subjects that can often times go unaddressed by the Church. But all that can stop now. Most of…
Ministry is a full plate. And sometimes it can be overwhelming. Counseling session here. Sermon prep there. Develop some leaders here. Board meeting there. Future planning here. Staff coaching there. Volunteer coaching here. The list, as you know, can go on and on. If you feel like you struggle to get the most out of…
What do you think is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in all of Christianity today? In my experience, it has been ecclesiology – the Church. With this misunderstanding, we are missing out on the beauty of the local church. That’s why we’re excited about this new series, We Are the Church. This three-week series has…
This is the second in my short series of articles about leading change in our churches. In my first post, I talked about how brokenness and boldness are always connected. You can be broken without being bold, but you can never be bold without being broken. Boldness without brokenness is arrogance. Arrogance never builds God’s…
Marriage done God’s way is beautiful. It’s not built on romantic love alone, but on a foundation of following God and His will. Marriage requires work. But when both husband and wife work together, their marriage will thrive instead of simply survive. This is why we’re excited to bring you a new marriage sermon series…
You know the drill. You set a goal. A really big one. One that will stretch you, challenge you. It’s hard. Really hard. When we stretch ourselves, often we believe that we will succeed. We see a goal: losing weight, a promotion, saving money, starting a business or a church, and we think, “I can…
Awe and wonder. When was the last time you experienced them? What do you think would be the answer for your congregants? It’s easy for everyday life to snuff out opportunities for awe and moments of wonder. But we worship the all-involved God who is at work in the world. God’s world is a world…
Evernote is a go-to tool for a lot of preachers. While it isn’t without fault, the app is a great way to capture bits of information and store them until we need them. On top of that, it’s a great place to write, brainstorm, and even preach directly from. Different preachers use Evernote differently. From…
In many circles, the book of Revelation is one of the most ignored books of the Bible. And yet, it could be one of the most relevant to our day and time. Cultural Christianity is becoming less and less common, but along with that has come the rise of “the nones” and some who are…
If you’re anything like me, you need to focus. There are times when you need to hunker down and get things done. Yet, your mind wanders. You daydream or think about what will happen later today or tomorrow. It could be a conversation, a meeting or a vacation you can’t wait to start. Your lack…
Sometimes the most surprising of stories and circumstances can teach us the most about life following God. Scripture is packed full of small and unknown stories that pack a big punch. This is why we’re excited about this new series, Stories They Don’t Tell You in Sunday School. This four-week series looks at little known or…
