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From JD Greear

Discipline is not God trying to pay you back; it is God trying to bring you back.

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Where Drama and Reality Kiss; or Don't

Where Drama and Reality Kiss; or Don’t

Low Drama & Fake: Sitcoms, many Fb posts.

Low Drama & Real: Being responsible, being apathetic, smoking weed.

High Drama & Fake: Reality TV

High Drama & Real: Pain, conflict, injustice, hatred, sickness, suffering, death, miracles, healing and resurrection on the third day.

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Rinse and Repeat

These 3 Things a Crisis Make

1. False god promises greater joy through disobedience to God.

2. Person believes the lie.

3. Real life happens.

4. False god’s lie is exposed for what it really is.

Rinse and repeat.

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God "Bless" America

God “Bless” America

OK.  Quick question.  What does “bless” mean?

I need to know what this word means if I am to ask the Almighty to do it for America.

Does asking for blessing mean I am asking God to give America more money?  Power?  Security? Happiness?  Political unity? Protection from economic downturns? Protection from terrorists? More joy? Better marriages? More kids? Better kids? No kids? A lower…

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The Hardest Prayer Ever

“Dear Jesus, my friend said he needs to meet with me later today.  I know he wants to talk about some issues in my life, or maybe just one of them.  I know that he loves You and that he loves me, so his words to me may be hurtful, but only to my pride.  Please give me the desire to listen; to hear Your voice through the courageous words of a friend who wants me to find greater joy in You.

The…

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No One Has a Mid-Life Crisis at 18

Our company said goodbye to a really good guy on Monday.

He was the husband of a wonderful wife, who is also with our company, and the father of two little ones.  His death was a total shock, and appears to have been something like a freak brain aneurysm.  This got me thinking…

Did this man have a meltdown at age 18, wondering what he was going to do with the second half of his life? Probably not.

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I Wasn't Sinning Until I Understood the Verse Better

He was eating whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, in whatever quantity suited him at the moment.  Then someone in his church small group explained to him what the word “gluttony” means.

She was a new Christian who lived a very normal life.  She was working hard as a server at Chili’s, studying hard to get through nursing school, and living with her boyfriend of two years.  Then her pastor…

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A Bigger Mess than the Slaughter

What was tugging at my heart last week as I read about the ritual slaughter of lambs?  Why did it seem so much easier to give one’s best to God when all it took was surveying the flock and taking the best one to the Temple?

It was a weird emotion.

I knew in my head that I have a perfect Lamb, a perfect High Priest, and a perfect Temple along with a far better Covenant.  So what was the strange…

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Food Over Family

Quick cultural observation:

As a real estate agent, I can’t help but notice that dining rooms are no longer in vogue.  If families no longer need/want a room for dining, then it would be natural to assume that eating is becoming passe…

…or not.

We are eating, but I would have to guess that the new visual focusof a group of eaters is the television, not each other.  Yes, you could make an argument…

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The Pen and the Sword

I felt strongly impressed of the Holy Spirit a few weeks ago that I really should get back to writing out my prayers.  It slows me down; it exposes how self-centered my prayers can be, and gives the Spirit room to direct my passions toward God’s glory and the Gospel’s advancement, instead of asking for small things and being satisfied playing with mud pies in a slum.

After some time writing this…

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A Temple for the Gods

A Temple for the Gods

Even if you’re not a sports fan, it would be hard to miss all the excitement around the grand opening of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (At least if you live in Northern CA)  The $1.3 Billion home of the San Francisco 49ers is 1.85 million square feet and features enough solar panels to be declared “net neutral” as it relates to energy.

All of this hullabaloo makes me think of the temple that…

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Sunday Brunch

Some churches here in the States spent the 80s and 90s talking like it was a brand new cultural shift for people to NOT be a part of a Christian church.  a.k.a. They were talking like a post-Christian culture was coming fast, as opposed to recognizing that it had long since arrived.

How old of a cultural institution, for example  is Sunday Brunch?

Isn’t it this loud, unapologetic, “WE DON’T GO…

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It Wasn't the Earthquake that Shook the Jailer

It Wasn’t the Earthquake that Shook the Jailer

He was likely a grizzled veteran of the Roman legions.

As a reward for years of service, he had been rewarded with the relatively plush post of overseeing a jail.  But this was still Rome; and accordingly, a jailer paid for lost prisoners with his own life.

So when God sent an earthquake to tear open the gates of the jail in Acts 16, we can understand why he drew his sword to kill himself.…

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The Island of Misfit Toys Jesus came to save misfits, not people who think they're good enough on their own.  Be challenged by this sermon as Christ reminds us that dirty shepherds are now welcomed into the presence of God. Sermon Audio Page

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I Will Be Held Accountable for Living at the Dawn of the 21st Century

I Will Be Held Accountable for Living at the Dawn of the 21st Century

It may seem weird to you; but I’ll start this off by asserting that my iPhone 5S, a number of good apps, some great websites & the proliferation of WiFi are clumped together as the greatest double-edged sword of my spiritual growth.

I grew up hearing about remote tribes of people hearing about Jesus for the first time thanks to the extreme dedication of a Christian who was willing to pack up and

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How to Be a Christian Without Being a Total Wuss

How to Be a Christian Without Being a Total Wuss

Step 1: Read the Bible to see what makes God furious.

Step 2: Watch the news to find things around you that make God furious.

Step 3: Do something.

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How to Be a Christian Without Being a Total Jerk

How to Be a Christian Without Being a Total Jerk

Step 1: Put your sign down.

Step 2: Take a deep breath.

Step 3: Remember that you are a sinner saved from your sin only by God’s grace, not your moral achievements.

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