If any one thing is characteristic of ALL of us, it’s likely that inner struggle we feel…

“I want to do this, but I know I should do that…”

Or-

“I don’t know WHY I did that thing right there— I’d already decided I wasn’t going...

Salvation is so much larger than we typically think. Jesus not only forgives our sins (as incredible as that is), but He does so much more. In every place that Jesus bled He brought a new degree of freedom. At each point, He transformed your identity.

(Yes, transformed— past tense....

About the third or fourth time reading the Gospels and comparing each writer’s interpretation of the Cross to the Exodus event, I caught it: Jesus’ sacrifice at the Cross did far more than I had imagined. 

Here’s one of the factors that helped me “see”...

Salvation is Jesus’ identity. It’s who He is. 

Mary and Joseph were told to name their child Jesus for a specific reason. The angel told them, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus, Yeshua,...

The week of His death, Jesus told a handful of His disciples that the time of judgment had come- and the “ruler of this world” was about to be cast out (John 12:31). You might remember that the first declaration of redemption included a promise of judgment, too (see Exodus 6:6 ESV)-...

If you read the Gospels closely, you’ll notice something strange for short books that are supposedly biographies of a famous religious leader’s life. Namely, they each spend a disproportional amount of time on the events surrounding Jesus’ death as compared to the space...

In February 2011 I began an interesting journey. Through an odd series of twists and turns, I began teaching the information you hold in your hands.

At the time I was working at a nonprofit in my hometown. We provided housing for men, women, and families who came to us from prison, human...

One summer I read Michael Ondaatje’s book The English Patient for a literature class I took at Baylor. Fittingly enough, I took this class as an elective during my first semester at seminary— when I began my journey of learning how to be an “equipper of the saints for the work...

One day the Pharisees and scribes found themselves frustrated with Jesus. Again. 

“This man receives sinners and eats with them,” they said (see Luke 15:2 ESV, emphasis added). 

They were infuriated. Disgusted. Appalled. 

Now, pause right here. Let me give you some...

In every church there are at least three groups of people. I mean, yes, you could potentially categorize people an indefinite number of ways, but there are three subsets I want to review. In every church you’ll find: 

• Workers = people who get things done
• Watchers = people who are...