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Article and transcript:https://www.diveindigdeep.com/blog/messages/the-strength-that-jesus-givesOutline:Physical power – to endure and serve God (1 Timothy 1:12)Actual presence – God is with us (2 Corinthians 12:9)Spiritual perception – the ability to see the riches of his glory (Ephesians 3:16)More:From the sermon: Strength from Jesus: How to Give Thanks in All CircumstancesAaron Lee | November 2...

I noticed in my small group that the men tend to idolize selfishness, while the women tend to idolize sovereignty. Men have a certain self-centeredness, and women have a desire for control. While these are generalizations from my personal small group sample, I do see some biblical connections. After the Fall of Man, we see a pull towards selfishness, self-centeredness in Adam. Rather than taking r...

Last week, I wrote about idolatry, and I want to share more observations from my small group. If I were to generalize from our small sample, I’d say the men tend to idolize selfishness, while the women tend to idolize sovereignty—two “S” words to make it easy to remember. For me, my idol was my iPhone, which I traced back to a desire for laziness—to give my attention to my phone instead of to God...

We were at Legoland this weekend, and I have a confession: I get stressed out when we’re on vacation. I get stressed out at home too, but this is different. It’s like I somehow forget about God more easily, and I forget that he’s in control. I get caught up in the minutiae of what the kids are doing, and just the overall uneasiness about being away from the familiar. There are large letters at the...

I recently shared five reasons why were talking about our spouses’s idols in our marriage small group. The prompt was that we were supposed to state what we think, or what we perceive, what we’ve seen to be our spouses’s idols — and also if and how they have been fighting off these idols. Specifically for this small group question, I wanted to define an idol as anything that gets in the way of lov...

We were talking about our spouses’s idols in our marriage small group. The prompt was that we were supposed to state what we think, or what we perceive, what we’ve seen to be our spouses’s idols — and also if and how they have been fighting off these idols. Specifically for this small group question, I wanted to define an idol as anything that gets in the way of loving God and loving others. Jess...

What are your spouse’s idols? This was the discussion question for our marriage small group this past weekend. Here are several reasons why I wanted to talk about it: Idolatry is insidious, so it’s good for us to examine our lives and name our idols. Our spouses know us best. I’m generalizing here, but we likely spend the most time with them, and they see us at our most sinful. That kind of honest...

Jess said it took one of our kids 10 minutes to tell her a simple story. Too much filler, aimless tangents, and no sense of urgency. If we want to mature as communicators, writers, teachers, and preachers — let’s learn how to get to the point!

One common error is mistaking what is new for what is good. Some will say that a sermon was good simply because they learned something new. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. Preachers should do their due diligence in studying and preparing, and this does and should lead to new and fresh insight. But learning something new isn’t helpful unless it actually does something for the hearer. Otherwise,...

I was thinking about AI and the Christian, sermon preparation, the books that we use to study, the sermons we see online — and a question I find myself coming back to as a preacher is if I have truly heard from God? Did I hear from him myself? On one level, I can say that I heard from God simply because I read my Bible. It’s not wrong to say that. But on a deeper level, and what I’m aiming for as...

I had a quick conversation with a 1st grade student at Awana on Friday night, sort of on the side, and it all happened really fast: Student: I can do 4th grade math. Me: 4th grade math, wow! How did you learn that? Student: My parents want me to learn. They said that they want me to get ahead. They said that it will be hard now so it can be easier later. They said if I don’t want to work at McDona...

I was having lunch with some coworkers earlier this week, sharing stories, hanging out. My friend was telling us about some of his past and I was so shocked that I said out loud we had very different childhoods growing up! Our work at the hospital is a very weak common denominator amongst us all. My church is very monocultural. Don’t get me wrong — I’m grateful for our church. But if you go out in...

3  Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ( James 3:1 ) Previously, I wrote about  James and Jesus , and today I want to share some related thoughts about this famous passage from James. He writes that not many of you should become teachers. This is a general warning addressed to everyone, but especially to those...

One of my biggest problems is feeling like I always need to be productive. And by productive, I mean doing things that lead to making money. I was playing with my daughter, building a house out of cardboard boxes. And I realized that, by monetary standards, I wasn’t being productive, but I was happy. I felt full and satisfied. On a deeper level, it felt like an eternal investment, tending the home...

Three reasons why I carve out the time to answer questions from the children at my church: Kids are curious — and I think that’s a good thing. Allowing them to ask questions normalizes curious minds and I think this is one way to cultivate good habits for future and more mature Bible study. I want them to remember that God has answers to their questions. This is more of a long play, but when they...

James was Jesus’ half brother, and he probably thought that Jesus was out of his mind. James What must it have been like to be the half brother of Jesus? Growing up together, playing, doing chores, hanging out, running errands, talking. James was so close to Him, yet he did not believe. At one point, even Jesus’ family was saying, “He is out of His mind” (Mark 3:21). Those nearest to Him did not y...

Easter Sunday is a big deal! We’ve had emails going back and forth with last minute prep and you can feel the excitement. Even with the extra work that comes with serving, here are three reasons why I’m glad I get to lead music on Easter Sunday: Easter Sunday is the most important day on the Christian calendar. Yes, more important than Christmas! Easter Sunday is the top worship service attended d...

38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Je...

I received an excellent question about free will after my children’s sermon on Sunday. Here is my rationale for answering the way I did, and I hope that writing this out will help me answer better next time: Questions about free will are ultimately questions about our sovereignty. I aim to show that we are not sovereign (we do not have the power, control, or abilities to do whatever we want) then...

Here are some brief thoughts on my current ministry methods. These are my personal convictions and resolutions: Any ministry I do must be founded and overflowing from my own personal devotions and walk with God. I believe my primary ministry is to my family. To be a husband and father is an immediate calling and it must be prioritized. This includes how I care, guide, and provide for them. I am bl...

SOLA Network shared my sermon that we turned into a devotional article:  The Jews, the Judge, and the Robber: A Series of Passion Week Devotions . I originally preached this three years ago, and I want to share my thoughts about it today. After three years, I can agree that I cringe when reading my old writing. I think that as I continue to work on my writing, the cringe will come more quickly. Ov...

On Sunday I had teaching, preaching, and worship leading responsibilities. I try not to do so much on a Sunday, but sometimes that’s just the way the schedule works out. When it comes to getting into a ministry flow on Sunday mornings, Jess is an excellent helper. Jess gets us out of the house with the kids (I need to play my part here too)Jess gets us to church (she usually drives) and she takes...

I was talking to Jess about our summer schedule for the kids. There are so many things we want them to do. High on our list are swimming lessons and music lessons. As I was thinking about what to prioritize—especially with limited time and money—I laughed at myself because the answer was so clear, at least for me: music lessons won’t save your life, but swimming lessons can! We all have to priorit...

My daughter, Numbers, told me she helped Jess make a salad for dinner. I said it tasted good and asked her what was in it. She said, “Salad, cheese, these things, cheese, sauce.” (The “these things” were croutons, by the way haha.) Her list wasn’t very clear, so I didn’t really know what was in it. It reminded me that when people get a taste of Christianity through the “salt” of our lives, it help...

3. Ask about family and friends. Our families and friends, and how we feel or relate to them, tell us a lot about ourselves. For instance, are you married or single? Dating? Kids or no kids, how many or why not? Who do you hang out with and what types of activities do you like to do? 4. Ask about church and hobbies. For some, talking about work may be mundane. Asking about church or hobbies gives...