Set Your Mind Above

Send us Fan Mail F - orget A - bout M - e  I L - ove Y - ou #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Send us Fan Mail Our phones are always listening. I made a joke about buying a hat that says "Chill" on it so I can just point at it to make my children chill out when they get crazy. Later that night, my phone showed me an advertisement I had never seen for a hat just like that.  The Lord is also always listening. To those who love him and walk in integrity, that is a comforting fact. B...

Send us Fan Mail I went back for another PT session, and we added many more movements to strengthen my core. They were very simple in nature, but very hard to actually do.  What does God require of us in this life? We tend to overcomplicate everything. It's simple, actually, but that does not mean that it is easy. Our call to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God is hard - but w...

Send us Fan Mail I was playing cards with my parents, and my dad had the option to pick a card up off the discard pile or draw another card. He couldn't decide quickly, and ended up drawing a new card. Ironically, it was the exact same card he would have received if he had just picked up the one on the discard pile.  The small moment reminded me of a difficult concept many struggle with: unde...

Send us Fan Mail I started physical therapy this week for SI dysfunction in my pelvis & low back. The therapist stated he doesn't want me to rely on him. It's his job to equip me, and to equip me to learn how to correct it as well as strengthen the surrounding muscles.  This is exactly what we are called to do as the church. Leadership is to equip the saints, not only to correct that...

Send us Fan Mail This morning came with a special surprise: an impromptu coffee date with my dad. We have not sat down together just the two of us over a cup of coffee in a long time. We talked about a little bit of everything, but especially spiritual things, and finished with prayer.  The most important spiritual moments and instruction in our lives don't just come in a formal setting of wo...

Send us Fan Mail I got absolutely bit up by chigers last week, resulting in 250 bites that won't stop itching. I didn't go out to put up deer stands in the right clothes and without bug spray. Dumb me. Now I'm paying the consequences.  Just as you cannot see chigers, we are in a battle against an unseen enemy. We must be clothed with the armor of God if we are to not be devoured by...

Send us Fan Mail A good friend called me over at the coffee shop and shared the following saying with me: Patience with yourself is hope. Patience with others is love. Patience toward God is faith.  These are all biblical truths and important for us to consider in the way that we exercise patience in our lives!  #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Send us Fan Mail I received a random message from someone I did not know at all on social media. They saw a picture of a hat I owned, and asked where I purchased it in Yosemite National Park because they were there right now. Their sole mission on this trip was to get that hat.  You have to admire the drive. Do we have that same drive with our faith? Is our mission above all else in this life to s...

Send us Fan Mail This last week was the "Field of Dreams" game in the MLB, played next to the iconic movie field set. The famous line from the movie comes from the question, "Is this heaven?" to which is responded, "No, it's Iowa!"  We often compare things to being like heaven, or "heaven on earth" here in this life. But they are far from it. Heaven wil...

Send us Fan Mail My intern for this past summer, Caden Bercik, shares a story about pulling off on the side of the road late at night because it was too dangerous for him to keep going. He needed to rest.  Spiritually, we must learn the need for rest - as modeled by the Lord, and how important it is for our walk with Christ.  #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Send us Fan Mail We started reading the kids the Chronicles of Narnia, starting off with book 2 - the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Reading is so important in our household, and a lost art in many families. We want our kids to learn and read the timeless classics.  However, while that is a good thing to do, it's not a necessity. What is necessary is opening up Scripture with our children...

Send us Fan Mail My son lost two teeth in two days, and received $5 for each tooth. He decided all on his own he didn't need both $5 bills, he wanted to give one of them to God. So he did, and yet right after doing so, was given another $5 from someone else.  God is a generous God, and he wants his people to be generous too. But here is the kicker - those who are will be the ones that God ble...

Send us Fan Mail My daughter Ava joins us again today for a guest episode to discuss our need for direction, discipline, and ulitmately the Lord!  #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Send us Fan Mail I'm an old soul, and I've passed that on to my children. Recently I introduced them to the movie staring Danny Kaye, Hans Christian Andersen. They loved it. Who doesn't love a good storyteller?  The greatest storyteller was that of Jesus - as he taught us through parables. But they were not just to inspire, but to instruct us. We must sit at the foot of the teacher,...

Send us Fan Mail We capped off a very busy week with a big thunderstorm, which my son is afraid of. He came out and I picked him up, reminding him that I'm always here and that it's going to be okay. God is powerful, but he is good.  As children, we cry out to God when we are afraid as well. And as a loving Father, he holds us in his hands and reminds us that one day it's all going...

Send us Fan Mail We have had quite the week. The dryer broke. The car needed replaced. The carpet is being ripped up. All of these things were not worth trying to patch and fix - we needed something new.  Our spiritual journey right now is the same. We are stained and destroyed on account of sin. Jesus didn't come simply to patch us up - he came to rip out the old and make us new in him.  #Se...

Send us Fan Mail My three year old was trying to sneak a fast one on me and get a snack when I told her no. When she asked how I knew, I told her I had eyes in the back of my head. She lifted up her hair and asked if she had the same LOL! I told her maybe one day when she's a mommy she will.  Our kids can try to sneak stuff past us, but we can never hope for the same as children of God. He is...

Send us Fan Mail I have been trying to use the Alexa all week, but it never answers me anymore. I figured it was broken. That was until my wife informed me there is a reason it won't answer my calls anymore - the kids changed it's name. I've been calling out the wrong name.  Whose name are you calling on? If we call on any other name than the Lord, we will receive no reply, like tha...

Send us Fan Mail I have terrible vision, and I have had the worst luck over the years with glasses and contacts. All that is about to change, howeveer, as I have qualified and have a consultation for LASIK eye surgery this next week. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, I will permanently fix my vision.  We can be prone to spiritual blindness in our lives, and we are in desperate need of having the L...

Send us Fan Mail My kiddos now have a six-foot inflatable cow sprinkler in the back yard, but they use it for just about everything other than a sprinkler. To punch & kick, to jump on, anything other than its intended purpose.  Sometimes we can do the same as people with the gifts God has given to us. We reimagine God's designs, and destroy things like marriage, the church, or truth. We c...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back after an extended break! We had a wonderful and wonder filled past three weeks.  There are so many lessons I want to share wih you from our trip to California...but there is one in particular that you absolutely need to hear. It comes in the form of a note from a front desk of a hotel, and it reminds us that anyone who loves God and loves others can make a profound im...

Send us Fan Mail I wripped my hand good at the gym yesterday. I have callouses that have formed on my hands from the barbells etc. - and one of them tore open deep yesterday. It's painful, but in time it will heal.  Sometimes we can form callouses over our hearts, but God's Word has the power to cut us deep and expose that which is within. However, in doing so, God can bring us the heali...

Send us Fan Mail My everyday bible of seven years has fallen apart, and was in need of being rebound and brought back to life. So I sent it off to Orion Bibles, and they have done a complete transformation to it! I'm so thankful for its condition, and that I can use it once again.  One day we are all looking forward to our own transformation. Over the years our bodies fall apart, but in the r...

Send us Fan Mail As Finley, my three year old, and I were walking back up the driveway Wednesday night, we looked up to admire the stars. At that exact moment, a shooting star streaked across the night sky. It was a magical moment full of wonder.  We are like shooting stars. Ever breif, shinning through the darkness, and making a profound impact on those who see the light of Christ shinning in us....