The Word from St. Andrews

Dear St. Andrews Family, What is love, really? It’s more than a feeling (Do you see Marianne walking away?) Is it an experience (Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more)? Is it accepting others (all your perfect imperfections)? Is it fate (Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be)? Is it absolute devotion (everything I do, I do it for you)? Or could love look much more ordinary—and much...

Dear St Andrews Family, I want to connect the last few verses of thebook of Ruth with the Christmas story (I know it’s not Christmas, but the incarnation is always significant) to remind you of this important truth—God loves you and he is working even amidst the emptiness you are possibly feeling. He will bring fullness. That should be enough, but in case it’s not. . .  Star Wars, Kings, Apollo 13...

Dear SABC Family, When was the last time you prayed for Syria? When was thelast time you gave money to take care of orphans in Northern Uganda? When was the last time you broke down upon realizing that God’s people are suffering and dying in horrible ways in many countries overseas?   I am so afraid for the American church. Our wealth hasmade our focus all wrong. We pray for blessings for ourselve...

Dear St. Andrews Family, In 1955, the LAPD introduced the new motto of their police academy: To Protect and Serve. A few years later this phrase made it to all the cars and since then it has been adopted by Police departments all over the country. To Protect and Serve. Boaz was an Israelite who took this idea very seriously. This week I want to show you the numerous ways that Boaz showed himself a...

Dear St Andrews Family, You know those pick-up basketball games where you callyour own fouls? I like those. It’s a chance to have integrity. It’s a chance to admit that the ball went out on you even if no one noticed it. It means you let everyone know that you did make significant contact with someone even though their position was established.   How do you do in that situation? Are you honest? Ho...

Dear Family, Every Politician has to have a response to the immigration question. Perhaps it’s naïve, but I like to assume they are asking the right questions and trying to answer them with care. They are asking: How do we protect ourselves and still be compassionate? How do we help, but not get hurt? What is the best way to handle so many people streaming into our country longing for a better lif...

There is nothing quite like those pictures that hang in office buildings with that one inspirational word. Challenge Motivate Excellence. Maybe they inspire you to be committed, . . . to make a difference. Maybe you are like me and find most of those posters pretty stupid. But maybe like me you do need reminders that 1) Jesus is that committed to you and 2) we do have the strength to be self-sacri...

Dear St. Andrews Family, Do you struggle with resentment and bitterness? Does it seem that God is afflicting you or, at the very least, isn’t helping you? Maybe you feel like you haven’t received what you need to live life the way you want? This story begins with great tragedy and great bitterness. Naomi has lost all hope for the future. But this story has only just begun. You will want to hear wh...

Dear St. Andrews Family, I wasn’t here this week as I will be checking out the Crown of Thorns far away. Two points for any of you who know where this religious relic is housed. Anyway, I asked Reggie McNeal to come and lead worship for us and I am excited for you. I have been reading his books for a long time. Here is what he says to get you ready for the message: In the parable of the Good Samar...

We’re all looking for something. A way back. A way home. A hidden door into the life we were made for. We’ll explore Jesus’ strange and challenging words about the narrow gate and the wide road in Matthew 7:12–14. What if the “narrow way” isn’t mainly about getting into heaven someday—but about learning how to live now? What if the secret door into life is actually the difficult path of love, humi...

Dear St. Andrews Family, What if God isn’t good? That question sits behind more of our prayers than we like to admit. What do you do when you’ve knocked… and the door didn’t open? When you asked, and nothing came? This Sunday we wrestle honestly with Matthew 7:7–11 —not with easy answers, but with real doubt, persistent prayer, and the surprising truth about who’s on the other side of the door. Be...

Everyone else is a jerk… Right? Let’s be honest—sometimes it feels like we’re surrounded by people who just don’t get it. Bad drivers, bad political choices, bad parenting, bad theology, overall bad decisions… it’s so easy to judge. But this Sunday, we’re stepping into Jesus’ words about judging people. And His words are pretty “in your face.” He talks about truth and mercy in a way that feels alm...

Dear St. Andrews Family, What if the thing protecting us is also the thing keeping people out? This Sunday we’ll wrestle with a haunting question from Nehemiah: “Can these stones live again?” We’ll move from broken walls in Jerusalem, to Peter’s shattered assumptions in Acts 10, to Paul’s declaration in Ephesians that Jesus has torn down the dividing wall of hostility. What kind of church are we r...

Dear St. Andrews Family, Make sure you climb something that no one else will climb. Eat something that could realistically kill you. (I’m thinking gas station sushi) Give advice on things you know nothing about. Yep, it’s another week of advice from Pastor Jace. I may even include some advice that your mom would appreciate—it is Mother’s Day after all. The advice I give today is meant to lead you...

Go skinny-dipping often. Don’t wear a helmet. Get a tattoo before you are 18. And that is only the beginning of my advice for teens this week. That’s right, a whole sermon where I talk to teens. And after those first three words of advice, I know you parents will want your teens to hear the rest. 😉 Now, I think sermons should be proclamation about Jesus and I will certainly do that, but this is a...

Dear St. Andrews Family, This Sunday’ I've entitled the sermon “When Anxiety Talks Louder than Jesus.” Because let's be honest, we often listen to our fears more than we listen to Jesus. I hope to help you think about what keeps you up at night and what has you “double-souled.” Then I want you to hear the gentle, steady voice of our Father who feeds the birds, clothes the lilies, and calls...

Dear St. Andrews Family, Rival gods don’t announce themselves—they quietly take over. We’re diving into Matthew 6:19–24 and exposing how what we treasure slowly becomes what masters us. Jesus isn’t just talking about money—He’s going after our hearts, our vision, and our devotion. Before you listen, read the text and ask yourself: What is shaping me more than I realize? I am looking forward to wor...

Dear SABC Family, This last line in the Lord’s Prayer may destroy you. If you pray it and mean it, everything about you changes. It’s the most dangerous, most subversive, most you-crushing statement you can utter. And I warn you not to play around withit.   For thine is the kingdom And the power And the glory Forever.   This means that all other loyalties and allegiances become as if they are noth...

Dear Family, What if your expectations for Jesus are too small? This Sunday, we step into the tension of Palm Sunday—a crowd full of hope, waving branches, shouting “Hosanna!”… and yet missing the kind of King standing right in front of them. We all carry expectations—of God, of life, of each other—but what happens when Jesus refuses to meet them the way we imagined? Join us as we explore how Jesu...

Dear St. Andrews Family, The Lord’s Prayer contains a line we often rush past: “Deliver us from evil.” But what if Jesus meant it more seriously than werealize? What if the world is more contested than we think? We’ll talk about wilderness, whirlpools, andwhy the prayer Jesus gave us is actually a prayer for people living in the middle of a battle. Come ready to wrestle with one of the most powerf...

Dear St. Andrews Family,  A lot of Preachers talk about forgiveness, but forgiveness is richer and higher and harder and more shocking than we imagine. It’s not just an act of piety, it’s liberation of the cosmos. I can’t begin to encapsulate this in a blurb so letme tell you this…   I want to tell you a story about a man in prison and a son compelled to eat pig slop and a prophet King who came to...

Dear St Andrews Family,  Over the years many of you have asked how I got this superhero physique. The answer is simple: It’s all in what I eat. Did you know that in 3 years Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson eats a ton of fish. Literally, a ton of fish. I have a similar diet. In three years, I literally eat a ton of bread. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Ritz crackers, chapatis, pepperoni pizza, E.L. F...

Dear Family, Don’t mess with my office. My desk is not a place you put stuff. Don’t move my books or my chairs. This is my kingdom. Mine.  Don’t mess with it. I have a lot of little kingdoms. My car, my bedroom, my countertops. I have an office at my house that I use for about 5 minutes a week. I gave it to Dan a couple weeks ago and every day I go down there it grates on me. It’s my kingdom. Don’...

Dear Family, I pray a LOT. . .  in front of people. But my private prayer life could use some serious work. Honestly, I get bored easy and distracted. And sometimes I wonder if it really accomplishes anything. Sometimes I am pretty sure God isn’t even listening. . .  and I know He isn’t acting.   We all know God calls us to pray and my guess is that most of you struggle with it. I am praying that...

I am just going to go ahead and admit this: I like it when people see the good things I do. If I do the dishes, I want people to know it. If I visit someone in the hospital, I want someone to know. If I give extra to the church, I hope someone will tell me “good job.”   I struggle with pride and with hypocrisy. I think a lot of us do. That’s why social media is so great. We can talk about ourselve...