Blog

Recently, in our teaching series, Disciplined Part 5, we talked about the discipline of “Sharing our Faith.” The Apostle Paul taught Philemon, “I pray that you would be active in sharing your faith, so thatyou will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” Philemon 1:6  I.e., we share our faith…

Marriage don’t fall apart over-night. The initial cracks that eventually crumble a marriage often start long before. And it’s easy for these cracks to start when the kids are young. Here’s why: When you’re dating, the relationship is all about getting to know each other. The relationship is all about dreaming together and treating each…

Have you ever had a “Holy Hangover?” “What is it?” you ask? Well, it’s a numb euphoria mixed with exhaustion and shepherding stress. For years, as a senior pastor, I used to hate Easter. Part of it was because every year our church would experience record lows in attendance on Easter – partly because 70%…

Easter is coming! And at Substance, we have been planning an amazing service for a long time. But why? We want you to invite your friends! Did you know that 82% of unchurched people stated they would go to church if they were invited by someone1. Yet, less than 2% of Christians ever invite people.…

Young pastors are always asking me the question: “How do you find the time to do everything? You write sermons & blogs; video scripts & tweets; and then, somehow amidst all of this, you find the time to lead an organization?! How do you do it?” Truth be told: there are many days when I…

There is something almost magical about a written life plan. Years ago, at the beginning of each year, I would write down my “roles & goals.” Over time, I’ve started revising and expanding that plan every three months. In some ways, it’s a master plan for my year; but, it’s also a prayer journal. As…