Life

Did you know: The healing of our nation is more dependent upon a praying and repentant church than it is upon a perfect political candidate? 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will…

Believe it or not, Evangelical Christians are some of the least politically involved groups in American Politics, even though they have a reputation for being the opposite. What’s up with that? Since the 1990’s there’s been a lot of Christians who’ve tried to change this hyper-political accusation by being “non-political.” Yet, in my opinion, I’m…

After we debuted the Chosen Season Four at Substance’s Northtown Bigscreen, I’ve had a lot of people ask me the question: Do you have any book suggestions that will help me to understand the times of Christ? After binge watching the chosen a second time, my son has had a crazy number of specific questions…

Here at Substance, we start every year with a season of fasting. Of course, nobody HAS to fast; but, when you understand what the Bible teaches on fasting, you’ll realize that we “get to” fast.  It’s actually an incredible opportunity. In both the Old and New Testament, God powerfully rewarded those who fasted. “Those who…

One of my favorite spiritual disciplines is called a “Thanksgiving Meditation.” We all have a tendency to focus on negative things (by a factor of six); so, if we aren’t savoring our blessings, then we’re going to struggle with chaotic thinking (see Romans 1:21). Blessings must be savored to be enjoyed. So, grab a journal…

Have you noticed: No matter how good our lives are going, there’s always something in our lives to whine about. Especially around holidays, people with no family whine about it; yet, people WITH family whine about it. And all this goes to show, we all need the discipline of thanksgiving this time of year. So,…

Did you know that all of our brains have an irrational glitch that causes us to obsess over our fear of loss more than the possibility of gain? This might sound like a silly philosophical problem. But if you aren’t aware of this, it could have a huge impact on not only your prayer life,…

What’s the Truth about Demons? And how do we get rid of them Recently, at our 1st Wednesday service (Sept 2023), I started a series on Demons. And I had no idea just how popular it would be! Yet, I suppose, even non-Christians are interested in the topic (due to the ever expanding number of…

There’s no doubt about it, God has blessed me financially. A lot of people wonder, “Where did your money come from? Was it your books? Does the church pay you a lot?” Don’t get me wrong: I still drive a Jeep Wrangler and only own one house (despite what the internet might say). My biggest…

Recently, I did a message on how the small habits of our lives can have a dramatic impact on our future. I explained that the small financial decisions we make when we are young can have a dramatic impact as we get older. Thus, I ripped off an old Dave Ramsey (the financial guru), and…