Life

Like many people, it’s been hard for me to process all of the celebrity suicides of late. First it was Robin Williams, then Chester Bennington of the band Linkin Park. Then it was Prince (who was initially thought to have simply overdosed [1]; then it was Avicii – one of the wealthiest electronic dance music…

Have you ever wanted help discerning God’s will for your life? It’s easy to become afflicted with a very narrow definition of success. And as a result, we fail to see all of the great plans that God has for our families, finances and physical bodies. So here’s a worksheet I go through every few…

Over this Thanksgiving weekend, I’m super thankful for an amazing year at Substance. It’s been a 21 year dream to launch a national level album. And I’m thrilled that it climbed to #24 on the mainstream charts (even if it was only for a short time). And by the way… if you haven’t seen it…

As a pastor, I’ve watched a lot of people start the process of change, but only a few follow through on their goals. Whether your goal is to work out, parent better or eat healthier, over time, you’ll see that some people are simply better reaching their goals. But why? Why do some teams, organizations,…

Honestly, ever since I heard the news of Philando Castile yesterday, my heart has been trembling. Part of it is because it happened right on the heels of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge… and our city still hasn’t gotten over Jamar Clark, nor should it. And when you add snipers in Dallas – murdering innocent…

When life gets tough, we all have a tendency to condition our happiness upon things that, according to research, simply won’t change our happiness all that much. After writing an entire book hitting some of the statistical causes of happiness, I continue to find more “research gems” that blow my mind. According to the May/June…

If you’re feeling busy or weary, lets talk. In part 1 of this blogging series, we discussed the idea that: Success in one area of our lives won’t compensate for failure in another. The happiness of professional success will never make up for a lack of success in our marriage, friendships, parenting, etc. So, if…

Most people think that their busy pursuit of success is fine, until their lives melt down. I meet a lot of middle aged people who thought their marriage, kids, and physical bodies’ were fine (amidst the busyness of their careers) until all-of-a-sudden, they weren’t. CRASH. Your marriage falls apart; your kid does the unthinkable; or…

Have you ever asked God to help you win the lottery? Be honest. You got that one piece of junk mail saying: “You’re a winner!” And as you looked in the mirror with wide nostrils, you thought: “Doggonit. I AM a winner, aren’t I?” Of course, a day later you realized, you might be a…

If you’ve come to Substance in the last few years, you’ll know that we start out every new 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: we “get to” fast.  It’s actually an incredible opportunity. In both the Old…