Life

Creativity is an essential component for my job.  From the humor of my book Pharisectomy to creating a fresh sermon series, I’m always looking for inspiration. My closest friends know that I obsess over script writing and music production.  And especially as Substance makes plans to launch into some serious films and albums, I’m extremely protective…

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how long it takes to start a habit.  Someone told me 19 days, another 21.  But what do studies really say about forming a new habit? A psychologist by the name of Phillipa Lally of the University College London says that it takes 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.  And if you’ve never heard of the spiritual discipline of fasting before, allow me to give you a quick definition: Fasting is a process of abstaining from something for the purpose…

In 2008, 16% of Americans answered yes when asked, “Do you expect any apocalyptic events to happen on December 21st, 2012?”  That’s one out of every eight.  Personally, this would simplify Substance’s Christmas plans as our Christmas services will start blitzing on Dec. 22nd.  And even if you don’t believe this date has any special…

One of the strange phenomenon’s of this generation is the rise of social media. If a celebrity eats a hamburger, we need infinite updates on how it tasted and went down.  Social media has also led to a refreshing amount of social accountability; but, it’s also led to an era of cyber bullying and hyper-critique. In…

The last couple weeks I’ve been hitting many of the top statistical predictors of healthy kids and marriages.  And in case you missed a few weeks, you parents will especially want to hear the research from week 3!   (click here to see videos).  But my wife and I want to give you some more information…

As usual, I like to keep my friends and fam in the loop about some cool press and promo coming forth!  First off, for those wondering about my book release for Pharisectomy: Don’t fret! It’s coming!  I literally sold out of my advance reader copies (that were only for pastors, etc.)  And I’m awaiting my second…

If you’ve heard me preach, you’ll know that I love to share modern miracle stories.  I’m kind of a skeptic at heart; yet, I’ve seen some undeniable miracles over the years.  This tension between faith and skepticism is a pretty common one – especially in a day and age when urban legends can be created…

Almost every month, people come up to me and ask the common question:  “What do I need to do to find a mentor?”  As I look back at many of the successes in my life, it’s become clear that most of them were due to great mentors. Many of you have recently heard me teach…

The Bible says that the “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21).  Interestingly, certain studies have proved this to be true when it comes to love and romance. In the October 2011 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, it explained…