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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…

Marriages 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…

Going into 2021, a lot of us imagined our hearts to be full of faith instead of fear. We imagined that we trusted in prayer more than politics; yet, circumstances always reveal what we actually trust in (eg., money, politics, healthcare, job security, etc.). As Jesus puts it, “Out of the abundance of the heart,…

Do you know the area of your greatest ministry impact? Here at Substance, we often talk about “starter ministries” vs. “long-term ministries.” Starter ministries are designed to help you get plugged in and find your people here. Then, once you’ve got your community and are ready to dive deeper, we’ll set you up with your…

Throughout the middle ages people believed in a theological concept called purgatory…a place between heaven and hell where certain people could pay for their sins. Of course, most scholars don’t believe the concept even exists in the Bible (which I agree with). Some credit Pope Gregory the 1st (late 6th century) as the originator. But…

Welcome to the Church Bylaws Landing Page! Leading a church should be joyful. Yes, there are many courageous decisions that need to be made. But no one needs the “side-ways energy” that bad bylaws create. Bad bylaws cause good people to behave badly. So, here are a few resources to help you rethink your leadership…

Welcome to My Personality Workshop Landing Page! Once you get to know Carolyn and me, we are Personality Test Junkies: From Strengthsfinders to Love Languages, we do them all. Yet, our personal favorites are the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Enneagram. Now, there’s a lot of people who feel the Enneagram has “cultic roots.”…

Who in the world is the “Anti-Christ?” What is the “Mark of the Beast?” And does any of this have any basis in the Bible? Over the years, Christians have used these doctrines to create all sorts of interesting conspiracies. And if you browse the web, you’re certain to find a good number of cults…

Last year revealed all sorts of silliness:  We all imagined our hearts to be full of faith instead of fear. We all imagined that we trusted in prayer more than politics; yet, circumstances always reveal what we actually trust in (eg., money, politics, health-care, job-security). As Jesus puts it, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the…

The end of the year is always fun at Substance! And after a year like 2020… we could all use it! For starters: Late-October means Vision Season: We always unveil the soon coming upgrades followed by a Heart for the House leadership night (This Sunday Oct 25th). And then, come December, Christmas at Substance is…