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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. In fact, I can predict an eerie number of things about you simply…

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…

Dishonor is everywhere in politics, news, social media…you name it. And oftentimes, dishonor is treated as some sort of noble act of truth-telling. However, every time a person in the Bible dishonored someone (even if they deserved it), they ended up demoting themselves! This is why David (in the Old Testament) refused to dishonor King Saul, (even…

Our city is literally on fire. And the time for talk is done. Here is our battle plan. And how you can help. As you already know, the destruction over the past few days has primarily affected minority families and businesses. Thousands have lost their jobs and homes. So, Substance has been helping people find…

There are some strange commands in the Old Testament. Many that we no longer apply. So why do modern Christians apply certain commands like “do not steal,” but not others like “cut off her hand?” People often say “well, much of that Law passed away with the New Covenant.” But I think we need a…

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…