church

Whenever history changes due to a single event, people often call it a Black Swan Event. A Black Swan isn’t merely a historical event. It’s an event that fundamentally shifts both our behaviors and views of reality – think 9-11; or when Europe discovered North America. Now, the reason I’m explaining this is because, the…

As many of you know, Substance is helping 100’s of churches respond to the Corona Crisis. We’ve been flooded with hundreds of questions (from church tech to church legal issues). SO, I created this page as a resource for pastors. Keep in mind, I modify this almost every week! (And things change fast). So, take some…

Have you ever had a “Holy Hangover?” “What is it?” you ask? Well, it’s a numb euphoria mixed with exhaustion and shepherding stress. For years, as a senior pastor, I used to hate Easter. Part of it was because every year our church would experience record lows in attendance on Easter – partly because 70%…

At one time in my life, I thought skepticism meant “a lack of faith.” But as I matured, I realized that skepticism is often the evidence of “maturing faith.” As strange as it might sound, doubt is God’s way of making us hungry for deeper revelations.  It’s not something we fear; it’s something we explore. Keep…

Have you ever wondered why some people can say “difficult” things and people receive it, while others simply open their mouths and people freak out? Over the years, I’ve noticed that two different people can share the exact same truth to another person; yet, to the one people respond with anger and rebellion and to…

Very few things are as euphoric as having your own kid. To be honest, I was kind of a “baby hater” until I had kids of my own. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I “punched them” or anything… It’s just that I never thought they were cute… And I never wanted to hold…

I can admit that Substance is a strange church. When close to 70% of your attendees are under 35 years old, it results in a lot of trendiness. Every once in a while, someone will ask me the question: “At what point is your church overly hipster?” (as if we are intentionally advocating for this).…

I love the story where the disciples were trying to cast out a demon but weren’t able to. As a result, the disciples were having a squabble with the teachers of the Law. Jesus, just coming off a prayer retreat, walks onto the scene and immediately casts the demon out. A bit confused, the disciples…

Did you know that frequent church attendance dramatically increases your life-expectancy?  In fact, epidemiologists (doctors who study epidemics) have routinely noticed a strikingly and significant health difference for those who devoutly participate in God-centered social groups. At first, researchers simply reasoned that, church-goers tend to have a higher number of supportive relationships – which has…

If you had to choose between truth or happiness, which would you prefer? A recent study at the University of Texas asked this question. Interestingly, 58 percent chose happiness and 42 percent, truth. I.e., the majority of people would rather be blissfully ignorant and happy. And honestly, I can relate to this. For years, my…