Jesus wants me. Jesus wants you. For some reason when I say this the theme song from the children’s educational program, Barney, comes to mind. Sing it and see if it doesn’t fit. Maybe that song comes to mind because I have young kids. That’s a possibility....

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 “What do you want?” Ever really tried to answer that one? Let’s try. Take a moment and pause to consider how you might respond. Go ahead. I’ll be here when you get back ...

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The whole world knows next Sunday, February 5, is the Super Bowl. Even those who don't watch football will probably plan some part of their day around this event...

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The beginning of a new year brings with it a desire to change—to evaluate and improve ourselves. In one sense it’s arbitrary—January 1 is just another day—but in another sense it’s part of our nature...

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A couple Sundays ago I mentioned that eighty percent of people who do not attend a church regularly—or at all—would accept an invitation to attend a church service or event at Christmas.......

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Life is not fair. It is not easy, and it is certainly not comfortable. OK. I could have found more encouraging words with which start today, but I wonder if maybe this is where we need to start. I am beginning to wonder if somehow many of us in American...

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This important passage from Isaiah’s prophecy addresses a community in deep conflict, a conflict between their lifestyle and their intention expressed in worship...

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Tomorrow morning fourteen of us board a plane headed for Lima, Peru where for twelve days we will be ministering for the gospel. I am jazzed about the whole thing for a couple of reasons. First, we are flying Delta and that means all the Biscoff cookies...

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This past Saturday, my family spent the day doing Halloween stuff. We dressed up and headed out for some candy at ZooBoo. We made some plans to do a little trick-or-treating with some friends. And, we carved some pumpkins. This was actually the first...

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Every day brings another reason why we should be cautious if not discouraged about the output of our lives. The older you get the more 'reality' sinks in, the more the dream dies...

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I spent the majority of the day in the Emergency Room with our son, the consequence of an upper-respiratory virus gone bad. The diagnosis on Saturday was pneumonia in the lower right lobe. The x-ray today showed that in spite of a heavy antibiotic the...

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This week marks the start of Celebrate Recovery as a ministry for us at Browncroft. Chances are you have seen a postcard, a video, or a bulletin announcement about it. And, chances are you probably still have some questions about it. Questions like, what...

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I ran my first marathon yesterday. Let’s just say that it was the most excruciating and difficult single event I have ever done. Sixteen of the twenty six miles were all uphill. By mile eighteen, my legs were cramping so badly that I could barely walk...

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I have been thinking a good bit about life-change lately. Specifically, I have been thinking about the role of grace and the tension it creates in life. I was always taught that salvation was by grace (Eph. 2.1-10). That meant that God was responsible...

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I’ve spent some of this week reading and hearing the aftermath of the US Open tennis final last Sunday. In 4 hours and 10 minutes the new reigning number one (Djokovic of Serbia) completed what some are calling an all-time greatest season. 64 wins—including...

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A week from Sunday I am headed to the Adirondacks to run my first marathon. To say that I am jazzed is a bit of an understatement. Running a marathon has been a dream of mine for the past fifteen years. So, the obvious question. Why now, after fifteen...

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This weekend our attention will be focused again on the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Beyond the loss of life, we also experienced a loss of place in the world and a loss of innocence...

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This summer was so hot. I would go outside and ask myself, “Isn’t New York supposed to be cool in the summertime?” My poor air conditioner faced numerous days where it never cut off and still couldn’t keep up with the heat. The thing that got the worst...

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This past Sunday I put forth a challenge to our entire body to meditate on a single passage of Scripture, Psalm 25.4-5...

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I want to encourage people from all segments of our body to come out for a
dedicated time of worship this Sunday night....

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I want to remind you all that this Sunday we are having a special congregational meeting to vote on a key position on our church staff....

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Often our truest selves come out when we’re challenged. When we’re pressed to the wall, we dig deep to defend ourselves...

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Last week I wrote about coming to a point in our lives that we experience a loving relationship with God. As I have chewed on that thought myself, I have wondered. Do I really believe that God loves me? Better yet, do I believe that God is love? I am...

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Over the years I have grown to enjoy Broadway shows. I don’t really know when or how my fondness arose. I can remember a time when I would have equated watching the song and dance of a musical with sitting for a root canal. Maybe I am growing soft in...

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The most remembered words of Jesus are actually ones the Gospel’s don’t record. Fortunately, in his farewell speech to the leaders of the Ephesian church, the apostle Paul shares them with the world; It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20.35). 

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To me, Jesus is perhaps the most fascinating person to have ever walked the earth. He wasn’t a person of pretense or hot air. He was full of substance and life. He had an uncanny ability to see right to the heart of things, and then put his finger on...

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In my Old Testament reading today, Ezekiel 46, I got thinking about A Lifestyle of Worship, a central truth in our church vision and the topic of...

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One of the most difficult things to do is to live transparently with others. We spend a great deal of our time hiding. We hide who we are, really. We hide what we feel and what we think. We hide our hopes and dreams. Sometimes we even hide from ourselves....

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So, here is a confession. There is a great deal present in my life that I don’t want to be there, stuff that shouldn’t be there. However, it is there. I suppose that isn’t much of a confession. It is probably more of an acknowledgement of the way life...

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I am flying today, sitting right now on a MD88, cruising along at about 30,000 feet, headed to Texas for a whirlwind visit. I have twenty four hours to check out how another church in Dallas runs their Celebrate Recovery program. I am only in the first...

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This week we are opening The Core series with a message on God's love. Yet like many such big ideas itwww.biblegateway.com/passage/ can be hard to...

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