Anger is never the first emotion. I remember when a mentor first introduced me to this truth. He shared the way anger so often springs up on the heels of something else. That anger... read more
The place I feel most alive is sitting in a beach chair, toes dipped in the ocean. There is a sense of peace and tranquility there that is indescribable. Y’all, I was made fo... read more
At the end of his life, David knew his legacy was about to play out. His son, Solomon, built the Temple of the Lord. At the ground-breaking, David spoke the words above to Solomon ... read more
It might get scary. There. I said it. Living in freedom means we open up memory boxes long stored away. We learn that some of the things we formerly knew might be wrong, so we deci... read more
Welcome to the new world! The world where life takes on new meaning and depth of understanding. Friends, God created you to live a full life—right now, not just in the by-and... read more
Honesty is always a great starting point. I take a deep breath every time I say something like this. Because it might make you mad at me. But that’s okay because I didn&rsquo... read more
Let’s wrap up our week together by talking a bit more about depression. More specifically, about extending grace and compassion to the depressed. Some things are just hard to... read more
Someone asked me yesterday, “What do you say to yourself when you’re going through trials?” Here are five thoughts that came to mind:
1) Don’t live tomorro... read more
She was angry and devastated. Anyone who loses a child to a tragic accident would be. I had to remind myself to ignore her anger and feel her pain. “Why would God let this ha... read more
Jesus healed people in different ways—a prayer, a command, or just a simple touch. In our weekend message, He healed a leper. He could’ve stood 100 yards away; instead,... read more
Scott preached an excellent message yesterday about sickness, suffering, and healing. We’ll continue that theme this week.
If you haven’t read Lamentations lately, you... read more
The Israelites knew what it was like to be foreigners in a hostile country, so as God was bringing them into the Promised Land He was very clear that, in the land He was giving the... read more
Something intriguing to think about is what must have been going through Matthew’s mind as he witnessed, and then later recounted in his gospel, Jesus’ interaction with... read more
The Israelites, under the Law, were to take very specific measures toward caring for their neighbors in need. Laws like this found in Leviticus ensured that there would be food ava... read more
Did you ever take an economics class in school? I always found it fascinating, and I especially enjoyed macroeconomics: The large-scale systems and structures that make economies w... read more
Most of us are familiar with this story when, during the Passover celebration, Jesus entered the Temple in Jerusalem to find a bustling marketplace selling, among other things, ani... read more
I remember talking with my wife late last year about how tragic the year had been for so many people and expressing gratitude that our year had actually been a productive and prosp... read more
I fondly remember coaches in my younger years investing time and energy into challenging me to improve. As a soccer player, I chose to be a goalkeeper because of the lack of runnin... read more
Sometimes I find myself performing a task or involved in a situation that previously would have been an immense struggle. For example: My dog Woodrow is currently paralyzed in his ... read more
I am always fascinated when I run into an old friend and we catch up. Sometimes it isn’t anything profound. But other times it seems as if nothing at all has changed. You tal... read more
Have you ever thought that you needed to stop something to start something better? Hobbies and projects come to mind—you only have so much time in the day, money to invest, s... read more
When my oldest daughter was 2 years old, we had just adopted our son, and I was pregnant with our youngest daughter. Needless to say, my oldest was not only about to get evicted fr... read more
When I was in college, I spent a lot of time with our pastor’s family. I babysat for them, ate hundreds of meals with them, and even lived with them for a season. One evening... read more
Anyone who’s often around kids has noticed most kids believe that a band-aid and a kiss is a quick fix for their bump or scrape. For my daughter, it was the neon-green aloe v... read more
Since basketball just wrapped up, it’s time to talk college football, right?
Penalties are a common occurrence in football, and some of them even have interesting name... read more
As adults, most of us have witnessed the marriages of friends or family crumble, many times as the result of one or both spouses’ poor choices.
From the outside, we can ofte... read more
It’s been so good this week to focus on Jesus’ power over sickness. It shouldn’t surprise us that our Creator is able to heal us, but it’s a reminder I need... read more
Like you, I’m so excited about Southland’s new Hawaii campus opening up next year! I can’t wait… April fools! Haha!
Jesus physically healing people is pep... read more
The Gospels tell a number of stories of Jesus healing blind people. The Gospel of John describes an episode in which Jesus encounters a man blind from birth. In Jesus’ day, b... read more
As we continue to look at examples of Jesus’ power over sickness, let’s look at him healing leprosy. The term leprosy in the context of the Bible labels a spectrum of i... read more
The largest group of Jesus’ miracles mentioned in the New Testament involve physical healings. The Gospels give varying amounts of detail for each episode—sometimes Jes... read more
We’ve been in a teaching series called Plugged In—Tapping Into The Power Of God, and we’ve spent some time this week being encouraged by God’s power over da... read more
This week we’ve looked at God’s power over darkness. Today we’ll focus on The Light that has overcome the darkness! This Light was predicted and written about wit... read more
Jesus’ temptation by Satan is another example of His power over darkness. In yesterday’s devo, we saw Jesus exorcise demons that were tormenting two men. Few of us woul... read more
Jesus' encounter with the demon-possessed men is a stunning example of His power over darkness, and the story reveals multiple truths for us to consider. (I would encourage yo... read more
We seem to have a fascination with darkness. I remember trips to Mammoth Cave where the tour guide would lead the group into a lower chamber and turn off the lights. The darkness w... read more
Learning to ride horses is an interesting experience. As a novice rider, you’re taught to hold the reins in your hands like ice cream cones, not put your feet too tightly in ... read more
What is it that keeps us from living in freedom?
I had the opportunity to ask this question in a message recently, and I have been stuck on it since. I gave an answer throug... read more
If I had to pick a couple words to describe the last year for most of us, I would simply say devastating and confusing. That’s simply a real and raw reflection of what most o... read more
Joshua is one of the coolest characters in the Bible because the Lord used him in powerful ways. Joshua was tasked with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, something tha... read more
What is the coolest trip you have ever taken?
For me, it would probably have to be when I got to go to the Holy Land (Israel) during college. I had spent a semester studying and p... read more
"When does a joke turn into a dad joke?" . . . When it becomes apparent!
Studies have shown that people laugh about 30 times more when they are around others than when they are alone... read more
My roommate in college used to tell me she could only parallel park when I was in the passenger seat. Was this because I was an excellent parallel parker? Absolutely not. I simply ... read more
Last year, I went to visit a friend of mine in New Orleans. On the way back home, my plane was delayed, and then delayed again, and then delayed some more. Finally, at 2:30am, they... read more
A couple of summers ago, we loaded up 21 high school students and leaders to drive to Cincinnati, Ohio, for a mission trip with BLOC Ministries. Four high school girls nervously cr... read more
The number 1 song on the Billboard charts for the last 6 weeks is the song, Drivers License, by Olivia Rodrigo. I work with high school students at Southland, and they told me all ... read more
Chances are, you or someone you know has played the perennial hit video game Mario Kart. You choose a character and race on a track against your opponents. The tracks you choose va... read more
According to my Google skills, the fastest a Formula 1 racing car has sped in a race is 327. 6 km/h, which is the equivalent of 231. 5 mph. These amazing race cars go 0-60 mph in two... read more
It’s interesting to me that Paul’s great list of the fruit of the Spirit contains self-control. It is usually pretty evident when someone’s life is under God&rsqu... read more
My driving experiences have developed over the years. From a plastic three-wheeler to a bicycle, to a go-kart on a guided track at Disney, to a golf cart, and eventually a gasoline... read more
