First Thoughts

Disappointment and Disgust I learned of Steve Lawson’s “inappropriate relationship” the way I usually learn of news in evangelicalism: through text message. I was in a meeting when my phone started shaking with texts from friends all over the country. Those messages fit into the broad categories of disappointment and disgust. Some were heartbroken by the news of disqualifying sin in the life of a man who had meant so much to them. They know this creates pain in the lives of everyone involved …

I distinctly remember a time during college when I was with an open-air evangelism team doing some street preaching in New York City. As I was doing my best to explain the gospel – both the bad news of sin, death, and hell, and also the good news of Jesus, salvation, and eternal life – I was interrupted by someone passing by. He yelled to me and the small crowd that was listening, “I’m not worried about going to hell, all my friends will be there too, it will be one big party.” Sadly, I don’t…

College football is a really big deal! When the fall season is upon us, there are very few things that capture more of the attention of our country than this great sport. One of the most important things fans obsess over is the ranking system. Which team will be #1? Is it Alabama? Is it Ohio State? Or might it even be our beloved Gators? People care about the rankings because being #1 means that you are the best. Ranking Your Relationships: Getting the Order Right When it comes to our family …

What Is Your Relationship with God Like? I want to share an easy indicator of your relationship with God. This indicator has nothing to do with how much you read your Bible or how often you go to church. It’s not about the verses you have memorized, how long you prayed today, whether you go on mission trips, or work with the homeless. These can all be helpful, but it’s not the indicator I want you to think about. The indicator I want to emphasize is how you handle relational drama. Our lives …

Ever since I learned I was going to be one, I’ve been thinking a lot about grandparents. My excitement over my grandchild in a few months is verging on obsession. My daughter and I have always been very close, and I am looking forward to the wonderful new things that will come to our relationship with the addition of her child and my grandbaby. But over the years, I’ve been aware of many strained relationships between parents and the grandparents of their children. I have seen the birth of a …

A Common Problem When was the last time you told someone that you were busy? If you are like most of us, you need only think back a few hours or a couple of days at most. A friend at church asks, “How was your week?” You respond, “It was good. Just busy, busy, busy.” Your spouse sends you a text, “How’s your day going?” You text back, “So busy.” Your child says, “Look at my drawing.” You reply, “Just one second. I’m busy.” A family member calls and asks, “Would you like to come over for dinne…

Prayer is hard. Christians know they should pray, but many have a complicated relationship with it. For some, prayer lives in the background of a busy life. The hectic pace of work or family pushes prayer to the periphery. These Christians often feel guilty about prayer. A convicting sermon or conversation leads them to try harder. They make a list, get up earlier, and try to follow the ACTS model (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication). But before long, their list is missing,…

Have you heard it said that someone is “too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly good”? Perhaps that’s true of someone, but I’ve never encountered that person. I think that the opposite is often the case for most of us. We don’t think enough about heavenly realities but instead focus too much on what we can see in the here and now. However, the Bible actually commands us to think about heaven. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.”…

How Can God Exist When the Evidence is Against Him? Answering atheism can seem like a daunting task. If you do any amount of Google searching about the evidence surrounding God’s existence, you’ll find page after page of atheists claiming to have proof that God isn’t real. They’ll cite studies about the ways our brains work, about social constructs that were generated as coping mechanisms, about new data from physics and chemistry that seem to indicate that the universe created itself or is j…

Both the downtown campus and Nocatee had exciting weeks of Glow Camp. Over 700 kids and students came together to hear God’s Word and learn to win the ultimate race. Jesus Christ has saved us through his life, death, and resurrection, and he enables us to grow into spiritual maturity. We want our kids never to give up and to serve the Lord with all their hearts! “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it” 1 Corinthians 9…