Every group eventually becomes known for something. The Boy Scouts are known for "Be Prepared." Chick-fil-A is known for saying, "My pleasure." If you're from Minnesota, Vikings fans are known for the "Skol" chant. Whether intentional or not, every organization develops a reputation. That raises an important question for those of us who follow Jesus. What should the church be known for? Instead of being known primarily for what we're against, what if we became known for something better? The apostle Paul answers that question in Philippians 2. He paints a picture of a church known for its unity, humility, service, and unwavering focus on Jesus. It begins with unity. Why Unity Matters Philippians was one of Paul's favorite churches. He loved these people deeply. They were healthy, generous, and faithful. Yet Paul knew that even healthy churches experience pressures that can pull them apart. Sound familiar? Every church is…
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Why Healthy Churches Learn to Rely on God First We love to move fast. As leaders, our instinct is to plan, build, launch, and fix. But the opening chapter of Acts gives us a different starting point. Before the early church did anything… they waited. Jesus Isn’t Done Luke opens Acts with a subtle but powerful reminder: “I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach…” (Acts 1:1) Began. In other words, Jesus isn’t finished. Acts is not the story of what people did for God. It’s the story of what God continued to do through His people. That alone should reshape how we lead. The First Command: Wait After the resurrection, Jesus gathers His followers, gives them their mission… and then says: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait…” (Acts 1:4) Wait? Before strategy. Before expansion. Before momentum. Wait. Waiting isn’t punishment. It’s preparation. Think of a…
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Reflections for Church Leaders We are more connected than ever … and lonelier than ever. As leaders, we see it every week. People walk into our churches with hundreds of online connections and very few meaningful relationships. Some of those “friends” may not even be real people. But the deeper issue is this. People are not just attending churches. They are searching for a place to belong. And here’s the leadership question we have to wrestle with: Are we building a church that people attend… or a community that people belong to? What Actually Creates Belonging? Acts 2 gives us one of the clearest pictures of the early church. After Peter’s sermon, 3,000 people come to faith in a single day. From a leadership perspective, that’s explosive growth. But growth immediately raises a more important question: What do we do now? Luke answers that question by describing the rhythms of…
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Somewhere today, a husband is watching a Hallmark movie against his will. I know this because today happens to be our 35th anniversary, and I’ve learned the pattern. Stage one is mockery. Small-town shop owner meets big-city executive. You are asked to leave the room. Stage two is pretending to be interested. Stage three is being allowed to fall asleep. Stage four is permission to watch something else in another room. In the Hallmark world, everything always ends with a smile. But real life does not play by Hallmark rules. For many people, Christmas is complicated. It can remind us of someone who is missing, either because of death or disagreement. Laughter fades, January arrives, the lights come down, and the credit card bill shows up. And for a lot of people, the joy doesn’t last. That’s why Advent matters. It reminds us that real joy is not something you…
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Most of us spend our lives trying to shine. We want to be noticed, feel needed, and prove that we matter. Success can feel like a scoreboard, and many of us are quietly keeping track. But here’s something I’ve learned over the years. The harder we try to outshine others, the less peace we often feel. Why is that? Because real peace has a source. And it is not found in self-promotion or performance. We experience real peace when our lives are aligned with God. A Man on a Mission Before we look at today’s passage, it helps to clear up something that can be confusing. There are two Johns in this story. One is John the Apostle, the author of the Gospel and a close friend of Jesus. The other is John the Baptist, a fiery prophet who lived in the wilderness, dressed in camel hair long before it…
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