We are nearing the end of February, so that means if you’re like most followers of Jesus you’ve probably fallen a bit behind in your daily Bible reading. Hopefully you started the year strong with a time, a place, and a plan for daily Bible reading, but maybe you got busy, or maybe you got […] Read More →

You may have noticed I didn’t post anything new to the blog last week.’t  That’s because we were blessed to spend all of last week in Orlando, FL at Disney World as a family –  it was awesome! (Unfortunately, no one warned us about the severe post-Disney depression that sets in upon your return. We […] Read More →

I hate to see my kids suffer. Ever since Ava and Ryder were born, some of my least favorite memories have been taking them to the pediatrician for their regular check ups and the dreaded…SHOTS! Even though they couldn’t talk when they were infants, they would look up at me with that confused and pained […] Read More →

Wow! I’m not sure what to say other than that. By God’s great grace, Redemption had an amazing first Sunday at Prospect High School and I grabbed a few iPhone shots during our set up… Our entire leadership and production teams showed up at 6am as we had a good amount of new equipment we’d […] Read More →

With Redemption beginning a new chapter this Sunday, I’ve been doing a lot of looking back and a lot of looking ahead. One of the primary things I’ve been reflecting on are the means God has used to grow Redemption both spiritually and numerically. Notice I said the “means God used” to grow Redemption. I don’t […] Read More →

It seems like every church has “that guy“. He’s the guy who does not serve, does not give, does not want to become a member, and does not contribute in any way, but has an opinion about EVERYTHING. – The pastor doesn’t preach right. – The music is too loud. – The staff doesn’t communicate […] Read More →

It had been a frustrating few months. I’d started a new position as a worship pastor at an existing church and thus inherited a group of 15 musicians with little talent and lots of attitude (a wonderful combination – is my sarcasm coming through clearly enough?). One guy in particular was especially difficult. It was […] Read More →

It was damp, dark, and dingy and I was one part terrified, one part excited. All I had was a 6 foot piece of shower board leaning against the wall (on which I’d written a name and some core values) and a clear calling – plant a church. I could hear my then 8-month-old daughter, […] Read More →

My journal is filled with desperate prayers concerning what have often felt like daunting problems. – Conversations I’m concerned will be difficult and not go the way I hope. – Issues of provision and uncertainty surrounding how God will provide. – Circumstances outside my control that need changing. A few weeks ago I woke up […] Read More →

There was no shortage of controversy surrounding yesterday’s Elephant Room 2. Everyone from the basement bloggers to prominent pastors within evangelicalism seemed to have strong opinions concerning what could, or would result from yesterday’s event. And while there was nothing but controversy on the outside, inside the Elephant Room there was a surprising lack of conflict. In fact it turns out T.D. Jake’s is NOT the antichrist, a heretic, or even a modalist (btw if you still don’t believe that you’re simply not paying attention). Contrary to the countless criticisms, yesterday was one of the most constructive, convicting, and compelling conferences I’ve ever attended. While our entire team attended and loved the first round of the Elephant Room, this year was a […] Read More →

Every pastor preaches with a slightly different style of notes. Personally, I’ve experimented with almost every style I’ve seen, finding some more effective than others. While I’m fully aware that different preachers require different types of notes, I also believe that every preacher should cut their teeth on the discipline of some form of manuscript. […] Read More →

Another AMAZING day @RedemptionBC yesterday! Spent our time in Mark 12:35-44 and saw how Jesus seeks surrendered lives. Praying our church family would continue to surrender our hearts to Jesus and live with a surrendered faith throughout our lives. Already getting excited about our baptism service coming up this Sunday! We have 4 signed up […] Read More →

“So, I know you preach on Sunday, but what do you do the rest of the week?” If you’re a pastor than you’ve been asked this question on multiple occasions. Is it just me, or does it seem that people only ask this question on the particularly hard weeks when almost anything sounds better than […] Read More →

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia.” – Acts 20:18 Leading a healthy team requires living in healthy relationship with the people on your team. When the Apostle Paul met with the Ephesian Elders in Acts 20 he was able to […] Read More →

Redemption is what we refer to as “feedback rich environment.” Because we believe everything can always be better and because D3 Leadership is so central to our leadership culture, we are constantly giving and receiving feedback regarding everything we do. When feedback is critical in nature it never feels good, but for some people feedback […] Read More →

Amazing day of worship with Redemption yesterday. It was our highest attended worship gathering to date with 257 people! We also announced that we’ll be moving to Prospect High School beginning Sunday February 5. Can’t wait to begin the next chapter! Enjoyed our Newcomer’s Lunch yesterday with another 20+ people new to Redemption in the last couple […] Read More →

My kids are two of the great evidences of God’s grace toward me. My daughter, Ava is 3 1/2 and my son, Ryder is 1 1/2. If you have kids then you know that parenting is both a blessing and a burden. Kids (much like adults) can be selfish, draining, and difficult. Kids do not […] Read More →

Some husbands are heretics. In Ephesians 5:25-33 Paul instructs husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. This means Christ is the ultimate example of how I should love my wife – He sacrificed everything, including His comfort, convenience, and preference for His bride, the Church. Paul is clear that as a husband I am to reflect […] Read More →

At Redemption we work hard to evaluate everything we do. The underlying conviction behind this is the belief that everything can always be better. We can always lead more effectively, execute more efficiently, and create with more quality. We’ve created a simple strategy that we filter every aspect of every ministry through and we call […] Read More →

I don’t read many blogs. I simply don’t invest the time. It’s hard enough for me to find time for my daily Bible reading and the stack of books I usually have going at once, much less the time necessary to read  the countless blog options available to me.  But, I do make time for […] Read More →

God has blessed Redemption with some amazing people. One of the people I’m most thankful for is Matthew Born (@matthewcyan) who oversees all of our design and video work. He created our website, does all our branding, and has designed nearly every sermon series ID we’ve done since we started two years ago. One of my […] Read More →

I love preaching, and I desperately want to grow in my own preaching. By God’s grace we live at a point in history when some of the greatest Bible teaching is available through the mere click of a mouse. What I love most about this is the tremendous amount of diversity that exists. No two […] Read More →

I love fresh starts. I love starting a new sermon series. I love opening a fresh Moleskine. I love starting a new book. This is why I love the New Year – It means a fresh start. Each change of the year provides a helpful reminder to bring prayerful intentionality to the year to come. If […] Read More →

I’ve never talked to a follower of Christ who doesn’t desire to spend more time in God’s Word, have you? Have you ever heard another Christian say, “You know what I need to do a little less of? Bible reading.” I’d venture a guess that that’s not a conversation you’ve had. Yet, the all elusive […] Read More →