God looked at everything He created and said it was good. But then He looked at Adam, alone in paradise with direct access to God Himself, and said something wasn't good, man was alone. Even in a perfect world with a perfect relationship with God, something was missing. We were designed for relationship with one another.Fast forward to the New Testament, and Jesus is still emphasizing this same tr...  Read More

There's a myth floating around modern Christianity that's slowly killing the church: "It's just me and Jesus, and that's enough."Sounds spiritual, doesn't it? Just you and the Savior, no need for messy relationships or complicated church stuff. But here's the problem, that might be a Western Christian mindset, but it's not a biblical one. Go all the way back to Genesis 2:18. God looked at Adam in ...  Read More

Following Jesus is about the journey. It's about the way we live our lives until we get to be before the Lord. And if we aren't being changed over a period of time, then we're not truly following. We're just spectating.Jesus made this crystal clear in John 8:12 when He said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Following Him s...  Read More

In our social media culture, following someone is just one click away. It requires nothing from us, no sacrifice, no cost, no commitment. But when Jesus says "follow me," He means something radically different.Here's a statement that might challenge you: Jesus didn't come to call believers. He came to call followers. Don't misunderstand, believing is absolutely critical. It's how we enter into rel...  Read More

We often hear about Jesus being our Good Shepherd, the one who protects, guides, and laid down His life for the sheep. But have you ever considered the other side of this relationship? If Jesus is the shepherd, that means we are the sheep. So what is our responsibility to the shepherd? In John 10:3-4, Jesus reveals something profound: "The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, ...  Read More

There's something powerful happening when we move from understanding who the Good Shepherd is to actually becoming shepherds ourselves. Because here's the reality, all of us are leading somebody. The question isn't if you are a shepherd, it's how you are shepherding. Spiritual leadership begins at home. Period. You can't come to church on Sunday, talk about God, and then live like the world the ot...  Read More

There's something powerful about understanding what a shepherd actually does, not the greeting card version, but the real, dirt-under-your-fingernails kind of shepherd. Because when Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd," He was picking up centuries of prophetic weight and saying, "This is Me. This is what I've always been."God's Plan From the BeginningIn Ezekiel 34, God called out the religious lea...  Read More

Understanding the Shepherd: Why It Matters More Than You ThinkThe most important thing that will ever happen between God and your soul is to love and to be loved.Let me say that again. The most important thing that will ever happen between God and your soul is to love and to be loved. That is the entire character and heartbeat of God Himself, He wants you to love Him, and He wants you to be loved ...  Read More

There's a common thread that runs through the entire life of Jesus, from the manger to the cross. That thread is obedience to the Father.Jesus summed it up perfectly in John 6:38 when he said, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me." That single statement revealed the heartbeat of his entire 33-and-a-half-year ministry on earth.Jesus only did wha...  Read More

Picture yourself holding a mirror. Most of us live our lives with that mirror facing us—focused on our needs, our preferences, our  Read More

The real question isn’t just, “Are we living in the last days?” but “Am I ready for the last day?”   Read More

You know that feeling when something you know you shouldn't do suddenly seems incredibly  Read More