For years now I have been helped in the area of lust through the use of an acronym created by John Piper: ANTHEM. Below I will summarize each letter as a different step in the process of resisting the temptation to lust:A: AVOID – this is the idea behind the biblical injunction to “flee sexual immorality.” It stems from being honest about our vulnerabilities and taking active steps to stay far awa...  Read More

In preparing for my sermon on gluttony, I came across a very helpful picture for learning to approach food in a way that honors the Lord. In her book Glittering Vices Rebecca DeYoung discusses our military’s use of the MRE (“Meal Ready to Eat”) for troops in the field. These meals “include an entrée; crackers with cheese, peanut butter, or jelly; a dessert or snack; a dry-mix packet of cider, coff...  Read More

Over the years, my concept of what worship in a church looks like has changed. I grew up in a time where contemporary Christian music and praise bands were becoming more popular. But through that transition, the atmosphere began to change. Churches began dimming the lights, and we were encouraged to tune out those around us and focus on God.When I started out as the music director, I approached wo...  Read More

It might seem natural to assume that the best way to fight sloth is to work more and harder, avoiding all laziness by constantly being productive. Perhaps, however, we should simply learn to rest better. It took me a long time to learn to rest well. One of the misconceptions I had to overcome is the idea that resting is the same as being lazy. In other words, I thought that ceasing to produce equa...  Read More

  It seems that tornadoes are just part of living in Alabama. I have lived in Alabama my entire life and can remember practicing tornado drills at school and home from the time I was very young. A few weeks ago another potentially tornado-producing line of storms swept through our state. And so our family did as we always do in those times: we faithfully stayed tuned in to the world’s greatest wea...  Read More

One of my greatest joys in ministry is working with our Deacons at Grace! You talk about some servant-minded people! Not only are they servant-minded, but they serve a specific purpose in the organizational structure of Grace.Our “one-pager” or “job description” for Deacons includes the following sentences: Deacons are servants and leaders of ministries who support the work of the church and the E...  Read More