spreading the fame

Why should I give it my all to teach a small Sunday School class or clean the church toilets? Are you attracted to legalism? How the government spends its money. The gospel impacts your parenting. Love is stupid. I want this new VW bus! Why disabilities? Not your average Youth Group. Top 10 blogs for […]

I was in a conversation with a middle-aged lay youth leader last week. He has been serving in his church with his wife for years. He has teenagers himself. He really cares for the teenagers and goes out of his way to love them and connect them with Christ, but he still appeared a bit […]

Who are the top-5 most popular teenagers in the world? According Google search engine the top-5 are: Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Emma Watson. Are you a Bieliber? Biebergasted? Have the Bieber fever? Or OJBD? [Obsessive Justin Bieber Disorder] Are you a cult follower of Bieberism? [i.e. screaming crowd of 10-year […]

Connecting the Stories: How to Use Scripture in Personal Ministry 1. Some passages speak more clearly to certain issues that others, but all passages provide a lens through which to view any issue. 2. In ministry to others, we move from life to text or text to life. 3. Some passages are more easily used […]

Can We Be Good without God? Yes, of course.  But can you explain what morality is and where it comes from without God? That’s the key problem for an atheist worldview.  Craig Hazen explains in this Biola Magazine article.  Here’s the conclusion… How the Gospel Makes Us Generous and Content with Our Money I’m afraid […]

This is the first day I step off the pastoral staff of Battle Ground Bible Church, but it is also the first day I step onto your mission outreach team. Although the role of my family will change within BGBC, we will still be an outreach arm linked to this church in North Africa. For […]

The Discipleship Experiment. This year our student ministry leadership set a goal: be disciples discipling others to be disciples. We decided to do ministry biblically, thus the discipleship experiment took life. It was a risky move, but a bold biblical endeavor. We had some speed bumps, U-turns, and engines overheat along the journey, but overall […]

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1) And the youthful choirs are soon going to be singing, “School’s Out for Summer!” Solomon understood the profound truth that our lives have seasons: periods of growth and maturity. Summer brings a season of vacations, outdoor activities, travel, and […]

“Our Lord’s first obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of men. His obedience brought the outcome of the saving of men. If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter. But if I […]

Build it and they will come: Changing the way we do gospel ministry Changing the way we do ministry towards a gospel-centered focus is not easy. It is a paradigm shift from the cry of our culture. Or cultural proverb says, “Build it and they will come.” There is some truth to this Field of […]

Before you take any trip you have to map out where you are going or you might get lost and watt a lot of time and money. It is also the same with discipleship in the church. Before you guide another on the journey of transformation you must consider the keys to the map. Being […]

I get the privilege of ministering and serving with teenagers almost every day. There are some things that challenge me, fascinate me and drive me absolutely coo-coo about our teenagers. I love’m and hate’m at times. Love’m 1. Authentic. What you see is often what you get. They can be genuine and real. They can […]

Sometimes relationships go sour. Sometimes discipleship hurts. Sometimes those we invest our lives into bail on life and our efforts seem bankrupt. What do I do when I pour my life into someone and there are empty returns? What do I do when I am left speechless on the other end of and unanswered call? […]

Goulash is a mixture of random ingredients that make up a tasty meal. This is a recipe of random discipleship ingredients for FUEL leaders inspired by FUEL leaders. Be a disciple that is discipling disciples and be willing to be discipled [goal, Mt.28:19-20]. We are devoted to discipleship that changes lives [core value]. You are […]

Sarah and I traveled to the Congo this summer where we were involved in running youth training seminars and connecting with church and youth leaders to try and get them thinking about youth issues, Christian camping and developing youth ministry training. This is my first visit to the Congo (my wife grew up there) and […]

What kinds of movies, TV, music, books, etc., can a Christian enjoy and still be honoring to God? No other issue has been the source of more debate and friction between Christians in our media-saturated and pleasure-seeking society. This issue has been the source of so many legalistic rules in an attempt to keep Christians […]