I was blessed to hear one of our young men lead our devotional thought Wednesday evening and to capture a quote I hope I never forget. Lane Garrett spoke to us about the dangers of distractions and the choices we make concerning who we choose to be around. He discussed his summer where he was able to be more involved with his youth group and participating in his first mission trip and how much easier it was for his faith to feel strong during that period of time. He then said something like … and then school started. Whether it is school or a job or a social situation where…

I have often heard ministers, elderships, and avid churchgoers pine for the glory days of the Book of Acts. We read in Acts the story of a church that is unwavering in its commitment and unstoppable in its growth throughout the Roman world. Many times, I have heard sermons and read articles comparing the church today to the church of the first century. Almost all of them could end with a phrase spoken by God through Daniel: the church today has “been weighed in the balance and found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). Why are we not as passionate as the church in the first century was? Why are we not as…

As I scroll through social media, it seems as if every 3rd or 4th post is about Cracker Barrel. Everyone seems to have a take on the rebrand of this well-known restaurant. And that’s fine. It is a company that nearly everyone is familiar with, and, since it is social media, people feel empowered to give their opinion. Here’s mine: I don’t like it…but I don’t really care. I will say this: it seems that Cracker Barrel got distracted. Their brand, really, isn’t food. Their brand is basically not changing. When you go into a Cracker Barrel, you know what you are going to see, experience, and eat. There is…

This article was inspired by a lesson given at Horizons this year by my friend and brother Joe Wells. This thought was not his main point, but it was one he mentioned that I had never picked up on in this text before. Joe, if you’re reading this, thank you. The Book of Acts is full of conversion stories, but perhaps the most well known of them all is the conversion of the man who at that time was known as Saul of Tarsus. Saul was one of the most passionate persecutors of Christians at the time (Acts 9:1-2), which made it truly unbelievable to many of his former comrades…

While preparing for a lesson I presented recently, I revisited the account recorded in John 4 about a conversation that Jesus had with a woman. We do not know her name. She is often referred to only as “the woman at the well” and/or “the Samaritan woman.” You may want to do what I did and revisit that account (at least mentally) before you read the rest of this. The “audience” I have in mind for this post is composed of Christians (as defined/described in the New Testament) who are interested in helping others to also become Christians. Of course, that should be true of every Christian and, hopefully, it is. I…