Using Your Talents for the Kingdom

I believe that God gave us all individual talents and abilities and that all of those talents and abilities can be used to further His mission of making a people for Himself. God has placed interests in each one of us, and if we choose to use those interests to bring people closer to Jesus, we will be fulfilling our purpose on earth.

And it doesn’t just have to be a ministry that is recognized at church. I’m talking about skateboarding, baking, playing sports, making videos, creating content, painting, and all sorts of other things.
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Five Things I Learned from Coaching Soccer

This weekend we wrapped up our soccer season at the Y. We had a fun time. It was my first time coaching my daughter, and it was also her first time playing. She is so fast and had a great season. I could see her playing more soccer in the future. I also had the best assistant coach in the history of soccer (Janell).

I’ve had some time to reflect about the season and what I learned, and I thought I’d share it here. There are some life lessons in here that I hope to remember from our first soccer season together.

Life Lessons from Coaching Soccer

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Need Wisdom?

Life often throws us into situations that require incredible wisdom. We don’t always know what to do. The Bible gives us some clear instructions about what to do when we need wisdom.

I talk about it in the video below, but in short form, there are three basic things…

  1. Ask God for Wisdom: James 1:5 tells us that if we need wisdom we should ask God, and since He is generous, He will give us wisdom when we ask.
  2. Seek Wisdom in God’s Word: Proverbs 2:6 says that knowledge and understanding come from God’s mouth. The Bible is the Word of God. We can be sure that we can get knowledge and understanding (wisdom) when we seek it in His Word.
  3. Seek Counsel from Wise Counselors: The book of Proverbs says time and time again that in a multitude of counselors there is safety. When we need wisdom, it is a good idea to seek counsel, or advice, from others. We should always compare their advice to what the Bible says, but we can learn a lot from those who are wise (Check out this video, too: He who walks with wise men will be wise).

What do you do when you don’t know what to do?

Your Friends and You

I was looking up a quote for my latest #WednesdayWisdom video, and I came across an article that had a lot to do with what I was thinking. I ended up reading some of the article in the video, but I wanted to comment on it here as well.

The article, written by David Burkus, argues that you are influenced not only by the five people you spend the most time with, but also by their friends, even if you don’t know them.
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Easter Sunday Recap

This week at our church, three other pastors and I shared the story of the cross from different perspectives.

The first one was that of Judas. Judas was pretty much “the least of the disciples.” He was always named last in the list of Jesus’ disciples, and, although his name means “praise,” he was not one to be praised. He betrayed Jesus for just 30 pieces of silver, and then he ended his life after regretting. He must have felt so guilty and discouraged after betraying Jesus with a kiss.

The second perspective was that of the Roman soldiers, specifically the centurion. He and his men were trained to torture and execute the enemies of the Roman Empire. After mocking and beating and spitting on Jesus, they crucified Him. But after Jesus yielded up His spirit, the darkness, earthquake, and tearing of the curtain in the temple caused them to reflect, “Truly this was the Son of God.” Imagine the grief and despair they felt knowing they had physically killed the Son of God.
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It’s a Trap!

I started a new YouTube series called “Wisdom Wednesday.” We’ll be taking a look at wisdom and the characteristics of wise men in the book of Proverbs.

I posted this video last week. Hope you enjoy it.