Shane and I both grew up in the church and were blessed to feel the need for Christ early in our lives. Shane had a more devout idea of his life calling than I did as a child. He saw himself building houses in Africa, while I wanted to be single and run a farm for displaced cheetahs. Nothing against cheetah farmers, but God has since given us a cal…

As strange as it is for a Brit to be writing a blog post on nationalism so recently after ‘Independence day,’ I do want to say that apart from the unfortunate episode of wasting perfectly good tea by tipping it into the sea (a crime few Brits can condone), there are no hard feelings!On a more serious note, anything that has a hint of nationalism at…

My wife Debbie and I are typically long-term planners. Organized, figured out, written down. We plan our steps in the direction that our heart beats, knowing all along that God may choose to redirect us. And though spontaneity is not a daily occurrence in our marriage, flexibility and spontaneity is a required component as we serve the Lord. Our in…

“How was your trip?” The eight members of the Thailand team have been asked this question many times since touching down at the Omaha O'Hare Airport. The team members are still asking themselves that question. “Good” seemed too simplified, “Amazing” doesn’t exactly ring true. Was there one word that we can use to tell acquaintances in passing how t…

We moved into the apartments on 51st and NW Radial Hwy out of obedience on January 6th. It was difficult to track down the landlord, and even after we had made an appointment to view the apartments, he had forgotten about us and didn't show up. I mentioned in the last blog post that there was every reason to say no to this place, but we knew Jesus …

I used to think that trusting in God meant a rosy future filled with nothing but good things. The more I trusted him, the easier my life would be. Picture an “up and to the right” graph—this was going to be my life.What I’ve learned since then is that suffering is a normal part of the human experience, and especially part of the Christian life. An …

Discipleship. We throw this word out a lot in the church or in ministries, and if we are honest, it all may be a little confusing. I want to try and explain discipleship through 3 ideas: what is discipleship, what discipleship looks like, and why discipleship matters.

Latest episode of Christian FormationHave you ever attended a wedding and found yourself at the end of the evening without so much as a glance at the bride and groom? Not once witnessing the bride in her full white dress at the altar? Not once catching the groom in his svelte black tux cutting his dance moves on the polished wood floor? No, probabl…

Sound theology fuels joyful worship and obedient Christian living. The Protestant Reformation was aimed at rooting the wayward Church in sound theology once again. While there is a gap that exists to this day, the focus of this article is on the all-important fifth sola: the exaltation of God's glory.…

In Christian circles there seems to be a revival of Jesus-centered churches. We love to talk about Jesus, which is great! But, as much as we love to say Jesus, we don't seem to speak of Christ all that often.

Faith. A word tossed around so frequently in the Christian world that it loses its significance over time. Faith is both complex and simple, and so the meaning can also be lost on us. If you have been a Christian for a long time, it’s easy to gloss over the word in Scripture. It’s one you’ve seen a thousand times before, and your brain doesn’t paus…

“Unless I am convinced by Sacred Scriptures or by evident reason, I will not recant. My conscience is held captive by the Word of God and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand; I can do no other.”These words were boldly stated by Martin Luther in 1521. The Protestant Reformation was well on its way at this point, headed …

When I think about mission, I often think about businesses or incredibly driven people. Every business has a mission statement that, hopefully, drives the decisions of that business. But then I think that the most driven people also have a clear mission in life. I think of athletes that I have heard say “I was born to play this game”, or musicians …

A discussion on community as a core value of providence church.

What comes to mind when you think about "worship"?

Simultaneously, the gospel is so simple that a child can understand it, yet so complex that angels look at it with wonder

The Christian life is one of response to God. That is, I never initiate relationship with Him; my communion with Christ is a response to His invitation. However, the Christian life is also not one of passivity; we must choose to respond to God if we want to experience him.

Praying the book of Psalms can help us reimagine what our speaking to God looks like.

There may be no more universally affirmed yet underachieved discipline as that of prayer. As Christians make New Years Resolutions, they often make ones like “I need to pray more” or “I would love for my prayer life to get better”. Ever made a statement like that? I know I have.