Month: April 2020

Navigating Next Steps for Churches

On Sunday, March 8, 2020 I preached a sermon titled, The Apologetic of Fulfilled Scripture from Mark 14. On that Sunday, we forced ourselves out of bed after losing an hour of sleep to daylight savings time, gathered with our LifeGroups, shook hands, hugged friends, and crowded into our sanctuary shoulder to shoulder. We had …

Read more

Episode 11: Security Is An Illusion and Other Lessons From The International Mission Field–An Interview With Zane Pratt

International missionaries approach the world through a unique lens. Zane Pratt, Vice President for Global Training with the International Mission Board discusses the status of the IMB today and how the church can support missions. Dr. Pratt also helps us to understand how the pandemic is different in developing countries, how social distancing is a privilege for the wealthy, and what he sees as the next phase for global Christianity after Covid-19. If you are having trouble coping with the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Pratt also shares some lessons from the international mission field that can help all of us to cope with difficult days.

Subscribe to The Ordinary Christian Podcast

Stronger Through Corona

The coronavirus pandemic clogs all of our news outlets and consumes our thoughts. The grocery store limits the number of people who can shop at one time. I’m wearing a mask in public and hand sanitizer is like gold. Signs of the coronavirus are everywhere I turn. As a pastor, COVID-19 has affected nearly everything …

Read more

Episode 10: Parenting After The Pandemic

What are your parenting plans after the pandemic? How will you apply the lessons learned from this slow down? Here are five steps you can take to utilize the lessons learned during this unique time.

  1. Prioritize discipleship at home.
  2. Prioritize church attendance.
  3. Reduce busyness.
  4. Keep academics in their place.
  5. Push extracurricular activities to the edges.

Subscribe to The Ordinary Christian Podcast

A Plea To Parents And Coaches: Slow Down

As we linger through the COVID-19 pandemic, the news cycle continues to be very negative. The health, economic, and social outlook is concerning. Yet, when I speak with parents, their first comments about the coronavirus are not fear. Instead, I have heard optimism and relief. “It really has been nice.” Repeatedly, parents have said these …

Read more

This Is Not Normal

I have been bothered by the cacophony of voices trying to convince us that this is normal. This is not normal. School isn’t normal and teachers can’t make it normal with videos and emails. Work isn’t normal and Zoom doesn’t make it normal. Church isn’t normal, and parking lot services do not make it normal. …

Read more

Episode 9: Why Online Worship Leaves You Wanting More

Are you participating in online or parking lot worship services right now? For many people, these experiences have been an important lifeline during the coronavirus crisis. However, most people acknowledge that these online or parking lot experiences leave them a bit dissatisfied. Why is that? On this episode of the Podcast we hear from Dr. Ricky Stark about why it is that online and parking lot services are helpful, but certainly do not serve as a replacement for more traditional (and biblical) forms of worship.

Subscribe to The Ordinary Christian Podcast

Study the Bible At Home: Salt and Light

Because salt and light are so abundant today, it can be easy today to miss the power of Jesus’s metaphor in Matthew 5:13-16. For those in the ancient world, however, they would have readily understood that Jesus’s message was for them to impact their world with lives that reflect the kingdom principles preached in the Beatitudes and the entire Sermon on the Mount.

Episode 8: Learning To Slow Down

For many of you it seems a bit early to begin thinking about lessons learned from COVID-19. But, if we do not begin talking and thinking about them now, the lessons from COVID-19 will quickly be forgotten when our society begins to rebound. The lessons from this slow down will be sacrificed to a rapid return to busyness, as soon as circumstances allow. But, this time of forced sabbath should be teaching us all the value of rest and the importance of simple joys. There are lessons to learn. What are you doing to remember them?