Month: September 2020

5 Ways to Honor Your Parents

Honoring my parents is pretty easy. They are great people who love me and love my family well. They brought me up in church and taught me to love Jesus and hard work. But, not everyone has the same privilege. Some of you do not have supportive parents like I have. Maybe your parents didn’t …

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Stop Eulogizing The Local Church

We criticize online news sites for their click bait approach to news, but a few websites dedicated to church ministry and pastors need to be reprimanded as well. In an effort to promote clicks during COVID, there have been a number of eulogies written for the local church. We have been told that it will …

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Episode 30: A Conversation on Purity, Pop Music, and the Pornification of American Culture

On this episode of the Ordinary Christian Podcast, I sit down with two of the other pastors at Malvern Hill and discuss popular music, Netflix, and the degradation of pop culture. We talk music, dance, and movies. In the most surprising (and disappointing) twist of the podcast so far, Adam compares Boyz II Men to Florida-Georgia Line.

Parents, pay attention to this podcast. You need to know what your kids are watching and listening to and, in some cases, you need to interfere with their entertainment choices.

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Do Hard Things With Your Kids

I want my kids to be tough. Not mean, not callous, just tough. When they skin their knee, I want them to rub dirt in it, and get back in the game. When life comes at them hard, I want them to bounce, not crumble. But, how can I help my kids to be tough? …

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Episode 29–Murder, Grace, American Ninja Warrior, and Family Life With Sean Clayton

Sean Clayton is a former American Ninja Warrior competitor, a victim of violence, a U. S. Army veteran, an obstacle course competitor, husband, dad, and Christian. Join us today as Sean shares his story of pain and redemption. He also shares how his dad stuck by his side in his darkest days and how Christ freed him from his sin, anger, and pain. Along the way we get a couple of training tips, talk about half-caff coffee and the absolute value of hot Krispy Kreme donuts.

Sean’s story is incredible. I hope you will listen in and share this episode with someone you know who might be in a dark place today.

For more information about Sean you can look him up on Instagram. You can also see his home gym, The Woodshed, (which I try not to covet) here.

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Episode 28: A Godly Man Might Not Be What You Think

The primary marker of godly men is a commitment to godliness. Godly men may be office workers, crane operators, weight lifters, or duck hunters, but they don’t have to be any of those things. First and foremost, a godly man loves Jesus and takes responsibility for his family.

Endurance Requires Struggle

I’m not much of a runner. I jog to try to stay in shape, but I’m a fair-weather kind of jogger (I don’t run when it is cold or raining). But, one thing I know for certain is that a person can only become a better runner by running. A person can only learn to …

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Stay The Course

Joey Batson is the head strength and conditioning coach at Clemson University. He is one of the highest paid S&C coaches in the country and is regarded one of the best in his profession. As a Gamecock fan, it pains me to heap praise upon anyone wearing orange, but Joey Batson has earned all the …

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Episode 27–Ministry Burnout, Motherhood, and God’s Healing Grace With Ashley Turner

Ashley Turner spent seven years touring as a vocalist for the Christian group, Palisade. After her time in the music industry, she felt burned out and struggled to find her place in ministry. On this episode of the podcast, hear her story of God’s grace as she found her calling, not on the national stage, but in the ordinary aspects of ministry leading worship in her local church, loving her husband, raising her kids, and trying to make an impact in her own community.

If you’d like to hear Ashley sing, you can find her here on Apple Music

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Is Forgiveness The New “F” Word?

Is forgiveness the new “F” word? I know, forgiveness is more than four letters and it isn’t historically considered a taboo word, but our current moment of cultural outrage and anger allows little room for forgiveness. We live in a world that does not make room for transgression and reprieve. We see people lose jobs and credibility for a single phrase uttered or even for a social media post made a decade ago.

There is no absolution and there is no grace. Instead, there is a demand that penance be paid. But why?