Unless the Lord Builds the House

The fact that Psalm 127 was written by Solomon ought to give every struggling man or woman some semblance of hope. After all, Solomon, despite his wisdom, was a profoundly broken and messy man, whose family dynamics and private world were an utter wreck. For him, with all of that as his backdrop, to come READ MORE

Taking the Lead . . . .

In the margin of my Bible, right next to Psalm 45, I have written the following words: take the lead, at the front, for causes bigger than you—don’t be shy. To the right of these words I have placed a star, scrawled in pencil, and to the left of these words an arrow pointing toward READ MORE

When Your Adversary Roars

I was asked recently to share about the way spiritual warfare works in my own life. What a tough thing to tackle! Dare I be brutally honest, conveying the depths that I can go in my own struggle against the “cosmic powers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12)? Generally speaking I shared along two lines. READ MORE

The LORD is My Portion

Etched onto the parchment of Psalm 119 one finds those words that not only wrap up a busy year, but give us something to which to cling as we move into the next. “The LORD is my portion,” the first stanza of Psalm 119:57 says. These words merit some additional attention. I can’t help but READ MORE

A King, A Fisherman, and an Old Woman

Bethel Church is a disciple-making community helping the spiritually hungry experience and proclaim the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. This is what drives everything that we are about as a church family. But what does it mean to be a “disciple-making community,” especially in a world in which the word “disciple” seems so utterly cliché? READ MORE