Signposts: What I Learned About Ministry At My Ordination
Recently I was thinking back to my ordination for ministry. In the years since, I’ve realized that my ordination and early ministry years were formative for me in ways I couldn’t imagine at the time....
View ArticleSignposts: The Church’s Mission to Special Needs Children
Many churches have families with special needs children. Even as these congregations want to help and bless these families, there is often confusion about the best way to do that. In this episode of...
View ArticleSignposts: How to Know If You’re Called to Ministry
One question I get frequently is, “How can I know that I’m called to ministry?” Years ago I grappled with this very question, and it’s one that’s important for the life of the church. In this episode...
View ArticleSignposts: How Should You Build an Adoption Culture In Your Church?
One question I get asked frequently is, “How can our local church promote adoption and orphan care?” The reality is that the answer to this question will look different from congregation to...
View ArticleSignposts: How I Do My Personal Devotions
A daily personal devotion time is something that most Christians would say is vital to their walk with Christ. But often it’s a spiritual discipline wrapped in frustration and confusion. In this...
View ArticleSignposts: How Can You Guard Yourself Against Moral Failure?
In the past few years, many of us have watched as well-known, respected ministers have fallen morally. This can lead us to ask: If these men didn’t resist temptation, how can I? In this episode of...
View ArticleSignposts: What We Miss in Our Sexual Purity Teaching
Christians talk a lot about sexual purity. In many ways, I think the discussion amongst evangelicals is better than it has been in years past. But what are the “blind spots” of our teaching on purity,...
View ArticleSignposts: What If Your Kids’ Sports Teams Interfere With the Church Schedule?
Summer means vacation, cook outs, and late nights. For many families, it also means an often intense schedule of summer sports leagues. These activities can be rewarding and helpful, but what about...
View ArticleSignposts: How Should You Talk to Your Children About Transgender Issues?
With the Department of Education’s recent decree on transgender restrooms and public schools, many families are wondering how they are going to help their children navigate through these questions. In...
View ArticleSignposts: How Can You Help a Friend Struggling With Sexual Immorality?
Not long ago I received an email from a new Christian. This person wanted to know how she could help a friend realize that her lifestyle was sinful and destructive, without being too harsh, judgmental,...
View ArticleSignposts: What Fathers Need to Tell Their Children
One of the most important things that we as Christians can know is what fathers need to say to their children. The Scriptures give us wisdom on this, and help us to see what it is that every human...
View ArticleSignposts: Should Christians Boycott?
One question I am asked frequently is, “Should Christians boycott?” Over the past few years there have been several calls within evangelical communities for boycotts of corporations like Starbucks and...
View ArticleSignposts: How to Plan Now to End Your Ministry Well
Recently I was asked by a younger man, “How can I make sure to end my ministry well?” In my own life I’ve seen many ministers end their service poorly, not only through moral failure but also through...
View ArticleSignposts: Why I Prefer Books to E-Readers
Recently I read that sales of e-readers like the Kindle had slowed, and that sales of physical books had risen. This made sense to me, since over the past couple of years I’ve realized that I almost...
View ArticleSignposts: How to Be Changed by the Word of God
Each and every one of us is tempted to shelter ourselves from the prophetic edge of Scripture. We don’t want to hear that we’re wrong, and we don’t want to hear the diagnosis of our sinfulness. But we...
View ArticleSignposts: How to Engage the Culture as the Church
The illusion of being a Christian majority in this country has not been good for our understanding of what it means to be the people of God. As we enter the public arena, we don’t come with a...
View ArticleSignposts: Why Christians Must Keep Christianity Strange
Christianity isn’t normal anymore, and that’s good news. The Book of Acts, like the Gospels before it, shows us that the Christianity thrives when it is, as Kierkegaard put it, a sign of contradiction....
View ArticleSignposts: How to Be Free From Fear
How does the gospel address our deepest fears? How can we be confident, while facing an uncertain future? In this episode of Signposts, I offer some thoughts from Scripture on why the gospel disarms...
View ArticleSignposts: Reflections On My Conversation With Andy Stanley
At our recent ERLC national conference, I had the opportunity to sit down with pastor Andy Stanley. Andy and I have a lot of significant disagreements about ministry, but our conversation was...
View ArticleSignposts: How Should You Handle Disagreement With Church Leadership?
The odds are that, sooner or later, you will find yourself disagreeing with the leadership of your local church. The issue may seem small or it may seem very significant; you may be a lay member, or...
View ArticleSignposts: How to Talk About Evil With Your Children
As parents, some of the most difficult conversations we can have with children is about evil. It can often be challenging to know how to explain the reality of evil to children in a gospel-centered...
View ArticleSignposts: My Favorite Podcasts
I’m often asked about which podcasts I listen to. With all the time I spend traveling, I listen to quite a few podcasts, and there are a few in particular that are especially helpful to me in keeping...
View ArticleSignposts: How Christians Should Handle Shame
Every Christian has had to wrestle at some point with guilt. Even for those who believe, theologically, that they are forgiven in Christ, the struggle to feel forgiven can be agonizing. How should...
View ArticleSignposts: Why I’m a Baptist
In this episode of Signposts, I reflect on what being a Baptist has meant for my Christian life, and why I am still one today. Listen using the links at the bottom of this page, read the transcript...
View ArticleSignposts: How Churches Can Minister to the Divorced
In this episode of Signposts I discuss what the responsibility of the local church is toward members who have experienced divorce, and what the gospel means for how we bear each other’s burdens through...
View ArticleSignposts: How to Talk to Children About Their Adoption Story
In this episode of Signposts I reflect on how parents can talk to their adopted children about their story, and what adoption stories should teach us about our own adoption into the family of Christ....
View ArticleSignposts: How Should Christians Handle Disagreement Over Halloween?
In this episode I respond to a question about Halloween and the local church, and how Christians can handle disagreements in a way that glorifies Christ and preserves fellowship. Listen below, and use...
View ArticleSignposts: What I Learned From Congressman Gene Taylor
On this episode of Signposts I reflect on life lessons I learned from serving Congressman Gene Taylor, and how a politician modeled integrity and conscience for me that made a lasting impact. Listen...
View ArticleSignposts: How Should Christians Respond to the New President?
In this special episode of Signposts, I discuss how Christians should respond to the election results and to President-elect Donald Trump. Listen to the episode below, and subscribe to Signposts to get...
View ArticleSignposts: A Conversation With Andrew Peterson
In this special episode of Signposts, I sit down with award winning musician and author Andrew Peterson to talk about creativity, marriage, the gospel, and more. Listen below, and use the links to...
View ArticleSignposts: A Conversation With Rosaria Butterfield
In this special episode of Signposts I sit down with professor and author Rosaria Butterfield to talk about her conversion to Christ, her previous life in the LGBT community, and what Christians need...
View ArticleSignposts: Should Your Family Play Video Games?
In this episode of Signposts I respond to a listener’s question about video games, and what parents should remember as they make decisions about this. Listen below, and subscribe to Signposts to get...
View ArticleSignposts: Shepherding New Believers Who Cause Controversy in the Church
In this episode of Signposts I respond to an email from a listener, who is facing a volatile situation at her church between a new believer and an older member. How should churches gently shepherd new...
View ArticleSignposts: Is There a “War” on Christmas?
Should Christians take offense when the signs say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”? If not, how can Christians cope with a rapidly secularizing public square? In this episode of Signposts...
View ArticleSignposts: Should Christians Make New Year’s Resolutions?
What should Christians think of New Year’s resolutions? Are they a helpful way to make changes, or are they a legalistic threat? In this episode I talk about how resolutions can benefit us in helping...
View ArticleSignposts: What Human Dignity Means For the Church
This special episode of Signposts features a portion of my sermon at our 2017 Evangelicals For Life gathering in Washington, D.C. You can listen to the full message at the Evangelicals For Life page...
View ArticleSignposts: How Should Teens and Parents Address Sexual Sin?
How should a teenager who has sinned sexually respond in repentance? How should parents of struggling teens address sexual sin? In this episode of Signposts, I talk to both child and parents about what...
View ArticleSignposts: A Conversation With Rod Dreher
How should Christians respond to cultural transformations, many of which actively threaten the beliefs and practices of the church? Journalist Rod Dreher offers a provocative answer in his new book...
View ArticleSignposts: A Conversation with Jen Wilkin
In this episode of Signposts I talk with author and speaker Jen Wilkin about the local church, men and women in ministry, and how to build a strong culture of teaching for women in the church. Listen...
View ArticleSignposts: “Is Penal Substitutionary Atonement Immoral?”
For thousands of years, Christians have taught that on Good Friday, Jesus bore the wrath of God for our sins. But is this an immoral belief? Can we worship a God who would pour out wrath on His Son? In...
View ArticleSignposts: How Can You Know If You’re Under God’s Discipline?
How can you know if you’re under the discipline of God? Recently I was asked this question by someone who was concerned that her recent struggles with sin were causing her health problems. Like many...
View ArticleSignposts: Why Sola Scriptura Matters
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Central to the Reformation’s theology was the idea of sola Scriptura, meaning “The Bible alone.” What does sola Scriptura mean...
View ArticleSignposts: Why I’m Not a Pacifist (But I Don’t Hate Those Who Are)
In this episode of Signposts I talk about why I am not a pacifist and what I have learned from that tradition. Listen below, and subscribe to Signposts to get new episodes when they publish. The post...
View ArticleSignposts: A conversation with Andy Crouch about family and technology
How do I navigate technology with my kids? In this episode of Signposts I talk with author and speaker Andy Crouch about families and the use of technology. We also talk about his new book, The...
View ArticleSignposts: How to Deal with a Family Member’s Racist Comments
When someone you love or are close to vocalizes a racist sentiment, what’s the best way to respond? In this episode of Signposts I consider how we can confront racial prejudice in our families in a...
View ArticleSignposts: Should You Make Your Children Go to Church?
I often get asked this question from parents: Should we require our child to come to church with our family? Sometimes the child even dreads or dislikes going to church. What if we suspect that our...
View ArticleSignposts: Senator Ben Sasse and Russell Moore talk about how perpetual...
In this episode of Signposts I sit down with Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska. We talk how perpetual adolescence hurts the church and about his new book, The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age...
View ArticleSignposts: Why is church attendance declining? A conversation with Skye Jethani
In this episode of Signposts, I sat down with Skye Jethani to talk about why church attendance is declining. From a conversation that began on Twitter, we explore changes in culture, supply and demand,...
View ArticleWhat Should You Say at an Unbeliever’s Funeral?
In this episode of Signposts, I talk about what to say at the funeral of an unbeliever. You can find the full transcript and links to subscribe below. What Should You Say at an Unbeliever’s Funeral?...
View ArticleHow I Write
In this episode of Signposts, I talk about my approach to writing. From keeping track of ideas, to writing books and articles, this podcast offers you a look at the whole process. You can find the full...
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