There are two things I believe about 2012 at Mount Pleasant Christian Church. First, it’s going to be a year of great learning for me and two, it’s going to be one of the greatest years in the history of the church. I write those words as I find myself in the beginning stages of my treatment for cancer that began in my right tonsil and has spread to two lymph nodes on the right side of my neck. Al...  Read More

I’ve always known that there are basically three kinds of faith that are represented among people who call themselves Christians. First, there is inherited faith. Inherited faith is a faith that you receive from someone else like your parents or a spiritual mentor like a Pastor or Sunday School teacher. I had the good fortune of growing up in church where there were many faithful people who impact...  Read More

It’s pretty amazing to think about how significantly your life can change in two weeks. Actually, I think we all know that life can change in a matter of seconds, but as I write this I’m thinking about two weeks.On Wednesday, December 7, Sandy and I heard the Dr. say, “I’m almost certain you have tonsil cancer.” What…I’ve never even heard of tonsil cancer. But that’s where it began. Two weeks late...  Read More

Recently, a random conversation with a couple of staff guys caused me to think back to my days as a teenager and my high school youth group. I really  participated in two youth groups. My first youth group was at the church where I grew up in, in Tulsa, OK, and the second youth group was at the church I attended for a little over a year when we moved to Houston, TX. Both were great experiences for...  Read More

I want to take a minute to tell you about my personal involvement and our church’s partnership with a new ministry called The Solomon Foundation (TSF). The Solomon Foundation is based in Englewood, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. In December 2010, I was invited to join some other leaders of Independent Christian Church mega-churches for a meeting to talk about the beginning of a new church extension...  Read More

Today is my first day back in the office after my summer break. It’s interesting that my daily devotion was taken from Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (NIV) When I read those familiar words that begin that passage, it struck me how, as a Christian, my “rest” doesn’t have to come from time away from my role and responsib...  Read More

Tomorrow is the first day of July 2011 and I wanted to take a minute to share with you what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks. Last summer our Elders put into place the opportunity for me to take a brief break in the summer. My break will officially begin on Tuesday, July 5, and I’ll be out of the pulpit for the next few weeks that follow. First, I want you to know that I have some excellent sp...  Read More

Probably many of you have noticed that a very different kind of “ad” campaign has been launched in the Indianapolis area using billboards on the I-465 loop to tell motorists that they “don’t need God” to live fulfilling lives. The campaign is the effort of a secular humanist group called The Center for Inquiry. They have purchased space on four billboards around I-465. The Amherst NY-based group h...  Read More

This past weekend we began a new series called “Questions & Answers in Jesus’ Day” based on the truth that some of Jesus’ most effective teaching happened when he asked and answered questions. So we’re spending several weeks looking at some of those questions and answers and applying them to life today.I’ve known for a long time that I was going, to begin with, Matthew 16:13-17, where Jesus presse...  Read More

I just got home from my last Elders Meeting of 2010. Tomorrow, weather permitting, Sandy, Tricia and I will get on a plane for Dallas and we’ll spend Christmas with Andrew, Kara and Grace. While we’re in Dallas, we’ll see my mom, my sister Candy, my Uncle Mike Nuthman, and his family. I’m really looking forward to our time away.I’m also looking forward to what God is going to do both in and throug...  Read More

One of the interesting things about the Bible, the Old Testament in particular, is that God often chose to speak to people through dreams. Personally, I don’t believe God speaks to us through dreams today in the sense of revealing things. Revelatory dreams in the Bible took place as God’s Word was unfolding. Now we have it as a finished product, and it’s all we need. And while I’m no expert on dre...  Read More

One of the best books I’ve read in recent years is 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life. The book was written by Dr. Henry Cloud (you can buy the complete book or a condensed version). The basic premise of the book is identifying the difference between people who win at love and life and those who fail. Dr. Cloud said that when he carefully observed successful people, they gave ...  Read More