The Neighborhood Approach

Two years into our marriage, my wife and I purchased our first house. It was during the height of the Seattle housing boom, when the average time a house stayed on the market was four days. That’s not a typo. We are talking pan-seared tuna. Thes…

11 Gospel-Centered Ways to Love Your City

Jesus calls us to “go and make disciples” and to love our city so that we might clearly communicate the gospel and see more people come to know him. But what does this look like practically? What does it mean to love our city? Here are 11 …

11 Gospel-Centered Ways to Love Your City

Jesus calls us to “go and make disciples” and to love our city so that we might clearly communicate the gospel and see more people come to know him. But what does this look like practically? What does it mean to love our city? Here are 11 …

Sex-Trafficking at the Super Bowl

On February 5, 2012, over 100 million people will watch Super Bowl XLVI.
Few of them will know about the horrific crimes that will be committed during and around the event in Indianapolis.
  
The Super Bowl is the most-watched program on TV …

Do You Want to Make a Point or Make a Difference?

This content is for those that have signed up for Leadership Coaching with Pastor Mark. Please sign in at http://theresurgence.com/.

What Does God Think about Productivity and Project Management?

Our faith leads us to good works, according to the book of James.
The Bible has a bit of wisdom for us as we set off on the various works that God has given us. You might have a vision for taking on a huge calling like making a big fina…

What Kind Of A Pastor Do Sinners Need?

Sinclair Ferguson answers this question: But when your people come and have been broken by sin and have fallen into temptation and are ashamed to confess the awful mess they have made of their life, it is not a Calvinistic pastor who has been sanctified by vinegar that they need. It is a pastor that [...]

Inspiration Sells, But Only Jesus Transforms

“What we desperately need is help to enlarge our capacities to be moved by the immeasurable glories of Christ.” – John Piper
We ministers of the gospel—and Christians at large—can fumble this commission in three main ways:
1. W…

10 Ways to Love Your Kids

1) Eagerly, humbly submit to the Word of God.
When you sin in front of your children, confess it. When you assert your authority over them, your children should clearly see the authority that you are submitting to. Your submission to God is your quali…

When a Small Church Staff Is Better

Most church leaders believe that if they had more staff members, they could get more done.
While that’s occasionally true, it’s often not.
I’ve found that a smaller staff is often better than a larger one.
Based on my experience, whe…

A Father’s Covenant

“I want my children to know that when they call, their father will answer.”
It took years for our children to sleep through the night. We had many conversations about letting them “cry it out.” It was during one of these discus…

“These Are Your Grandbabies!”

Sister Ellen Barney is the first lady (i.e. senior pastor’s wife) of a predominantly African-American megachurch near Baltimore, Maryland. For over a decade she has equipped over 1,000 women in her Life Encouragers and Disciplers ministry.
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4 Quick Questions about Studying the Bible

 
 
Bible Study Magazine: What is your personal Bible study method?

Justin Holcomb: I prefer to go through the books consecutively, which helps me focus on the message of each book. Reading book by book helps me understand how the text fits …

Are Christians Totally Depraved?

Believe it or not, this is an important question. It’s not simply a theological question. It’s a theological question that has profound practical implications. Our answer will inevitably reveal our understanding of the gospel and reflect our understanding of sin and grace. First things first: what total depravity isn’t. Total depravity does not mean “utter [...]

Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales

We posted a video from Jeff Bethke a couple weeks ago, and we wanted to follow up with this one as he addresses many of the ideas behind Pastor Mark and Grace Driscoll’s book, Real Marriage. Here’s the inspiration behind this Spoken Word.&nb…

Owning vs. Renting Your Community

“It’s a rental.”
It was a perfect day for the beach, and my new bride and I had the top down in a fun but gutless Mustang. We had left the main track miles ago and were tearing down a dirt road riddled with potholes. My faith in the directions o…

How the Trinity Relates to Marriage

Three persons in one God may seem like a metaphysical head-scratcher, but far from being an esoteric theological concept, the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has numerous implications to daily life since we are each made in God’s imag…

Naturalism, Knowledge, and History

Naturalism, the philosophical worldview that everything arises from nature and nothing exists beyond it, meaning there’s no such thing as the spiritual realm.  However, this view ultimately leaves one with no justification for trusting one&…

7 Things That Worship Is

1. Repentance
Where there is no repentance, there may be an emotional experience, but it’s not worship!  Worship does not become worship until it changes the way we live!
2. Intellectual
We are called to worship the Lord with our minds by r…

This Entire Thing Has Nothing to Do with Pastor Tullian

ReLit Manager and Mars Hill Pastor Matt Johnson had the opportunity to talk with Tullian Tchividjian about his new book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything. We didn’t want you to miss anything in this great interview, so we’ve broken it down int…