“You measure the importance of a person by the things to which he says no.” Unknown I did something on Thursday of last week I rarely do. I walked into a class of amazing students and said, “No more appointments for the next week.” I love students. I love to meet with students. I love ministers and enjoy fellowship with them. I also enjoy young professionals who seek to connect the gospel to their careers. I consider my ministry as … →

Since childhood I have had a love for animals, especially those that do not normally qualify as pets. I was catching snakes and lizards from an early age, and brought home snapping turtles so big I had to drag them. It is a wonder that I still have my hands and feet! Here are some pictures with some animals I got to hang out with in recent years. Some were in Thailand (the elephant and the tiger). Most of the … →

A few years ago I had a conversation with a mom and dad who were concerned with the spiritual progress or lack thereof of their high school son. They told me how they had a weekly prayer meeting, did devotions, and named a few other obviously spiritual activities. They simply could not understand why their son did not have the wisdom to love God like they did, and they based it on their devotion to what they saw as spiritual … →

Yesterday I had the honor of bringing the closing message at the Lifeway National Youth Workers’ Convention in Nashville to about 400-500 student pastors, state leaders in student ministry, and others. I love people who love young people. I talked to them about a gospel-focused, missional student ministry.  One of my points was essentially the second point in my series of reaching the younger generation: we need to focus less on institutions and more on movements. The millennial generation will … →

I rarely ever promote events through my blog, but this fall SEBTS is hosting our first event in a long time for middle and high school students and those who serve with them. LEADERSHIP ROCKS, a ministry of Student Leadership University, is coming to our campus Friday night and Saturday, October 29-30. Student Leadership University was founded by my friend Jay Strack and offers one of the few truly “bar-raising” (to use an expression I really like) approach to students. … →