Books & Blogs
Join us as we explore through writing who God is, who He has called us to be, and how we can respond.
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Books are priced low to keep them accessible, and if cost is an issue I am happy to provide the PDF at no cost. These are not about income-generation, but spiritual-growth generation! That said, if you would like to contribute towards future books, you can do so here!
Have you ever struggled to show love because of the way someone looked? Grown impatient with someone who was loud? Pulled away when someone had an odor? Avoided touching or eating with someone because of their circumstances?
Consciously or not, we frequently withhold love from others when our senses are offended.
Meanwhile, Jesus had all five senses and poured out love to all he encountered. He saw the filthy, naked man living amidst graves, heard Bartimaeus's disruptive cries, smelled the death stench of Lazarus's tomb, felt the open wounds of the man with leprosy, and sat at the tables of those others rejected; in each moment, he loved deeply, despite the barriers.
He did not do this to be nice, but because he was created and called to embody love... and so are we. After washing the stinky feet of the disciples, he said, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."
FIND THE EBOOK, PAPERBACK, AND HARDCOVER HERE.
We don’t want to admit it, but too often we believe the lie that “God won’t provide.” Instead of faith, we are guided by financial fear, take matters into our own hands, or develop an unhealthy pursuit of wealth. Yet if Scripture is true, we have to acknowledge this foundational reality:
We don’t need money; we need God.
In this book we wrestle with what it means for “God to be Provider”, why we struggle to accept a reality that is actually good news, and what we can do to begin to trust Him. This will not be a step-by-step guide, but instead will challenge your perspectives and equip you to discern simple steps forward towards “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,” even when you don’t know how the bills will get paid.
FIND THE EBOOK, PAPERBACK, AND HARDCOVER HERE.
1 Kings 19:4
These are not the words of a weak man, but of the great prophet Elijah, who after faithfully serving God and seeing Him work, found himself utterly depleted and hopeless.
This short book takes us through the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19, where the ups and downs of his difficult invitations from God can help us discern how we can keep going when we have nothing left to give.
FIND THE EBOOK AND PAPERBACK HERE.
Matthew 5:43-45
If Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies, why do so few prayer books include prayers for our enemies? This book provides 5 simple (albeit not easy) prayers you can pray for your enemy, as a simple first step towards Jesus's hard call to "love your enemies"; what you will find is not a set of prayers to master, but an opportunity to follow Christ's lead and partner with the Spirit in something that seems impossible to us, but is actually "exceedingly more than we could ask or imagine.
FIND THE EBOOK AND PAPERBACK HERE.
This is designed to be a safe and accessible way to journey through the intimidating book of Revelation in 30 days.
FIND THE EBOOK AND PAPERBACK HERE.
You know the feeling: you see someone with an impressive gift (trick shots, an inspiring speech, musical skills), and think, “I wish I had a gift like that.” What if you discovered God has given you a gift even more impressive? If you’re willing to look and listen for God, we believe you’ll find He’s placed something incredible within you. As Jesus put it in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
FIND THE EBOOK AND PAPERBACK HERE.
As one of the shorter books of the Bible, in a short time you'll uncover amazing truths; if you’re willing to look and listen for God, we believe you’ll find Him in some way this week. As Jesus put it in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
FIND THE EBOOK AND PAPERBACK HERE.
If that seems too short for a 5 day study, you’ll be surprised how much God can do with very little. If you’re willing to look and listen for God, we believe you’ll find Him in some way this week. As Jesus put it in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
FIND THE EBOOK AND PAPERBACK HERE.
Take this cup
In the midst of our suffering, we can feel alone, hopeless, and unable to go on. We -- like Jesus -- may cry out, "Take this cup, God!"
In the midst of his suffering, Jesus shows how to keep going even when the cup remains.
Imago Creare
Perhaps you believe you aren't creative. However, if we were "created in God's image", and God is a creator, what does that mean for us?
Perhaps God has created us to create in a unique way.
The Simplicity of the Great Commission
For many, the expectation of "the great commission" can be intimidating and overwhelming. How are we supposed to share? What if we don't feel equipped?
What if fulfilling Jesus's grand invitation is simpler than we think?
Along for the ride
“Evangelism” can be an intimidating word, causing us to feel unequipped, unmotivated, or unfaithful if we’re not accomplishing the actions and outcomes it evokes.
What if there is a scenario in which evangelism could happen, and you were simply going along for the ride?
Superheroes and Evil Villains
I was talking to a group of high schoolers recently about superheroes, and they had some interesting ideas of how to defeat an evil villain.
It revealed a lot about how we understand the world.
Sell all you have and follow me
Jesus invites us to give it all up... not just bad stuff, but even our ways of loving God and loving others.
Sometimes, we don't want to let go.
Frustrated with God
Often when we are frustrated with God, it's because we feel He's promised something and not delivered on it
What if God isn't the one missing it?
Love is not a good thing
I know: it's a controversial title, but hear me out.
What if our understanding of love keeps us from understanding how good it is?
Upholding the Law
The Pharisees knew the Law. They sought to uphold the Law.
Yet in their pursuits they ended up dishonoring the one they sought to honor, and killed the purest expression of the Law. What if we are capable of doing the same?
Remain as you are but also don't.
1 Corinthians 7 contains what seems to be a blatant contradiction in back-to-back paragraphs.
However, Paul is actually confronting the impact of our understanding of identity and expectation on our capacity to accept a relationship with our Creator.
I, Child of God
I've watched the movie I, Robot multiple times, and was thinking this morning of how their purpose and function was dictated by three laws, which not only shaped their identity, but protected the world from their worst embodiment.
It hit me that we -- created beings -- have also been given laws to shape us; it's not surprising that our rejection of those laws has led to such destruction.
THOUGH THERE BE GIANTS IN THE LAND
We may be genuinely seeking God, walking where He is leading, and then stop short, because, like the spies who explored the Promised Land, we are aware of the dangers -- of the strongholds, of the armies, and of the giants.
Though there be giants in the land, we have always been our own greatest threat.
When something looks right
This image looks beautiful, like something worth pursuing; the reality is it's not what it seems.
Sometimes there are things in our lives that look right, but may be something far different than we thought. What do we do when we learn the truth? How does forgiveness come into play?
Sell your cloak and buy a sword
There are a lot of Christians going to war right now. There is a perceived threat against God, and so they are ready to fight.
What if the enemy we are perceiving, and the ways we wage war, miss the mark?
Grasping puzzles
We spend our lives trying to piece together the puzzles of our lives -- our purpose, the meaning of life, God -- and often feel like we're just grasping pieces.
What if we can learn something from kids puzzles that could help us grasp the God of the universe?
We asked for "2020 Vision"... now what?
Churches around the world started off the year with a "2020 Vision" series; what we ended up seeing in 2020 was not what any of us expected.
What if God answered our prayers, and we are not seeing what we wanted to see, but what we need to see? How will we respond?
Are we unknowingly condemning Jesus?
Three groups converged to condemn an innocent man, and most believed they were justified or not culpable.
While we say we would have never chosen Barabbas over Jesus, the brokenness that existed in these groups exists in us today. There is something we can do about it.
A leader that failed, and what we can learn from him
I was reading some quotes from a guy whose country was in conflict; I was intrigued by his approach to inspiring change, even though he was written off as a failure.
There's something important we can learn from his story, especially in our present struggles.
Meet God in the mess
As a parent, life can get so messy that I'm not sure how to grow myself spiritually, much less lead my family to do the same. It would be so much easier if everything went "to plan."
Perhaps God wants to do something in the mess, that is abundantly more than "to plan" could ever bring.
The aim of our charge is love
Paul kicks off 1 Timothy warning his spiritual son how easy it can be for a well-intentioned believer to stumble into vain discussions and destructive engagement.
In this divisive time, the risk for us doing the same is great. There is a way, though, to avoid this...
Because of my chains
God may want to use your "chains" to accomplish far more than you ever could on your own.
That's what happened for the Apostle Paul and his chains; as he puts it, "Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel."
"My heart is to seek first your Kingdom."
How do we seek first when we feel attacked on multiple fronts?
In the course of one worship service, God walked me through how He is not only present in those spaces, but He has provided community for that very purpose.
Let the fresh air in
During a session with Sunodia, we talked about burdens, she asked me to visualize a burden.
I imagined the burden as thick, humid, oppressive air that made it hard to breath. She asked me to ask God what it could look like to remove the burden.
My first thought was that I needed to open the windows to get the bad air out. I immediately laughed. I couldn’t say it; instead, God emphasized these words: “Let the fresh air in.”
Prone to float away
It’s becoming clearer the moments when I’m living for God, and those when I’m simply living.
The latter is easy to slip into. Like a kid distracted by the waves of the beach, the current quietly pulls me further and further along the shore until I find myself alone and lost. Maybe I had my guard up for the rip current, but not for the every-day-calm-waves discretely leading me from my Father.
Jesus and ____
We say that Jesus is all, but too often our words and actions reveal that we are actually driven by "Jesus and _____"; how we fill that blank can have ramifications, no matter how good it is. More...
"Come Unity"
The wide ranging views of my church-going friends shows me both the pain of incredible disconnection and separation, and the reality that there is a collective hurting and longing. More...
Are we merely looking?
We have a high level of confidence in how we perceive the world around us. What if God wants us to see His creation through His eyes? More...
Which story are we telling?
When we experience something, is it possible that we are only seeing and hearing part of the story, and missing a work of God? More...
Seeing Annie
Do we see the image-bearers that God is raising up around us for Kingdom-impact? More...
A destructive pursuit after an "image"
Is it possible to believe we are genuinely seeking God, and yet be causing harm to others? More...
Indeed, only one
Martha was well-intentioned, and yet her efforts led her to actually dishonor her guest, the Christ; is it possible our efforts could do the same? More...
Shots
In 2017, a drive-by shooting occurred across the street as our kids were playing outside. This wouldn't be the last time.
This experience, however, would lead to a vital shift in our understanding of what it means to "love your neighbor." More...
Stories from YWAM:
Prayer Stations
At the start of 2019, a team from YWAM Richmond sensed God calling them to start their new location in Virginia Beach, half a year later than they had originally hoped.
What they didn't know was that God had a powerful reason for that timing. More...
Stories from YWAM:
Making room for the Spirit
Planning isn't bad. But when our plans change, are we willing to trust the Spirit? More...
Stories from YWAM:
The Power of Hospitality
What can God do when we are willing to open our homes and lives to our neighbors? More...
From the archives:
Teaching us to crawl
(9/2/13)
How can a loving God allow us to struggle? More...
From the archives:
Stones of Remembrance
(7/29/2013)
When someone asks us to share a story of God at work, will we remember those moments? More...
From the archives:
Moving the Rubble
(7/12/13)
"In my new role, I see a lot of rubble. I look at my responsibilities, and at times it seems like an insurmountable mass. You know what? It probably is. A lot of ministry work is impossible…save for God." More...
From the archives:
Just an Extra
(7/3/2013)
God is inviting us into an incredible story... but who do we think the story is about? More...
FB posts: Practicing Abandon
(5/23/19)
"If I told you this step — God saying to forego salary and trust Him to provide — wasn’t frightening, I’d be lying." More...
FB posts: Seeds turning into crops
(5/10/19)
"I don’t know what kind of seeds God planted, but I was willing to trust whatever He threw at me. I look forward to seeing what grows, what spreads, no matter how long it takes." More...
FB posts: Goodbye, Fairmount house...
(3/16/20)
As we say goodbye to a home we've loved, we reflect on just how creative and powerful God was over the course of those 12 years. More...
FB posts: Rejoicing in the midst of grief
(5/7/20)
How do we live out the mandate in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 when there is so much grief and brokenness around us? More...
FB posts: The cruelty of being asked to die
(5/2/19)
When Jesus calls you to "die to yourself", He is not trying to harm you. He's trying to break you from temporal thinking and show you the only way to life to the fullest. More...
FB posts: Why won't God just tell us?!
(4/27/17)
We deeply desire to understand God and what He is doing. We want that understanding fully, and we want it now. Often, we won't trust until we have it, we won't move forward, we won't allow joy. More...
FB posts: Where's the heads-up, Jesus?
(3/30/20)
When the Disciples faced life-threatening storms, Jesus could have said, “hey, heads up: there will be a storm, but we will be okay.” He didn’t. He didn’t give them any heads up, any reassurance. In fact, one time he went and took a nap. More...
