I love sports! I love watching sports, playing sports, and going to sporting events, but more than anything, I love watching and coaching my own kids in sports. Coaching sports gives me the opportunity to build relationships with young people and try to help teach them about discipline, commitment, teamwork, and leadership. Coaching has helped me become a better pastor because many principles of pastoring and coaching bleed into one another....
I went back to seminary to pursue a Master of Divinity degree in 2016. The overall experience was great and foundational for my life and ministry. I remember going to a conference at the seminary that year, and I cannot remember one thing I heard there. It was ten years ago! But I do remember one encounter I had....
Making decisions and standing by the consequences of our decisions is a part of maturity. Like Adam in the Garden, we often shirk responsibility for our choices and pin it on someone else. Maturity in Christ owns up to our decisions, for good or ill....
In our first blog entry, we defined anger by saying, “I am god, you are not, and as god, I am not happy with you,” or, to quote Good and Angry, anger says, “I am against that.” In short, anger is a value barometer....
Last week, we examined the reasons for our anger. By definition, anger says, “I am god, you are not, and as god, I am not happy with you.” Or, as one book we quoted stated, anger is saying, “I am against that.” It is critical that we know why we are angry, and it is critical that we see our anger as the sin it is. Yet, if we do not repent and desire to have new affections replace our old fleshly inclinations to anger, we will remain in the same angry rut....
Sinful anger is saying, “I am god, you are not, and as god, I am not happy with you.” I hope to demonstrate this throughout this blog and discuss how serious sinful anger is....
Why do so many pastors fall into serious sin—and what can churches do to prevent it? In this week’s blog, Pastor Seth examines the biblical qualifications for church leadership, the need for meaningful accountability, the dangers of unchecked power, and the importance of church discipline. While scandals can bring deep pain and shame upon the church, Scripture gives us clear principles for protecting Christ’s flock and maintaining the integrity of gospel ministry. This is not a call to abandon the church, but to pursue healthier, more biblical churches where pastors are known, supported, corrected, and held accountable. ...
In the first part of this series, we began looking at the battle against lust and considered several foundational truths that help us understand both the seriousness of the struggle and the strategies needed to fight it. Lust is not a small issue. It is a war being waged within the soul, and Scripture calls us to take that battle seriously....
Continuing in our Disciplines series, Pastor Seth discusses an often difficult and personal subject to address: sexual purity. From the blog: "I am convinced the church has often failed its people in this area. We have preached hard on the subject without consistently coming alongside individuals and walking with them through their struggle. At the same time, we have also failed by treating people as though they are merely victims of their lust, when in reality they are enslaved to it — and in need of loving rebuke."...
The church of the Lord Jesus Christ has a black eye in America for many reasons. One of those reasons the church is so disrespected is the way many churches and ministries handle the money they receive. I will go on record here and say that much of the teaching and preaching found on TBN, Daystar, and in certain radical charismatic circles amounts to a religious money-making scheme that enriches so-called pastors at the top....
When you go through Bible college or seminary to train for ministry, there are many things you cannot be taught and must learn through experience. One of the most painful lessons in church life—rarely discussed but often felt—is the pain of people leaving the church you pastor....
Keep Reading