• New Free Acoustic Album

    While we often quote the sermon on the mount to talk about blessing, we often ignore the fact that those who are actually blessed are the ones going through difficulty and hardship. It’s the great reversal of the kingdom of Heaven: those who are blessed are the ones who almost look cursed. This little free…

  • Why We Eat Together

    In his book, Jesus the Temple, Nicholas Perrin notes that, “It is widely acknowledged that keeping varied and questionable company at dinner was one of the distinctive features of Jesus’ life.” In today’s podcast I elaborate on the power food has in life and ministry and why our church at 1208GREENWOOD is incorporating food into our…

  • Why We Embrace Change

    As 1208GREENWOOD Church gears up to alter their model this fall, it’s important to talk about why a church might even need to change in the first place. The answer is pretty easy to see if we just take a look at our ordinary everyday lives. In today’s podcast, I address how we all have…

  • Christians and Gambling

    It’s our brand new Q&A podcast! In this first session, me and my associate pastor Myisha take on the topic of gambling. Is gambling ok if done recreationally and in moderation and all winnings are tithed to the church? (i.e. Is this different than the person who spends $80-100 a month on entertainment or hobbies?) To ask a…

  • Paul’s Comments on Women

    Much of modern misogyny in the church can be attributed to Paul’s comments on women in the Bible. But is misogyny really what Paul intended to communicate? In today’s podcast, I take a look at Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 11 and sort out what’s at the heart of his message. As it ends up,…

  • Pharmakeia: Drugs and Sorcery

    The Greek word pharmakeia appears in the Bible with ominous undertones—often translated as “sorcery.” But with its connection to modern pharmaceuticals, what does that mean for how Christians engage with medicine, drugs, and spiritual discernment today? This post explores the biblical roots of pharmakeia and its relevance in our world of prescriptions, psychedelics, and spiritual…

  • Chameleon Evangelism

    So often the church takes Biblical truth and shoves it in people’s faces without first submerging themselves into the world of those they’re trying to reach. Such evangelism requires little sacrifice on our parts and ignores Paul’s only evangelistic method to “become all things to all people.” If we truly want to reach people, it…

  • Prevention Advocacy

    Out at the state Capitol for Michigan Prevention Advocacy day. Be spending the morning and afternoon with friends from “Drug Free Jackson” to help make state representatives aware of our city’s current state in relation to drugs and to growing opioid epidemic. I hear stories of people saving their friend’s lives from overdoses as commonplace…

  • Judging Angels

    In today’s podcast Paul rhetorically asks, “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?”—as though we would nod our heads in agreement and understanding. But truthfully, most of us would put our hands up and respond, “Actually, Paul, we don’t know what you’re talking about.” To understand what the apostle is saying, we…

  • You Can’t Kill a Sinless Man

    This week I’ve been blazing through Greg Boyd’s The Crucifixion of the Warrior God so that I could be prepared for the lessons he’d be teaching tonight at my alma mater Spring Arbor University. There was one paragraph in particluar that blew my mind and gave me theological goosebumps. While Boyd reflects on Jesus’ death…