The Christian bible is an ancient text written by dozens of people over thousands of years spanning multiple cultures and customs. It is deep and mysterious, yet you can understand the Bible. It is accessible to you and me. Here are 5 steps to begin.
Most people make knowing God too complicated. You can know God.
God sees things as they ultimately should be. Know God will use evil (not cause evil, use evil) to make things the way they should be. This is true peace.
Too often I wait for the perfect time, perfect place, perfect person to do the thing I feel called to. What a waste! God can bless the imperfect places of life, so I don’t need to wait for perfection to act.
I have a simple philosophy: you are a leader. Everyone leads at some point. As a leader, there is one simple rule – take your followers somewhere.
I have agency over my feelings about God, myself and others. I can choose to be angry and bitter, or I can choose to believe God is doing something better.
the narrative shows Joseph and Judah’s lives paralleled. Just as Joseph was physically enslaved and imprisoned, Judah was emotionally and spiritually enslaved and imprisoned. As Joseph is finding freedom physically, so is Judah spiritually. As Joseph is working to save his family, so is Judah. As Joseph is finding redemption, so is Judah.
It’s never too late for the unrighteous to become righteous – no matter what evil you’ve done. There is always the opportunity for redemption. Sometimes it’s just a long road there.
The trials you’re encountering today are most likely squeezing you into tough decisions. You get to choose one of two things: God is in the middle of this, or God has nothing to do with this at all.
You find freedom when you tell the truth. You equally find freedom when you believe the truth. The truth sets us free – even when painful.
With over 15 years of ministry experience in urban and suburban worlds, Andy is a pastor at Cross Points Church in Shawnee, Kansas.
Andy also worked in the professional photography industry with his wife Kia. Along with Kia's family they founded several businesses for photographers specializing in high school senior portraits. Currently, Kia owns and operates a portrait photography studio in Shawnee.
Together, Andy and Kia are parents to 4 incredible children in the Kansas City area.
Andy writes on a regular basis both here and elsewhere in the internet about life and leadership.