Resources

The teen years can be tough for parents. They are tough for teens as well. They are often trying to figure out where they belong and their own sense of personhood. They are starting to ask questions and not accept everything outright. As a father of two teens and as a pastor who talks to a lot of parents in this area who have kids (Fort Mill has a lot of kids and families), I know teens ask questions about their faith and God. As a parent, this can be incredibly unsettling. B

Maybe you've started to get curious about the Bible. I've seen so many people on social media talking about their curiosity. I've noticed guys like Wes Huff debunking a number of common myths. Because what a lot of people don't know, or they are finding out, is that the Bible stands on a lot of credible proof for its authenticity. There is good reason to trust the Bible One of the most common assumptions people make is that modern archaeology and scholarship have discredited

Short answer: yes! Absolutely yes. But, you're probably looking for something deeper than that. What makes you ask the question? Maybe you're curious about faith but not sure what you believe. Maybe someone you love goes to church and you want to understand their world a little better. Maybe life has handed you something hard recently and you're grasping for something solid to hold onto. Maybe you just drove past a church on a Sunday morning and wondered, for the first time i

This is a common question that gets asked. Maybe you grew up in church and walked away. Maybe you never really went but you'd call yourself a Christian: you believe in God, you try to do right by people, you pray sometimes. Maybe you got hurt. Maybe life just got busy. Here's the quick answer: the Bible doesn't really imagine the normal Christian life outside the context of a local church. The Bible assumes that people belong to a community of Christ followers. In fact, Paul

So much of a our modern worship is powerful. It impresses and moves the emotions. I love some of our modern worship. However, there is subtle danger that happens when the music volume is turned up and the lights turned down low. The result is that that many of us in the congregation start to sing less and listen more. That's not always the case. Sometimes it's a jam session! But other times I've seen congregations where the band is jamming but the people are barely singing. S

Perhaps you are wondering why you should bother attending a local church. After all, you can stream sermons and hang out with Christian friends outside of a Sunday morning gathering. Perhaps you are bored with the Sunday morning worship, or you are too busy, or perhaps you've been turned off by some of the showmanship in those services. Whatever your reasons, there's still something good about the corporate worship gatherings of a local church. That said, let me clarify one t

Church membership isn't as popular or meaningful as it once was. Many churches don't practice membership. Those that do practice it, don't convey much more than some general information about the church. But, belonging to a local church should mean something. It should be significant and it should convey some sort of expectations to align with those of Scripture. In fact, I believe that membership is implied by Scripture and we certainly see commands and expectations for all

As a pastor, I regularly talk to visitors who are looking for a church in the Fort Mill area. The task is not an easy one. Most of us have searched for a church at some point in our life and know how difficult this can be. The problem is that I know most people are asking the wrong questions and considering the wrong factors when searching for a church. Start by asking the right questions One of the best rules of wisdom I found was from C.S. Lewis in his preface to Mere Chris

God’s Mercy in David’s Dark Season As I've reflected on 1 Samuel 29, we see when we look at this text is the quiet mercy of God at work. It rescues David from a hard situation where it’s difficult to find an easy way out. David has gone into the land of the Philistines and has been serving as a mercenary and vassal of Achish. Listen to that - mercenary? David? If we are reading this text with rosy eyes and thinking David is always good and Saul is always bad, we miss the real

David’s Spiritual Drift and the Need for Renewal In reflecting on 1 Samuel 30, the concept of renewal taking place in David's life comes to the forefront. David has been on this spiritual decline. But then the passage ends with restoration and deliverance for the people. The pendulum that this swings. The thing that creates the reversal that leads to restoration is the renewal that takes place in David’s life. This moment is so crucial in David’s life. Everything is trending