TweetBrennan Manning and Rich Mullins are two of my all-time favorite ragamuffins. If you are not familiar with the work of either, I beg of you to quickly acquaint yourself. I can’t seem to read a single page of Manning or listen to a single song of Mullins without feeling an overwhelming need to repent [...]
Posts under ‘Stories’
Charlotte’s Story
TweetRecently Charlotte, a beloved sister in the Southside New Life Team, gave her “slice of life” at New Life’s Sunday morning service. I’m continually amazed at the incredible power of God working in our students’ lives as they continually step out in faith. He deserves all the glory. In the past, I’ve posted written versions [...]
Doing Accountability Part III: A Confusion
TweetAs you know (from Part I), I can struggle to feel responsible for “fixing myself” as it relates to my sin. I spent most of Part II trying to convince you and me that God has a much better path to righteousness that involves a lot less exasperation and a lot more dependence. Jesus rebuked the [...]
How We Started Dating
TweetSince Jessie and I are getting married soon, I decided I’d officially record some of my recollection of how we came to be together. Since I love inviting other people into grand redemption stories, I decided I’d share with you. This may be the longest blog post in the history of man, but some stories [...]
Grace: Fingerpainting for Dad
TweetIn my last post, I shared about how I’ve struggled to boldly speak truth to others because I fear messing it up, even if my intentions are good. This blog post is going to deal with how we can respond to difficult responses to our truth-telling when we acted in ignorance or foolishness, even if [...]
Nathan’s Story
TweetHere’s part 2 in the Southside baptism series. Knowing Nathan and spending some time as his small group leader has been a privilege. The magnitude of God’s work in his life just in the last year is truly astounding. Fun fact: the shower Nathan mentions in this story just so happens to be the exact [...]
Elam’s Story
TweetThe following is the first installment of the three-part Southside baptism series. Baptizing Elam Lantz this past Sunday was an absolute joy. Elam is one of my best friends in the whole world, and by the grace of God, I’ve been able to play a part in his amazing story. Enjoy his re-telling of it: When I [...]
The Southside Baptism Series
TweetMy original vision for ThisIsChurch.net was that its entries would always record or point ahead to captivating scenes of God’s Bride in all her beauty as I see her on campus at the University of Michigan. Since I’ve been away from my local ministry for some time (raising financial support), it’s been hard to paint those pictures for you [...]
Church is Family
TweetWhen I get back to campus, I’ll be leading a house church community known as the Southside New Life Team. Last night, Hannah (a sophomore in our community…and yes, I got permission to use her name) sent out an impromptu e-mail to our family/team sharing some of her feelings regarding what she’s found at New Life (and specifically [...]