Personal thoughts from Pastor Jeff on a(n almost) daily basis.
There needs to be something that takes your breath away. In each life there must remain something outside of you that, when experienced, so profoundly affects you that you notice a difference taking place. Whatever this thing is, it’s your passion. Trusting that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, I hope you will understand that I’m not talking about …
Tonight, at New Bridge Church, we will launch into a new Summer sermon series which will unpack Jesus’ longest recorded sermon, commonly referred to as The Sermon on the Mount. I have called the series Fit For A King. This singular message from Jesus is amazingly counter-cultural and deeply challenging for all believers. Before we actually get into the words …
For years I have used the illustration of the Christian life being that of a pipe and not a bowl. Bowls receive what is poured into them and then hold what they receive. Pipes, having an opening on each end, receive on one side and then release on the other. Pipes facilitate a flow. Jesus-followers are like that. God pours out …
A friend recently sent me an article he wrote in response to some comments I made about our attitudes toward money. The entire article was a great read, but something in particular he wrote remained with me all day. My friend addressed this issue of how easy it was for him to invest in Kingdom endeavors and then added, almost as …
I have no shame in admitting that I enjoy watching the Atlanta Braves play baseball on television. I’ve been doing it since I was ten years old, eagerly tuning in to watch Dale Murphy and company try their best to accomplish greatness at the old Atlanta Fulton county Stadium. My guess is that I will likely continue to be a …
Today, I want to intentionally think on friends who have stood by our sides in seasons which stretch us. When our life circumstances take a downward turn, or when we find ourselves misunderstood or misrepresented, or when we drop from the heights and are plunged into a foul, soupy marsh, or when we recognize that we have zero ability to …
The Gospels and the Book of Acts are written by four different men. Each human writer supplies different details of the events which surrounded Jesus rising from the dead. I have always been a little challenged to make sense of the chronology of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus so, with a little online research, I am posting below what I …
Resurrection is not a nuance of the Christian faith. Resurrection is not limited to some historical event. Resurrection is the ultimate promise of what we believe as Christians and it is an experience that all Christians will enjoy. Resurrection is, in all actuality, a Person. This Person is the Son of God who is the Savior of all who believe. …
He was the most famous prophet in Israel the day he burst on to the scene. For four centuries, Israel had not heard from their God, so when the Baptizer began to proclaim the word of the Lord in the wilderness, the hungry people began to devour all that he fed them. John’s ministry did not include signs and wonders …
Accusation: “Has anyone seen Jeff’s shackles? I want to put him on spiritual lock-down again.” Justification: “Those shackles are in the bottom of the sea. As far as east is from west.” Accusation: “True…but Jeff forgets that fact with a little provocation from me. I specialize in cultivating a shamed, guilty conscience.” Mercy: “His God’s grace is far greater than …
There is a conspiracy against all parents’ personal sanity. No doubt, it is a calculated effort, strategized behind closed doors by powerful marketing executives long before it appeared before our eyes. At just the right moment, the stars all having aligned perfectly, the outflow of this fiendish conspiracy can cause a strong mother to weep, a patient father to snap …
Recently, the preaching schedule at my home church has allowed me to take regular time to listen as one of the other pastors preaches. On those Sundays, it has been so helpful for me to receive preaching from others. Truth be known, I had forgotten how much I need to sit under live preaching at my own home church. To …
Father, On this day we come before You with nothing that You need. We sometimes scramble to bring You something when we come to pray. Today, I bring you nothing more than a heart with two spiritual chambers: one full of praise and one full of need. We are not quite able to comprehend that You have eternally existed in …
Over the last few days, both through my own mind and from outside sources, the Father has been speaking to me concerning this important issue of His children unnecessarily (and dangerously!) listening to the voice of the accuser. Have you ever pondered this passage from Revelation? “I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power …
Many of you who follow Transforming Truth’s media streams are doing so from a distance. We are blessed to hear from people all over the United States who have been touched by the Lord through the ministry here. We have relationship with people in other parts of the world who both contribute and receive from the messages, blogs and social …
“So you’ve gotten right with God, have you? You think you’re all religious now and are naive enough to believe that God is just going to accept you with open arms because of what Jesus supposedly did. Well, tell me something, my precious – how come you can still sin like you did before your little religious experience? How come …
For you who have long prayed for God to move on your behalf, I want to deposit some encouragement with you in hope that your cries will not be silenced by spiritual fatigue. Perhaps, one of the most confounding elements of being a Jesus-follower is that we often find ourselves in the waiting room of unanswered prayers. Would it shock …
Most of the time, most of us are not too weak. Most of the time, most of us are far too strong. We feel that we lose when our weaknesses are prominent. We want unlimited resources. We prefer strong bodies. We pray for elevation and advance and consistent breakthroughs. It just seems right that we would operate in our …
So, who has your face on their dartboard today? Is there someone’s face on yours? Let’s peel back the curtain for a moment and acknowledge that behind all the desires and commitments for Jesus-followers to honor one another, we all have a propensity to get sideways with others from time to time. A simple survey of the New Testament shows …
The longer you are an active participant in the Kingdom of God, the more your citizenship allows you to see. To be a Christian is far vaster than asking Jesus into your life, being water baptized, joining a church, behaving morally and learning theology. While all of these things are good, they also can serve as potential fig leaves behind …
After a week of a spiritual mini-retreat, I’m grateful to get back in the saddle on the blog today. From February 14-23, I was visiting the House of Prayer in Kansas City. I made some new friendships, enjoyed some healthy Kingdom connections and was impacted by long, anonymous, uninterrupted hours in the prayer room as God was speaking. While I …
Our understanding of God’s grace should serve to level the playing field which our egos might raise up for our own benefit during the week. Living daily in a culture that tries to demand that you and I must participate in the rat-race of the American Dream can distract us and distort us from the higher calling that we are …
Every now and then, you remember something you wrote and decide to resurrect it for the present moment. I went back to the vault and decided to share something I posted some time ago. I hope it helps you. It did me. – Jeff “And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together …
May the God whose watchful eye never sleeps, the God of wonders, power and love – May He keep your feet from falling and make your thanks be endless, until the coming of the full deliverance that is ready to be revealed in the last time. May the God whose robe is light, whose canopy is space Whose mercies are …
Until the Christian receives her own grasp of the Kingdom purposes of God, she will continue to be distracted by small slivers of Christianity while never entering into the whole of God’s eternal purposes and power. As long as that man who longs for God’s presence and the resulting sense of personal identity remains committed to splashing around in the …
