Personal thoughts from Pastor Jeff on a(n almost) daily basis.
We often assume that the wisdom which comes with age is primarily a type of wisdom which is given in order to “ride the brakes”. This wisdom is evidenced as a regulator, a cautionary force. This side of wisdom slows down the potentially erratic or reckless steps that are typical of a younger person who might be acting independently of …
Many years ago, the Lord ruined me. When I was first saved, He ruined me from enjoying all the unlawful pleasures that had defined my life for the decade prior to my conversion. Shortly thereafter, He ruined me in any attempt to draw my satisfaction from temporal pursuits like wealth, fame or power. In 1997, God ruined me from living …
Many people make the mistake of romanticizing past ages in the history of the Church. They think that Christianity of yesteryear was pristine and seamless, fluid and unchunked with the sediment that causes the church to sometimes gasp for fresh spiritual air today. Because of this poorly constructed thinking, many people have abandoned the concept of belonging to a church, …
Some of you are familiar with my testimony as it pertains to my theological shift in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s regarding the person and work of the Holy Spirit. I learned so much incredible theology from those who poured into my life after I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord in 1994. As a matter of fact, I …
If God entrusted to me the ability to remove one thing from our hearts as His people, I think I would choose to revoke our sense of familiarity of Him. For those of us who have been in the Kingdom for many years, there is a very real danger of losing our sense of wonder. For those who have been believers …
Below is an update on what God is doing at Transforming Truth and my personal invitation for more people to get involved. Take a few minutes and watch the video to learn about some new observations about how we need to move in order to keep up with technological, missional and generational changes among Christians throughout the world.
Driving back from Sunday lunch many years ago as a family, Amy, Alicia and I learned something amazing about Landon who was five years old at the time. The little fellow dropped some stunning news about himself upon us and we were unsure of how to respond. Landon declared form his car seat that day that he had the ability to …
“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3 Jesus wrapped volcanic words like these in a blanket of love, sensing no inner conflict when doing so. God’s Son did not give a preface or disclaimer to what He was going to say. He just stated the truth to those who desperately needed …
Moses met Him at a burning bush when he no longer had confidence that God could use him. Hagar encountered Him when her husband had cast her and her son out, so he could be with another woman. Isaiah had a personal revelation of Him when he went to the temple and saw Him in His stunning glory. Mary Magdalene’s intersected …
In seventh grade I was assigned a project, for which I had little interest, by my science teacher. She gave me two pages of instructions detailing how I was to complete a project on soil erosion. Equipped with a Polaroid instant camera I trekked about a half-mile deep into the woods behind our neighborhood, and walked along the banks of …
Sometimes God changes things up on you when you were not looking for anything to change. Our of nowhere comes an intrusive ripple in your normally manageable pond. He did not announce it was coming beforehand. He did not dialogue with you to see if it was convenient for you. Also, God did not ask your permission. He just initiated …
Today you awoke and immediately, whether consciously or subconsciously, began to look for something in which to place your confidence. We get up each morning trusting in something for our sense of stability, meaningfulness and peace. We pick a particular harbor in which to drop anchor for a while. My guess is that most people awaken each day and subconsciously …
I’m a firm believer that every human has a purpose from the heart of God. While my thoughts in this post will center upon Christians and their assignments from the Father, I also believe that every non-believer also has a purpose that is centered in the wisdom of a sovereign God. He makes all vessels for His glory. No human …
Today my mind rests on how we Christians regard those who do not know Christ. The newly endorsed approach by many evangelicals makes a priority out of removing all uncomfortable confrontation concerning human sin and the righteousness of God. It’s molasses evangelism and it’s sweet going down but unhealthy when it settles. Much of modern Christianity intentionally removes any and …
Sometimes it lodges in pretty deep before we are even aware of it. Somewhat like a blemish that appears on the face overnight while we sleep – we wake up and discover something is gnawing at us. Often the result is irritability, or perhaps a heaviness of heart that attaches itself to us like undesirable emotional lint – we can’t …
On this 4th of July I submit to you that American politics has now become the fastest growing religion in the Republic. It has two denominations, Church of the Left and Church of the Right. There are 100 Bishops (better known as Senators) and 435 Priests (located in the House of Representatives). Countless citizen-evangelists in both denominations dot the landscape …
One of the treasures of my adulthood, particularly since my conversion in 1994, is the friendship and brotherhood that I share with my earthly father. Doug Lyle spent decades in the banking industry and then left it to commit himself to the kingdom work of developing men. Dad prefers face-to-face connecting above writing but has graciously agreed to serve as …
After God saved me in the Summer of 1994, I immediately began to proclaim everything that I knew (which was not much!) about Jesus to anyone who would listen. I testified about how He had delivered me from a life of misery. I shared in homeless shelters and prisons about how the King had broken the power of my decade-long …
A recent change for me in ministry has turned out to be a source of blessing and fulfillment. When New Bridge Church merged with the Atlanta International House of Prayer, we added a Sunday evening service to accommodate the increased numbers of weekly attendees. On those Sundays when I preach, the Lord guided me to do an entirely different message …
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” – Nahum 1:7 What a constant encouragement this verse proves to be. Tell me a day when some one of us, in some place under some particular gloom, hasn’t needed to hear this encouragement. I love the fact that my Bible …
The more I read Scripture, and the older I get, there is a growing awareness in my mind that I linger over the questions in the Bible far more than I used to. I once preferred the decrees, the commands, the prohibitions and the promises. I’m naturally wired to take satisfaction in dogmatic declarations…but in recent years I find myself …
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13 What an incredible prayer that Paul offers for us here. His desire is that we would experience a filling, a stilling and a spilling through believing the Gospel, …
We have all heard this quaint saying which is actually rooted in solid truth: God loves you and has a great plan for your life. While this is a true statement, it is not sufficient in the way it is communicated, specifically because we have been trained to associate the concept of God’s love with pleasure and ease. Also, when …
It is the lifelong need for all of us to embrace what John the Baptizer declared of his own life 2,000 years ago. As his own ministry was fading in popularity and preeminence, John responded to those asking him why this diminishing of his work was happening to him by saying, “Jesus must increase. I must decrease.” This same release must …
That long-awaited time of the year has arrived for my family. We will be doing a little traveling over the next couple of weeks, enjoying some time together celebrating Alicia’s graduation from high-school and Landon becoming a teenager. Time is flying at a faster clip than I can ever remember and, for a couple of months, I have found myself …
