We ordered some new bibles for some of our newest converts, and one of the bibles had a unique issue with it. The entire text had been bound and printed completely upside down. It's unlike any other issue I have ever seen with a bible. I had to life at the irony of it all, because, well...the Word of God is the thing that turns the world upside down. Everything about Jesus' ministry challenged what the world thought it knew about love, power, hope, etc. And to this day, Jesus continues to turn the world upside down but setting his disciples right side up again. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

My wife and I celebrated 9 years of marriage yesterday, and I am blown away at how much has changed since the day we said "I Do". We have moved three times, had three children, and worked with three churches. But the biggest differences come in our relationship: how much deeper we love, fuller we know, and intimately we understand each other. Well...marriage teaches us about our relationship to God, so we need to ask ourselves: has our relationship with God grown over the years in this way? Do I love him deeper, know him fuller, and understand him more intimately than the day I obeyed the gospel? #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

My son learned a lesson the hard way today. Even though we have often told him not to touch anything on the stove, he reached his hand up into the air fryer that was on the stove and burned his hand. Sometimes we have to learn lessons the hard way...or do we? Well...Proverbs 1 teaches us that we don't. We choose many times to learn things the hard way by not listening, and then we have to suffert he consequences. But you don't have to fall to learn you don't want to fall. Sometimes we just need to listen and obey, and take God at his word. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Today I really struggled - I just didn't know what to write. It's not that I didn't have an idea of what I wanted to say, but I just couldn't say it. We've all struggled with writer's block before I'm sure, and it's in those times you wish people could just look into your heart or your mind to know what it is you're feeling or thinking. Well...that's exactly what the Holy Spirit does when we struggle with what to pray. He searches our inward most parts, and even if the words don't come out, God knows what we're thinking and feeling. Thank God for his intercession! #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Children want their parents attention. Constantly my kids are asking, "Dad, are you watching?" or, "Dad! Look! See me?" The idea of me watching them does not cause them anxiety but great joy, why? Because no matter what they are doing, they want to please me. Well...as children of God, how does the idea of Him watching make us feel? If the answer is fearful, then we are not walking like children as we should be. If we make it our aim to be pleasing to God in all that we do, then we should desire for him to be watching. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

We have a CFA coming to Danville finally!!! I have passed by nearly every day and while you couldn't tell at all what they were building at first, now it's starting to take on the very prominent features of a stand alone CFA location. The more it comes along, the less it will be mistaken for anything else. Well...do we recognize that this is how discipleship is supposed to go? Being a Christian means that we, you know, actually follow and look like Jesus. The gospel breaks ground, and at first you can't tell much. But as we grow in Christ, we should continue to grow until we are easily recognzied to act, feel, and think like Jesus. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

At Starbucks today, a former disgruntled worker came up with a clipboard asking me to sign a petition against his former employee. He said that they had broken over 200 labor laws and that he was wrongfully terminated, and with my signature and others they could help to stop union-busting for baristas. I didn't sign his petition. Not because I didn't want to help, but because I didn't know the full story. Before I would put my name to something, I wanted to hear both sides of the issue. Well...how quick are we to just believe what we hear sometimes without investigation? Things about others? Things about a church? Things about God? The Proverbs teach us that such behavior is not only foolish, but dangerous. Before we say yes, before we say no, before we say anything - make sure we've heard the whole matter and looked into it ourselves. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

I was golfing with some brothers this past weekend when a ball came flying our direction right next to our tee box. Being ingnorant of golf etiquitte as a novice, I leaned over to pick up the stray ball and thrown it back towards the party in front of us. "Don't touch that ball!" my friend hollered at me. Apparently, that's a no no in golf. I had no idea. I thought I was doing the right thing, but could have ended up doing the wrong thing. Well...isn't that true of ourselves with cultures and people we are ignorant towards? Paul says that he became all things to all people, in order that by any possible means he could save some. This meant Paul was willing to learn about others, and mold himself, not demand others become like him. Do we have this same attitude? Or would we rather remain ignorant? #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

I tried to get Scott Beyer on the program last month, but both of our recorded sessions had technical difficulties. Luckily, his essay made it through - and I wanted to share that with you today. Behold, the year of free beef! I hope you get as much out of this episode as I did, and be sure to subscribe to both Scott's "Love Better Podcast" and his free biblical video courses at www.biblegrad.com. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast

We're back after an extended break! We were in Oregon for almost three weeks, and most of the time we were there, my son Dane he kept saying how much he missed home. Well we finally got back home, and now he says how much he misses Oregon. Go figure - he couldn't wait for what was coming, and now he misses what was. Well...we can be the same way. But if we spend all of our time focused on the past or obsessing over the future, we will actually end up missing what is right in front of us. We need to be grateful and content in the present situations we find ourselves in, or else we will miss the blessings God is giving us today. #SetYourMindAbovePodcast