Articles

• Studying the options (Church Executive, 6/2/2014)
• All You Need to Know About the Assemblies of God: A primer for Palin watchers and others. (Christianity Today, September 16, 2008)
• Church Rentals: Have Space Will Worship (Christianity Today Library, September 6, 2007 [via CTI])
• Cyber-Sexuality: Maintaining Real Purity in a Virtual World (Christianity Today Library, August 29, 2007 [via CTI])
• Involuntary Self-Denial and Relationship Breakdown (Christianity Today Library, June 13, 2007 [via CTI])
• Apostasy: Rejecting Ideas (Christianity Today Library, 04/11/2007 [via CTI])
• Misplaced Love: On Greed, Addiction, and Bad Affection (Christianity Today Library, 02/14/2007 [via CTI])
• Video Games: Violence In, Violence Out? (Christianity Today Library 08/09/2006 [via CTI])
• Eternal Certainties: The Hope of Heaven (Christianity Today Library, 06/14/2006 [via CTI])
• Jesus Camp: Brainwashed by the Blood (Christianity Today Movies Channel, 9/20/2006 [pdf])
• Guest Commentary: Jesus Camp (Ministries Today Weblog, 9/21/2006 [pdf])
• Can I get a witness? (HiCall, Gospel Publishing House)
• Waiting for the Harvest (HiCall, Gospel Publishing House)

News Releases

• Logos & Crossway offer free ESV (Faithlife, Inc., 9/5/2013)
• DTS & Logos in first-ever partnership (Faithlife, Inc., 11/26/2013)
• Technology futurist Aaron Linne to join Logos Bible Software (Faithlife, Inc., 9/17/2013)
• Logos Bible Software appoints Canadian market representative (Faithlife, Inc., 11/1/2013)
• Church Planting Missionaries Receive Generous Gift from Southern Baptist Convention (Faithlife, Inc., 11/14/2013)
• Logos Bible Software named one of 2014’s Best Medium-Sized Companies to Work For by Glassdoor (Faithlife, Inc., 1/8/2014)

Sermons

• Do Heaven and Hell Exist?
• We are Called to Comfort (Acts 15:36-41)
• We are Saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)
• Success in Three Difficult Steps (Numbers 20:2-12; Joshua 1:1-9)
• Joy is no Laughing Matter (Philippians 4:1-9)
• Heaven is Where Your Home Is (John 14:1-7)

Book Summaries

• Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, by Dallas Willard (Navpress: 2002)

Bible Studies / Discussion Guides

• The Mission of the Trinity: All creation was designed to do one thing, and the church’s mission should be no different. (also via CTI)
• Reaching Out: Adopt God’s Mission: All believers are missionaries; all places are mission fields. (also via CTI)
• Ministering in the Global Church: A fractured church with a crippled mission finds healing through brokenness. (also via CTI)
• How Should We Address God? What we call God reflects who we believe him to be. (also via CTI)

Movie Based Bible Studies / Discussion Guides

• Spider-Man 3 (also via CTI)
  

  
  The greatest battle lies within.

  
  The first two Spider-Man films established Peter Parker and his super-heroic alter ego as a popular and profitable theatrical draw: Spidey is loveably unstoppable and Peter Parker is the nice boy everybody wants to see get the girl.

  But Spider-Man 3 cuts those silky threads of comfortable niceness, dumping Peter Parker and Spider-Man into a dark place where evil infects the heart and vengeance slakes its thirst.

  This guide will help you discuss some of the spiritual themes of Spider-Man 3.
  

• The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) (also via CTI)
  

  
  We must decide what to do with the time we are given.

  
  The Lord of the Rings trilogy, consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, is a moral fantasy pitting good against evil in a world where wizards are the stewards of mankind, ents shepherd forests, dwarfs mine mountains, elves preserve beauty, and orcs, trolls, and uruk-hai serve a dark master. The three-part epic shows darkness battling light, evil struggling against good, pride fighting with humility, and despair wrestling with hope.

  This study guide will help you discuss some of the deeper themes of the movie. What does this film say about the struggle for virtue, the temptations of power, the providence of God, and the ennobling power of story?

• The Matrix (trilogy) (also via CTI)
  

  
  “Free your mind.”

  
  The Matrix trilogy has been hailed as a triumph in filmmaking, breaking ground for both technical achievements and for weaving a rich tapestry of philosophy, religion, and pop culture with mass-market appeal. The films raise challenging moral and philosophical questions — all while captivating audiences with thrilling battles of good versus evil, man versus machine, and creator versus the created.

  What do these films say about the nature of self-knowledge, faith, love, reality, free will, and destiny? This discussion guide will help you examine these issues and discuss the movie from a biblical perspective.

• Spider-Man I and II (also via CTI)
  

  
  “With great power comes great responsibility.”

  
  Spider-Man currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records award for the largest single-day box-office earnings ($43.6 million for its first Saturday opening) and is currently the fifth highest-grossing film in U.S. history ($403.7 million), which paved the way for an even more critically acclaimed sequel, Spider-Man 2.

  This study will look at both Spider-Man movies, explore what it means to be a hero, note how choices shape our character, and examine the responsibilities that come with the gift of power.

• The Shawshank Redemption (also via CTI)
  

  
  “Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.”

  
  The Shawshank Redemption was nominated for seven Academy Awards and has become one of the best-selling videos of all time. Shawshank is an emotional and cathartic exploration of the best and the worst of the human spirit. Its message of hope and perseverance in adversity captivates and inspires while teaching important moral truths.

  This discussion guide will help you discuss the movie from a biblical perspective as you reflect on the themes of hope, endurance, freedom, and peace.

• The Ladykillers (also via CTI)
  

  
  A dark comedy about character, justice, and the good life.

  
  The Ladykillers is a dark comedy set in sleepy Saucier, Mississippi, deep in the Bible Belt, where the forces of good and evil meet. The villainous professor Goldthwait Dorr masterminds a riverboat casino heist, and the pious widow Marva Munson unwittingly plays host and foil to the con artist and his dimwitted henchmen. It’s a contest between evil and virtue, with neither the winner nor the loser ever glimpsing the greater drama.

  This study guide will help you discuss the deeper themes of the movie. What does this film say about how God intervenes in our lives? How does it portray the church and Christian worship? What impact do our habits of thought and lifestyle have on our character? How do we find true joy? And how is justice delivered in this world?

Sermon Illustrations

• Acknowledging the Creator [archive]
• Beauty and the Beast: Sacrificial Love [archive]
• Beethoven Writes Great Music Though Deaf [archive]
• The Universe Displays Fine-Tuning
• Truth and Love Top Internet Word Search
• Tom Hanks Encourages Fellow Actor [archive]
• Death Comes Calling [archive]
• Teens Discover Pornography Online [archive]
• Ready to Hear the Gospel [archive]
• Believing the Bible [archive]
• Shawshank Redemption: Shielded by Peace [archive]
• Boss’s Act of Kindness Prevents a Suicide
• Mel Gibson’s Near-Death Experience [archive]
• Juvenile Violence [archive]
• Six Degrees of Separation [archive]
• Shawshank Redemption: Imprisoned by Sin [archive]
• Path to God? [archive]
• Statistics on Fatherlessness [archive]
• Do You Want Heaven Now? [archive]
• Unhappy Christians Hurt Witness [archive]

Grad School Papers

• A Brief Survey of Crisis and Decision In the Acts of the Apostles (November 30, 1993)

Please contact me if you have any questions, comments, or interest in hiring me as a freelance writer.

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