O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? –Matt 16:8-11

Jesus serves up his disciples in these verses because they’re so focused on material and physical needs(bread) they cannot learn the spiritual lesson Jesus is trying to share. They cannot perceive what Jesus is saying because they still lack faith in him to provide and sustain them. I’ve often opened my Bible and read Jesus rebuke his disciples for their lack of faith and say, “What are the disciples thinking! They had seen Jesus perform tons of ridiculous miracles like feeding thousands with crumbs and yet they are still worried about their needs when they are walking with Jesus daily. Crazy?”

But is it so crazy? We get to read these stories with hindsight, we know how the story ends and that Jesus provides much more for the disciples and us than just miracles and food. But I’m now considering the fact that the disciples don’t have hindsight and they have human fears and worries because they are going through a battle every day? It’s much easier to sympathize for them now because you and I go through life the same way and often we doubt, worry and lack faith.

It seems the pressure of momentary life and a little time in between miracles causes humans to easily forget and doubt God. The disciples in this text aren’t our only examples but consider the people of Israel when God used Moses to free them from hundreds of years of slavery under Egypt. Think of all the miracles, signs and wonders God performed through Moses (plagues, parting of the Red Sea, Manna falling from heaven, the Rock that provided water, etc.) and yet Israel still doubted God. I will admit their lack of faith is sickening and a disgrace but are we so different? A miracle is a miracle no matter what size or form it comes in. How often has God provided or came through in a way you never expected? Sit and think………………

I recently was having coffee with a friend I hadn’t spoken to in a long time. I started recounting what had been going on in my life and time after time I mentioned how God miraculous provided or opened a door that I couldn’t have imagined or explained. Yet recently I have found myself stressing and worrying about things in my life and it just shows my lack of faith and sinful nature to doubt an all sufficient God. That I must repent of. It is amazing how the ups and downs of life mixed with a little time in between can cause me to quickly forget how God has always come through in the clutch. Lord, help strengthen my faith.

Good Friday.... Guilty Friday

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death." Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me." -Luke 22:31-34

This evening I did like many Christians do on Good Friday, I read the account of the death of Christ. My text was Luke 22 & 23 but as I read through this reality that I believe, I preach, I have given my life too something stuck out: Luke 22:31-34. In these verses we don't just look deep inside of Peter's blindness of himself but also our weakness and blindness. We see how amazingly patience & faithful Jesus is to his people despite their pride & unfaithfulness. Jesus was on the doorstep of his crucifixion & yet he approaches Peter (who is unaware of what is about to go down) to let him know He is praying for him & will pick him up after his epic fall.

Jesus tells Peter that Satan has eyed him & plans to take him out yet Peter is so quick to basically imply, 'Don't even trip, Lord, I got your back... you know I'm down no matter what.' Oh really Peter??? 3 times bro, 3 times you'll do it. That was a 'Guilty Friday' for Peter & yet are we all any different than him? Jesus knows Peter will fall but the focus is on picking him up before he has even fallen. That's amazing to me, Jesus sees through our flexing pride & is lifting us back up before we even fall. Its grace! Its all Christ, he is supreme in everything that sustains Christians in this life. Through all our broken promises, constant sinning, failures, pride, foolishness- God is still there & still wants us & will always love those who have trusted in Christ.

We celebrate this day because we know Jesus accomplished salvation on that cross but I pray you will take time to be humbled that you are guilty on this Friday. Your sins nailed Jesus to the cross, you & I murdered God in the flesh. So know when Jesus hung on that tree under God's wrath, man's mocking swears, ripped flesh, nails & all he prayed to the Father, "forgive them for they know not what they do." That prayer was for you, despite all your sinfulness & failures Jesus is still waiting on you. None will snatch his people from his hands! I love you Jesus

Gospel to Asbury University

"Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith), we must first see the cross as something done by us (leading us to repentance)." -John Stott

On the morning of March 2, 2011 I took the stage with my pastor, Brian Croft, in Asbury University's chapel service to bring one message (click here to hear the message).

"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling." -1 Cor. 2:2,3

On this day I would reflect back to September 2005, a dark hole I was in before the 'light of the gospel of the glory of Christ' came in. My pastor lined me up by introducing me and then with fear & trembling I took stage to exalt the Christ on the cross. The only thing surreal about this all was that my pastor & I felt like this was the culmination of why I came to Asbury. Sure I got a basketball scholarship, earned a degree and had many opportunities to share the gospel previously but this was special. In my years at Asbury I had never heard a speaker in chapel clearly preach the gospel. I learned long ago never assume people know the gospel, are transformed by it, and stand in it. I need the gospel everyday or I'll dry up in emptiness & look to inadequate things for joy.

So here it was an opportunity to bring the Gospel, the message God promises to bless and change hearts through. It was a humbling experience to stand before 1300 people & unfold the beautiful glory of the cross of Jesus Christ. It was one of those few moments in life where I feel truly alive & at one with the purpose God gave me. I know how my generation is so occupied and empty and we reach out to anything to satisfy us but it leaves us more empty. At the cross is where we find peace with God, satisfying joy, eternal life, removal of guilt/shame and a new heart to finally live.


When I preach the gospel I want a gospel centered response. Maybe that’s why I’m so anti altar call & hate manipulation. God allowed me to see a gospel centered response yesterday when I checked my campus mailbox. An unidentified student left me a note that said:

“…You allowed me to see God and myself in new ways. Thank you for bringing me to Him.”

Later that night I was reading, “The Cross of Christ” by John Stott & came across this quote that revealed how Gospel centered this note was. Stott said:

“The doctrine of substitution affirms not only a fact (God in Christ substituted himself for us) but its necessity (there was no other way by which God’s holy love could be satisfied and rebellious human beings could be saved). Therefore, as we stand before the cross, we begin to gain a clear view both of God and ourselves…”

It is amazing to see a Gospel centered response because those are the life changing ones. What an undeserving joy it is to see & taste the fruit of the Gospel. The truth is I am the one who desperately needs the Gospel every day. I hope many others who heard the gospel receive eyes to see themselves exposed in the shadow of the Cross & see God’s glory revealed in the Cross.

Unshakeable & Consuming

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire." -Hebrews 12:28,29

There are so many things in my life that bring me joy but that leads to the temptation to seek lasting happiness in these things. It could be anything: sports, money, food, clothes, family, friends, etc. But it doesn't take long for all these things & people in life to let you down. Basketball used to be the god of my life but that is a hard god to serve because you go up & down with every game or performance. Money is a lot of people's god, whether they have lots of it or little, but we all know money doesn't buy happiness & Proverbs 23:5 tells us that wealth has wings and can easily fly off. So many rich people are miserable because they sacrifice everything to get another dollar, do you really believe you were put on this earth to pursue paper? The same goes for all the other things I listed or that you can think of.

All these things are a blessing and good in their rightful place but not as our driving force in life. If these things consume your mind & life above the God who gave you life then it has OFFICIALLY became an idol or god in your life. This can happen to you, me, a pastor, a president, anyone. Building our lives on and around these things are foolish because they are unstable, uncertain and shakeable. What we seek in them is lasting joy, lasting peace and meaningful purpose but how can we receive LASTING from that which is TEMPORAL?? It is impossible, but the eternal God who has no beginning & no end satisfies our every desire. "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -Ps. 16:11. In God we have a deep and authentic peace & joy that cannot be shaken or taken from us. How many people do you know who would give up just about anything or any amount of money to just have authentic peace in their heart & life? You cannot buy that & thankfully God offers it freely through faith in Christ. His kingdom is unshakable & his gifts are irrevocable.

Christians can taste this truth and we worship God knowing this. With reverence the verse above states, "God is a consuming fire." This certainly references to God's holiness & purity that should cause us to tremble as sinners before him. But God is so gracious to the worst of the worst and shows mercy to the those who humble themselves and seek his love. God's holiness will consume all those who live in unrepentant sin but on the flip side God's love will consume all those who lay down their pride & sin at the cross of Christ. God is to be respectfully feared but passionately loved. God is a consuming fire of my guilt, my shame, my sin, my flaws, my fears, my pride, my anxiety. I pray you will be in awe & consumed by God.

The blessing of a wife

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." -Proverbs 18:22


The title of my blog is "Unworthy Servants" because of how gracious God has been to me an unworthy sinner. There are so many blessings God allows me to enjoy each day that I don't deserve. I have an eternal relationship with Jesus, I get to share the gospel to those who need it, I'm about to graduate from college, I get to play basketball for my college, I have valuable relationships with my family & friends. On & on I could go but one blessing I want to highlight is my wife, Amanda. As Proverbs 18 states I have found a good thing, I'd say a great thing! And each day with her reminds me how much favor I have received from the Lord. I mean look at my face on my wedding day in that picture!

Amanda was born on this day 24 years ago & I'm so thankful for her life. She has been so rock solid, loyal, loving, & supportive to me as her husband since we've been married. You only need to look at us for 2 seconds & realize that she is way out of my league but what is most beautiful about her is her huge heart. She really has a soft heart to care for people and serves others faithfully. To all the men who have are about to be married or they are married I want to say you are unworthy. To have a wife is the greatest blessing you can have in this life & never forget you have found favor from the Lord. Marriage is the picture God gave us to express Christ loving relationship to the church. That's power!

I want to encourage all the godly husbands out there to spoil your wife with love, date your wife, pray for her, read the God's word with her, let her know you believe in her, & never forget you are unworthy to have her. So to my wife Amanda, I'm thankful for the day you were born but especially everyday I have with you.

Close Call, Gospel Call

Recently I had a close call that really shook me and my wife up. I hit a deer and it totaled my car. I was very thankful that God spared my wife, the two passengers and myself. It was amazing that no one was hurt (except the deer) when that kind of accident could have been fatal. Prior to the accident I was driving and thinking about my game I had just played and some school work I needed to finish (all temporal things). Then out of nowhere... Boom! It happened. I could of entered eternity.

That really hit home when I was thinking about all the events that night before I fell asleep. What is so amazing about all this is that I was scheduled to speak to a middle school team the next morning. I had been praying through Scripture and seeking God's help that week but was feeling really dry. But after the accident it was like a jolt of reality. I felt how fragile life is, how close eternity is and as my friend Mark Cahill always says, "we are one heart beat away." The next morning I awoke with a passion to share the gospel and a strong sense that death is closer than we think. Our only hope is Christ. The only reality is Christ.

My brothers in Christ (Mike Lee & Tyler Woods) prayed with me and we all shared some truth with this team. I closed with the gospel and I looked these young guys in the eyes and spoke into their souls. Seed sown. I'm praying for that group but also that God gives me grace to have an eternal mindset. I know this is my purpose... on a mission.

Preaching Christ crucified at a Tent Revival & the Abortion Clinic

"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come." -Hebrews 13:12-14

My pastor, Brian Croft, preached these verses this past Sunday & it was such an encouragement to me. God has called me & all Christians to take the gospel 'outside the camp' of our church walls to a dying & lost world where Jesus wants us to go. Why? Jesus is outside the camp waiting on us to follow him & bear the reproach he endured joyfully as he is with us. We do this because we live for God's glory & we know that we have no lasting city here, but we seek the city of God to come in heaven. God gave me the opportunity to fulfill this call by preaching the gospel at a tent revival & at the abortion clinic this past weekend.

TENT REVIVAL: You must be Born Again
I've found that if you make yourself available to preach God's Word wherever & whenever God will open doors you can't imagine. One Thursday night I couldn't of imagined that just 3 nights later I'd be preaching at a tent revival on Cane Run Road. But in God's providence I was given the opportunity by a fellow street preacher (Jessie) to preach God's Word at this tent meeting that has been going on for 3 weeks. Jessie was a drug addict that God set free & now he joyfully preaches freedom in Christ in the same areas that he once was in bondage & lost. I like this brother's zeal & willingness to go outside the camp & box to seek & save the lost. I appreciated when he said that he doesn't aspire to do anything but street preach & clean toilets if that's what God would have him do. The harvest is great but faithful laborers are few.

I preached from John 3:1-8 & Ezekiel 36:25-27 about the absolute need of being "Born Again." Without this spiritual new birth we cannot see or enter the kingdom of God. I emphasized that being born again is a work God does in us not something we can control. Jesus compares the Spirit of God to the wind that blows where it wishes & we cannot control it but it accomplishes the transformation of hard hearts into soft hearts. It makes those who are dead in their sins become alive in Jesus Christ. I preached the gospel & pleaded that all cry out to God to do this work in them. Evidence of the new birth is seen in Ezk. 36 where we see this work take place in believers hating the sin they once loved & loving the God they once suppressed & ignored. God was lifted up & with us in this service & he is doing a work in his people through the proclamation of his Word.

Hostility at the Abortion Clinic
Emotions are always running high & the atmosphere is always electric at the death mill on 2nd & Market St. I was out with my team the Jude 23 Network open air preaching, praying, & opening our mouths for the unborn who cannot speak for themselves. The Clinic Escorts (Pro-Abortion) were particularly in a sobering mood as they wore flowers in memory of their fellow friend & clinic escort who passed away this past week. This man had been an Abortion clinic escort for over 10 years & was opposed to the gospel but now he must give an account to God. Wow that hit me hard thinking that just last week I & others preached the gospel to him and now he is in eternity.... you better believe the gospel message is urgent, sinners are dying every second! On this morning me & Jerry took turns preaching & it was my first real taste of anger & hostility toward the gospel.

As I began to preach the sober reality of death & mentioned that we are all going to follow in their friends footsteps (who recently died) the clinic escorts became furious & one cussed me out. As I preached God's justice against sin & God's law the clinic escorts were very hostile & opposed. But I know seeds were planted in them as I expounded the grace & love of God seen in Christ crucified to save sinners. Throughout the morning around 23 women came to have abortions & I pleaded with them that God has wonderfully made the child in their wombs & please don't murder their child. Just across the street is a Christian clinic that will help & give other options to these mothers. As we preach we often see these women & their accompanying family look through the blinds in the waiting room at us because they can hear everything as they sit there. God empowered me to be a bold witness for him, I felt the presence of God as I went outside the camp to herald the good news. God comforted & strengthened me with Proverbs 24:11, "Rescue those who are being taken away to death."