Forgiveness is one of the most difficult commands Jesus gives us, not because it is unclear, but because it cuts directly against our natural instincts. When we are wronged, our flesh wants justice, distance, or payback. Yet Jesus calls His followers to something far deeper and far more costly.In Matthew 18:21–22, Peter comes to Jesus with what seems like a generous question. “Then Peter came and ...  Read More

Jesus did not come to be served. He came to serve. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45, LSB).  Read More

One of the greatest struggles Christians face is understanding holiness. We tend to think of holiness as something fragile, something we lose every time we fail. When we sin, we assume holiness disappears. When we obey, we believe holiness returns. But that is not how Scripture describes holiness for the believer.Let me explain it this way.I am a Burkeen. That is not something I earned. It is some...  Read More

If I am honest, the greatest obstacle to God’s work in my life is not the culture, the enemy, or the chaos around me. It is me. My pride. My preferences. My pace. My need to control outcomes.  Read More

We live in a generation that has never been more connected and yet never more distracted. The phone is always within reach. Notifications buzz. Screens glow. Feeds refresh endlessly. And without realizing it, our eyes drift downward far more often than they lift upward.The real question is not whether technology is evil. The question is this: where are your eyes fixed? I had a buddy they other day...  Read More

If you strip life down to its essentials, there are very few things we truly possess. We do not own our breath. We did not create our minds. We did not earn the mercy that keeps us alive another day. Everything we have has been received.That truth leads to a sobering realization. There is almost nothing we can give God that He does not already own.Scripture reminds us of this clearly.“The earth is...  Read More

Every few days another headline appears. Another pastor has fallen. Another leader has destroyed his ministry, wounded his church, and broken his family. Some of these stories are heartbreaking. Some of them are shocking. And some of them are not surprises at all. The reason is simple. What we do in the dark will always come to the light.Pastors are not immune. In fact, pastors are targets.The ene...  Read More

Anyone who loves the Bible and loves people will feel the tension. We do not want anyone to perish. God does not want anyone to perish. Yet the God who desires all to be saved is also the God who warns that judgment is eternal.  Read More

Every time I open my Bible to prepare a sermon, a teaching, or a personal study, I start with prayer. Psalm 119:18 says, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.” We need the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word. Without His help, we may read but never understand. Prayer reminds us that this is spiritual work.  Read More

I recently read an article that made a simple but powerful claim. If you want to know whether a church is healthy, do not start by checking budgets, buildings, or how trendy the services are. Look for two sounds: Crying babies and singing men.At first, it almost seems too simple. Yet the more I sat with it, the more I realized how profoundly biblical it is. These two sounds say something about lif...  Read More

Yet Scripture teaches us to celebrate the grace we can see. To thank God for the growth that is already happening. To acknowledge the faithfulness of His people. Paul did not hesitate to say, “I thank God because I hear of your love.” I believe it is good for us to do the same.  Read More

2 Peter 1:5-12Church family, we need to hear something that Peter understood deeply. A godly life does not drift into existence. It does not appear through good intentions or spiritual talk. It must be pursued. It must be cultivated with commitment, humility, and consistency. In Pursuit of a Godly Life, I wrote that “spiritual maturity is not measured by how long you have been saved, but by how in...  Read More