MIDLAND, TEXAS—You know the story. Peter denied Jesus three times and returned to his former life of fishing for fish. Then Jesus showed up. His one agenda: restoration. Like the rest of humanity, Peter was not exactly seeking Jesus, but that didn’t stop Jesus from...
HONOLULU, HAWAII—Pastor Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, and Acts 29 have been all over the news lately. One headline read, “Mark Driscoll Charged with Abusive Behavior by 21 Former Mars Hill Pastors.” How could a church as young as Mars Hill have 21 former pastors?...
TOKYO, JAPAN—Eight-hour layover. Thinking about the 30th-anniversary celebration of Victory. Here’s my description of how and why it all started 30 years ago, in just 30 words. ——– 1984. MISSISSIPPI. Rice. Mission. Money? Partners. Passport. . . GO! MANILA. Traffic....
MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Yesterday, at over one hundred worship services in fifteen Victory Manila venues, we started a sermon series about the ultimate meaning of life-based on the Book of Ecclesiastes. Dozens of Victory preachers asked some deep questions and hopefully...
MANILA, PHILIPPINES—While on a recent Nashville to Manila flight, I couldn’t stop thinking about Victory‘’s 30th anniversary. As memory after memory flooded my mind, my face reacted accordingly. A smile. A chuckle. A tear. So many memories. Some painful, but mostly...
NASHVILLE, TENESSEE—Kevin York, Justin Gray, and I had the unenviable task of informing hundreds of good people that their church community, Bethel Franklin, is closing and merging with Bethel Brentwood. Hard to remember a tougher two weeks of ministry. The reasons...
