Followers of Jesus are called to deny themselves daily, fight the good fight of faith, and train for godliness. My Spiritual Trainer helps you put that calling into practice.

The Apostle Paul wrote The Letter of Philippians to the First Century Church in Philippi while he was in prison, encouraging them to think and act like servants as they modeled the life of Jesus. In this message, Tierce pulls four words from Chapter 2 that describe the behavior of true servants: Unity, Humility, Community, and Obedience.

Seven years ago, in the Fall of 2018, I stepped back into my sweet spot as a pastor-at-large to speak, write, and coach leaders. I’ve been a free agent for most of my career, with only 15 of the 50 years in professional ministry on staff at a local church. Regardless of my position or title, the mission has always been to point people to Jesus. I’m still learning how to do that today.

HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF MY LAST 7 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN …

Bob Marlowe was in the room when I first began teaching the principles of biblical manhood in an auditorium full of men. It didn’t take me long to realize that he was already living what we were learning in the beautiful way he loved God, his family, and others. There were many times in private conversations with other men that I would use Bob as a living visual aid to encourage them in their walk with Jesus. 

There are at least two indicators that reveal what we value the most.

The first is our money. We invest in what we believe in. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Our investments lie where our affections lie.

Our calendar is another indicator. It’s been said that time is our most valuable commodity. We devote this priceless resource to what we determine to be valuable. We will break the bank—the bank that holds our money and the bank that controls our time—for what we truly treasure.

We’re closing in on completing four years of a mission that began in September of 2018. Here’s a brief recap …

One of my favorite John Lennon songs is Beautiful Boy, written for his son, Sean. He includes a quote from Allen Saunders that says, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." That's a good description of 2021 for me. Last December, I posted a 2020 Mission Update video—#STILLHERE—that included an exciting game plan for 2021. And then I went dark. Life happened …

Ray Berglund believes that a better future is directly connected to building better men. The principles of authentic manhood deepened his relationship with God and changed his life. Now, in the midst of a pandemic, he is simply paying it forward.

We tend to swing to extremes with grace on one end and truth on the other. But Jesus didn’t switch off grace to access truth, or switch off truth to access grace. They were always integrated. He can enable us to extend grace and truth to our children even when the circumstances are hard.

Everybody needs examples like these. These father-figures gave me a practical and relational understanding of my Heavenly Father.

Why would we celebrate the execution of an innocent man? What’s so good about Good Friday? … Jesus died for the worst of us, and he died for the best of us because all of us need forgiveness. All of us need a Savior.

How do you see Jesus? A compassionate Good Shepherd? A meek and mild, even cuddly, Lamb of God? Perhaps you prefer a well-manicured Bridegroom in a black tie and tux? But have you ever imagined the Man yet God, sweating in the sun as he homelessly walked on earth speaking unfiltered truth and fiercely going toe-to-toe against the leaders of religious oppression? Perhaps a better question is this: How do you prefer Jesus? Do you like your Lion of Judah with or without claws?

Our roster of neighbors is typically comprised of people who look like us and think like us. We gravitate toward safe homogenous environments—comfort zones populated by people who are similar in appearance and share similar opinions. If we’re not careful, even Christian communities can become isolated subcultures.