Compass Blog
Why Listening to God May Not Really Be Listening to God
When I open up TikTok and start scrolling it's no surprise to hear the same song over and over again. At least one part of the song. The short length of videos on TikTok makes it...
3 Reasons Church Doesn’t Work If You Aren’t Serving
Did you know there are people who taste pet food to make sure it is good enough for animals? Human beings actually eat the food that's made for pets to make sure it tastes good...
3 Ways to Keep Toxic Emotions From Controlling You
People are struggling a lot with negative and toxic emotions right now. Maybe you are too. A recent Gallup survey showed that levels of stress, worry, sadness, and anger have...
Why Should I Get Baptized?
Baptism can be confusing. That's totally understandable. It’s not easy to understand the significance of being immersed in water after becoming a Christian. Much of the confusion...
What Does Forgiveness Feel Like?
They did something that hurt me. They took something from me that wasn't theirs. They said something hurtful. They gossiped to others about me in ways that both damaged my...
Need Joy? Look Here.
Have you ever heard a baby laugh? Not just giggle, but full on laugh out loud with that tiny little voice? There is something so absolutely pure and innocent about that. That...
3 Things To Help You Love Your Enemies
Enemy. It’s a word that sounds straight out of a comic book. Super heroes have enemies, but every day people like us don’t. Or do we? We live in a world right now where any...
3 Ways To Respond When I’m Under Attack
If there is one consistent thing in the world of social media it is how easy it is to be attacked by someone who has a different opinion than yours. We live in a world right now...
Coronavirus and the Church
When the coronavirus was just beginning to become a global threat, my family went to Disney World. I was hyper aware of handrail, door knob and surface that people from all over...
Press Pause/Press Play
Day 1 We all live busy lives. Your type of busy may be work or school oriented - always trying to make the grade or get the promotion. It may be extra-curricular activities or...
6 Things That Happen When You Call Out to God
Every parent knows the sound of their kids yelling out for help. "Mom, I need toilet paper! I can't find my backpack! Where are my shoes? I need some money!" Some parents can set...
Nothing Is Impossible
Jami Kaeb and her husband wanted to adopt a child, but kept hitting roadblocks that made it seem impossible. Time and time again, when they thought things were going to work for...
It’s All About the Sheep
I really love my husband and my children. If something happened to me tomorrow and they had to go on without me, the most important thing is that they know I love them. This love...
How Giving First Makes Everything Work
There was a time early on in my marriage when Terri and I were so poor we ate grilled cheese sandwiches and canned tomato soup almost every single day for dinner. When you are a...
Whose Adventure Are You Choosing?
As a young child, I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Like any normal boy, I gave a different answer based on what I thought was cool at the time. I was...
Loving God, No Piece of Cake
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.Deuteronomy 6:4-5 This command was...
Why Giving to the Church is a Guaranteed Investment
My dad had the opportunity to invest in Buffalo Wild Wings stock early in the company’s history. At the time the stock was fairly cheap, but the return was uncertain so he only...
A Day Without Soap
If we are being completely honest we have to admit this simple truth - there are days when we get up and don’t take a shower. Maybe the alarm didn’t go off, or we are just...
Why Should I Join a Small Group?
Whether a film is good or bad, one of the best parts of the whole experience is when you get to talk about it with your friends. Do you think we could be in the Matrix right now?...
What I Want For My Kids
I remember when I first sent my kids off to elementary school. They were so tiny and cute with their giant backpacks and little smiles. The things I worried about for them felt...
How Should Christians Respond to Terrorism?
It is a feeling that is becoming all to common. The sensation of your stomach dropping when you hear about a terrorist attack that has just happened somewhere around the world....
Your Challenges Are Not Hopeless
I recently went on a 30 mile bike ride… no joke, 30 miles! I’m not a biker, I’m a runner, so 30 miles seemed like it was an eternal challenge. It was exhausting, painful and...
Take Out Your Trash
Do you have a kindness problem? Maybe you just need to take out the trash. I’m going to confess something… Sometimes it is work for me to be kind. Sometimes being irritable and...
Hacking Your Checklist
Have you ever made a checklist of all the things you needed to get done? Many people interested in being more productive have become list makers; every morning they get up and...
Two Steps to Learning God’s Will for Your Life
I remember when I was in college, feeling all the pressure that came with trying to declare a major and deciding what in the world I wanted to do with my life. Was Bible college...
Sandwiches and Mystery Meat
But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.John 4:32-33 Have you ever...
The Cinderella Prayer
I loved the recent Disney movie, Cinderella. In it, there is a scene where Cinderella’s mother is on her death bed giving some great advice to her daughter. “I’ll have to tell...
Kid Bouncing
"But Jesus called the infants to him and said, "Don't stop the children from coming to me! Children like these are part of the kingdom of God. I can guarantee this truth: Whoever...
Hope For Everyone
Overwhelmed. Stressed. Tired. Anxious. Nervous. Helpless. This is how I woke up feeling this morning about the day that lay ahead. Somehow, the normal responsibilities that I...
Does God Care About My Troubles?
On occasion my wife will have a bad day or will be going through something difficult at work or with the kids, and she wants to talk to me about it. First, I do as every good...
Speak Up
Have you ever had an idea that was totally great in your mind, but then when you actually verbalized it out loud you realized it was completely dumb? I was once in a creative...
Praying With a Pen
I once got a Facebook message from someone responding to a conversation we had about praying out loud. We had talked about how praying out loud transformed the way interacted...
Deep Wells and Dropped Pots
[excerpted from John 4:1-30] Let me set this up for you. Jesus is hanging out with his posse of disciples who have just finished baptizing people in a local river down in south...
Living a Missional Life
There’s this guy named Paul. He’s a pretty intense guy from the Bible who lived during the 1st century. At one time he thought he was living a missional life when he threw a...
Cheeseburgers, Disney World, and Why I Am Excited About Heaven
A few years ago, my dad and his wife, Deb, took my entire family to Disney World. All five of us were completely delighted at this very extravagant gift. It was the first time my...
Simple Living
I don't know about you, but I love camping. I love getting outdoors and “roughing it” for a few days. Usually when my husband and I camp, we bring our tent that fits in the bed...
Buy It Now
I love the “Buy it now” option on eBay. Their auctions are great because there is a chance that you can get an amazing deal, but the anxiety of bidding wears me out - Did I bid...
Why I Read Things Twice
I am a two-times book reader. If I really enjoy a book you can bet your bottom dollar that I am going to read it again at some point. Right now I am re-reading a novel that I...