I came across this video. The fact that Ben Roethlisberger is my favorite football player on my favorite team makes it even better, but it is an amazing story regardless of what team or athlete you cheer for.

Well, I had intended to post a few other updates during the week, but didn’t really have a chance. Whenever I was back in my room I was exhausted. But don’t feel bad for me. This isn’t a bad exhaustion; it’s the really good kind.
If I am going to be honest, I feel completely spent [...]

Well, the second full day of Elevate has come to a close. I am sitting in my room and about ready to call it a night. It has been a great couple of days!
Sunday evening was basically a time to meet new people and say hi to old friends. I spent most of the evening [...]

This past weekend, a girl that I have known for about a decade visited Michelle and me. Jamie was a teenager when I first met her and is now a young adult who is married with two children. She has a very painful past and is still in the midst of healing from that. In [...]

Is being a Christian about standing up for what we believe in or being relevant to the culture we live in? Yes. We are called to be faithful and fruitful. Holy and helpful.
Unfortunately, many Christians tend to move to the extremes. Some will circle the wagons while others sacrifice their morals. It can be extremely [...]

Last night after God’s Big Backyard wrapped up, I had a chance to listen to the Teen Praise Team practicing for Sunday. Since this Sunday is Senior Ordination – the Sunday when we honor and commission our graduating seniors – Chris is using a praise team of teenagers.
They sounded good last night. It was really [...]

Earlier today I received an email from a young adult who was a teenager at a previous church where I served as youth minister. (I have changed a few minor details to make it anonymous, but this person did give me permission to post it here.) I will let the email speak for itself, but [...]

Last night I felt the ground shifting below me.
No, we did not have an earthquake in Rochester Hills. It was something more substantial than that.
Maybe no one else noticed, but there was change in the landscape at the Rochester Church. No, it may not have been visible to many. It may not have been obvious [...]

Here is my little man getting down with Toby Mac! He loves the "Dance Praise 2: The Remix" game that we got at Seeds, the Willow Creek Bookstore. We found this game there when we worshiped at Willow Creek in Chicago on the college trip.
 

This past Wednesday in 180 Connections Unplugged, students were challenged to think of ways they could be more like Jesus.
We started the conversation by considering Jesus’ example. Here was a man who had every right to be the center of attention. He was God, in the flesh. If that doesn’t deserve headlines, what does?
But, instead, [...]