"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him is no darkness whatsoever!" - the disciple who knew he was loved. #confidence #security #identity #love

I've become such a Padres fan it's crazy.

Deeply moved by this prayer this morning. Especially: “I heard your voice calling after me, beckoning me to return to you, but I could scarcely hear you over the clamor of those who hate peace.” open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

This is so very helpful and needs to be better understood by so many. For sake of Christian unity and biblical literacy. open.substack.com/pub/michae…

Today I preached a sermon about walking in porneia versus walking in the light. Afterwards, as I led the church in communion, this prayer came to me. I prayed it aloud: “Lord Jesus, may our souls become so full from consuming your body that we no longer desire to consume the bodies of anyone else.” This is my prayer for myself and my family for the rest of my life.

The night started normally enough. My wife Sandy and I were asleep in bed, early in the days of planting Park Hill Church. I was drifting from deep sleep into that liminal space where the body is heavy but the mind is strangely aware of its surroundings. That’s when I felt it. Fear. Not the normal kind. This was thick and atmospheric like a pressure in the room concentrated on my chest. Body immobile, eyes open, fixed on the ceiling. A large, dark shape descending toward me. The closer it came, the thicker the fear. I couldn’t call out to God or my wife. I could only watch. So far, standard fare. Sleep paralysis is common enough. But what happened next… (read on) open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

This song was written by five people from different streams of Christianity. Catholic. Protestant. Anglican. Evangelical. That unity is what this final entry in this devotional is about, wrote to accompany Christ the King of Love. open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

My new single Christ the King of Love released Friday. I wrote this three-day devotional to go with it. One day at a time, for Holy Week. Starting Palm Sunday. Here's Day 1. open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

I LOVE how this video turned out. Christ the King of Love – out now! I wrote it with Matt Redman (Anglican), Tom Booth (Catholic), Mark Desmond (evangelical), Andrew Laubacher (Catholic). Just in time for Holy Week. Enjoy! youtube.com/watch?v=5fRXZEnW…

Recently hung out with a Canadian Catholic priest. We were on a trip together. Me: “I’ve been curious how Catholic I can be while pastoring a nondenominational church?” Him: “Why?” Me: “I love the whole Church so much. I want to live into unity.” Him: “Aren’t you doing that already?” Me: “Yea but…” Him: “Hey, rest easy. We think we see many churches. But Jesus sees everything, and He only sees one.”

The Christian West has been at war with the Muslim world in one form or another for over a thousand years. The Crusades. Then European colonialism carving up the Middle East. Then decades of American military intervention. Through all of it, Francis stands among our great cloud of witnesses, largely ignored, holding out a different way. The Enemy loves what’s happening, titillated by the fever pitch of human-on-human hostility. And I wonder if he loves the prophetic timelines too… believers doing the math on Ezekiel 38 while thousands of Iranians buried in rubble are chalked up to a checkbox on a chart. Because as long as we’re looking up at the Rapture Ready Index™, we’re not looking across the line at the face of our neighbor. open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

If you’re paying attention through this three-part series, I probably know what you’re thinking: How do we know it’s actually Him? What if it’s just my wishful thinking, my dad’s voice from childhood, pop culture, political bias, or even a demon? I offer three discernment tests I’ve found helpful: First: Does it line up with Scripture? God won't inspire you to sleep with someone you're not married to. “Ah but we prayed and God gave us peace about it.” Nope. Pretty sure the Scriptures still have something to say here. God will never tell you to cheat on your taxes. Or to stop being generous. Or to leave your spouse because you’ve “fallen out of love.” Why? Because these things directly conflict with the story of Scripture and the teachings of Jesus. This is why biblical literacy is so important. A rich understanding of Scripture becomes a litmus test for what we think might be God’s voice. Without a firm grasp on the narrative of the scriptures, it will be very difficult to recognize when something contradicts it. Second... [Read Full Essay] open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

Last week I wrote about how God is a speaking God. Paul heard Him clearly and lived in ongoing conversation with Him. And God wants the same for us… not information download, but loving union. And this raises the obvious question: How? How does God actually speak? What does it sound like? How do we recognize it? Today I’m going to talk about seven ways God speaks. And I’m going to tell you a story about how God’s voice, which I almost ignored, stopped our family from moving to Portland at the wrong time. A decision that eventually led to the planting of Park Hill Church. open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

A few weeks ago, I read a book by John Eldredge called Experiencing Jesus. Really. That title felt audacious and a bit presumptuous. But the book was assigned in a group of pastor friends I was part of. So I read it. I’m very glad I did. We were to read Eldredge’s book in advance of spending a day with Eldredge himself. Our gathering had one main purpose: to learn how to experience loving union with Christ in the here and now. Now, I’m an excitable enthusiast. It’s easy for me to slip into exaggeration and hyperbole. I know this about myself. So when I tell you this was a life-changing day… I mean it in the realest sense. Non-hyperbolically life-changing. John led us in a prayer practice. Simple. Direct. Asking Jesus to make himself known. To reveal His heart to me. To receive my love for Him and to bring me into deeper union with Him. (I’ll guide you in a similar practice at the end of Part Three of this little series.) I experienced Jesus. Really. He spoke to me. Not audibly. But unmistakably and personally and specifically. I knew it was Him and recognized His voice. And I spoke back to Him. We enjoyed loving union together. And what blows my mind: This can happen anytime. open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…

The Great Baptism Debate! For 500 years, Christians have been divided over one question: Should we baptize babies? The Credobaptist (Believer’s Baptism) Case: - Only believing adults are baptized in the New Testament - Baptism is “an outward sign of an inward reality,” so the baptizee should know what they’re doing - You raise children to become Christians, not as Christians, because a Christian is, by definition, a believer The Paedobaptist (Infant Baptism) Case: - Whole “households” were baptized in the New Testament, which would have included children - Since the Old Covenant included children (circumcision), then the New Covenant, which is greater, certainly includes them - You raise children as Christians, bringing them into the covenant community from birth Scripture doesn’t settle this definitively. (Ironically, faithful biblical scholars on both sides agree on this point.) So where do we land? Read on, my friends (and support!)… open.substack.com/pub/evanwi…