This Spring, I started posting a couple 🧵s each month on a variety of different topics. Here they are in order of engagement they received. I'd love to hear any ideas/topics you have for future 🧵s that would interest you and you think would be helpful to others. 🧵...

Paruch, Party of 3! 🎉🍼 Our crew grew. 💙 So blessed. 🙏

When two American pilots were shot down over Iran and subsequently rescued in April, someone told me about this book about a similar story in the 1990s and the story of his rescue behind enemy lines. Thankful for our our nation and our military! 🇺🇸 #lbcncsreads

We were greatly blessed and helped by @HarleySnode at our Mental Health Weekend at @LBCNB. "Anxiety feeds on isolation and inactivity." "The gospel of Jesus is not just to save us from our sins. It's also to save us from our fears." "In His presence, fears go to die."

I love @JonAcuff’s writing. Always enjoyable and easy to read. His books have helped me and challenged me through the years. This one was good, not great for me. (Sorry, Jon 😬) Some helpful thoughts but not a ton of takeaways like I’ve had from his other books. #lbcncsreads

Reggie is the male Doris Burke. 🙉🤣

Marcus Aurelius wrote this over 1800 years ago: “Do not disturb yourself by imagining your whole life at once.”

38 years ago today, my mom and I walked into a Bible-preaching church, and I heard the gospel for the first time. Jesus changed everything! I echo the words of an aging John Newton, “I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” #livingthedream

Pastor, tomorrow someone will leave your church because they didn’t get their way or because the mission would not be shaped around their personal values. Shake it off. You’re not the first church they’ve left, and certainly won’t be the last. At the same time, someone will walk through your doors for the very first time. You may not realize it yet, but they will become an incredible blessing — a true keystone family in the life of your church. You cannot control outcomes! 
You can control your attitude, your passion, and your preparation. Walk in the power of His faithfulness, and be faithful to your calling. “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:24

For what does it profit your child to gain… •A spot on the travel team •The tournament trophy •The full-ride scholarship •A high-paying career …and lose his own soul? Parent with eternity in mind.

The people who tend to their faith in ordinary seasons do not come undone in extraordinary ones. (Eric Church, UNC Commencement Speech)

4 Encouragements for Graduating Seniors: 1.Your identity is in Christ, not your accomplishments. 2.God’s calling for your life matters more than the world’s expectations. 3.Don’t drift from Christian community after graduation. 4.Whatever your walk of life is, follow Jesus.

Tiffany and I enjoyed reading this together as a devotional each morning before the kids got up. Helpful thoughts on Aquila and Priscilla. Thankful for @Scott_Pauley’s ministry of helps to Christians. #lbcncsreads

With four adult kids and one grandbaby on the way, Tiffany and I are constantly seeking to learn, grow, and be the best we can be in these vital roles. This book had some good reminders and practical principles for this important season of parenting. #lbcncsreads

Whenever I feel anxious, I ask myself this question: What if everything works out better than I’ve ever imagined? It’s easy to get caught in a doom loop about the future. Force yourself to see the unlimited potential. The future is much brighter than you think.

"Singing makes no demands on your life, but true worship does." (Andy Young in our staff devotional today)

So excited to jump into a new sermon series (True Fiction) tomorrow as we walk verse-by-verse through Luke, learning much from the parables of Christ. Tomorrow, we'll look at what Jesus had to say about "Empty Religion." I can't wait to grow with our church family.

I’m in love with this sentence: “Your future is shaped by the habits you repeat, not the goals you set.”

The American dream isn’t more money. It’s a Sunday like this: 1. Bible study and hot coffee 2. Family breakfast 3. Take your family to church 4. Family lunch together 5. Play in the yard all day 6. Grill out and eat on the patio 7. Walk to park 8. Bedtime stories and prayer 9. Hang out with wife and plan week And, not stressing about money once. That’s wealth.

As a follow up to my last post. There are attributes of preachers often highlighted. One I don't see much about is that they are not to be "brawlers" (1 Timothy 3:3). Not a brawler means peaceful, reluctant to fight. Wuest defines it as "The word describes a person who does not go about with a chip on his shoulder". Sadly, some Christians and preachers take "contend for the faith" as if it stands in isolation and even then just become contentious. If you must contend, if there is a fight with another saint, then it is something we approach soberly and seriously, reluctantly. Yes, I know, Jesus flipped tables, but not all day every day. Some need to get in the fight, but others need to give more consideration to what it means to be peacemakers.

Pastor, if it doesn’t affect your congregation, you would do well to ignore most of the nonsense and noise online. You are called to shepherd your flock, not cyberspace.