When I joined TDC's staff after a 13-year career in commercial real estate and construction, I was excited. I had been a non-vocational pastor at TDC, meaning I had a day job in the business world — and now I was pumped I could devote my time and effort directly to matters of the church. At the time of my career transition, I was asked this question: “So now you see how the sausage is made, huh?” I don’t know if you get that metaphor, but making sausage can be pretty gross, a

The Bible talks a lot about worship—what it is, why it matters, and how to do it. The heart of worship is simple: giving thanks. Romans 1 paints a sobering picture of what happens when people worship created things instead of the Creator. It describes idolatry like this: “they did not honor Him as God or give thanks.” That’s it. Ingratitude is a primary symptom of idolatry— a refusal to acknowledge God as the giver of every good gift. It’s a heart and a life that stops saying

When God called me into ministry and stirred my heart to plant a church, I had vision and passion, but not much else. I didn’t have the money to rub two pennies together. That’s what led me to the General Baptist Convention of Texas office in Fort Worth. I was 25, with no pastoral experience and not a single sermon preached to a real church, hoping to convince a committee to support this wild call God had put on my life. As I sat in the waiting room, nervous and probably look