If you have a TV, a phone, or a 12-year-old, you've heard the noise. My son has been quoting the campaign ads back to me: "Ken Paxton protects child predators!" "James Talarico thinks God is non-binary!" Unless you live under a rock, you've heard them too. I only point this out because my main concern isn't the noise. It's how we, as followers of Jesus, handle what feels like a pivotal vote. I'm not writing to tell you who to vote for. I'm writing as one of the pastors of The

The murder of Ashley Flynn by her husband, Caleb Flynn, is a heartbreaking and shocking evil. I’ve followed this case pretty closely. Ashley was a wife, mother, daughter, sister, teacher, coach, friend, and follower of Jesus. Her family, including her two young daughters, now carry an indescribable grief. After Caleb was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole, his daughters wrote very raw and profound letters that were read publicly in court. They

You’ve heard the trope: “everything happens for a reason.” This is not a markedly Christian saying, but rather tends to mean whatever is happening will somehow work out in my favor. We say stuff like this to tell ourselves that fate is not against us, but is somehow on our side. It helps us sleep. Life is fragmented and random at times. Things happen to us that we’d never imagine and the life we thought we’d have eludes us. To ballast ourselves we crave a sense of sovereign d

If you've been online at all this month, the Lindsay Clancy case has probably shown up in your feed. It's a heartbreaking story: a Massachusetts mom who took the lives of her three young children in 2023. Just typing that is gut-wrenching. Those kids, their dad, and everyone who loved them carry a grief none of us can imagine. Whether she killed the children was never disputed at trial. The question was whether she was so severely mentally ill that the law couldn't hold her c

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in huma

What if the years you're waiting to "figure it out" are the years God is actually calling you to move? We recently finished our Ecclesiastes series, and one verse has stuck with me ever since: Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them" (Ecclesiastes 12:1, ESV) One of my greatest joys as a pastor is watching people become who God intended them to be, so they can imp

Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.” I’m not sure we believe that, do we? We might raise our eyebrows and purse our lips at the seemingly true idea that the top of the mountain is actually a false summit, but we get right back to work on climbing the mountain. Sure, Jim Carrey’s good life didn’t satisfy, but mine will. If my kids get into that college, I’ll be ok

Last Sunday I got to do something that reminded me of what it’s all about. I introduced Phil and Tess to each other for the first time. They are newer believers, both recently saved at The Door Church. They are on fire and want everyone to know Jesus. As they greeted each other, I remembered that just a short time ago they were both dead in their sins. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, gave them new life in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-6)! Jesus used the Door Church to bring the gospe

If you spend any amount of time perusing Christian marriage advice content, you’ll notice some themes: keep a date night, date your wife, communicate, prioritize intimacy. And if you spend any amount of time in an actual marriage, you’ll find yourself in seasons where you eat Taco Casa in front of the t.v., communicate via hurried text messages, and function more like a potluck roommate than a romance partner. Now to be clear, this isn’t good. Romance matters, communication

Hello TDC family, My name is Caden Davis. I grew up in Coppell and first began attending TDC during my high school years. Though I was raised in a faithful home and in the church, the faith I had inherited did not truly become my own until the Lord, in His mercy, allowed adversity to confront me. I was given the opportunity to play college football at Texas A&M and later at Ole Miss, and briefly in the NFL with the Jets and Bills. During my time in College Station I ran hard

God is the author of life, so Christians should advocate for the life He creates and cares about. People are made in the image of God, and therefore have inherent dignity and immeasurable worth. The Biblical position on abortion is, without question, pro-life. We cannot take the position that we have the right to voluntarily take life in the womb. This is not a political statement. Sure, being pro-life has political implications for voting and policy, but that is not the aim

This past weekend our elders got away for our annual retreat. Chad and Scott mentioned it during their sermons, so I thought I'd tell you a little about it. With the Texas heat in full force, we decided to go somewhere cool. That didn't work out. There isn't a cool place within about a 15-hour drive, so we rented a house in Fort Worth instead. It was Africa hot, but it gave us a chance to step away from the normal routine for a couple of days. Thursday night we opened 1 Timot

If someone were to ask me what Spiritual Formation is, I’d quickly direct them to Romans 8. This chapter is all about life in the Spirit, and it is packed with some of our most beloved lines in the New Testament… “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good...” Romans 8:28 “...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 Yes, and amen! In

At the start of this summer, Chris Stricker joined TDC’s staff as our Student Minister. Before joining our team, Chris spent 30 years as an educator in Coppell ISD. When the time came for him to retire, he didn’t look for an opportunity to kick back and take it easy. Instead, he looked for a place where he could continue using his gifts and investing in others. Specifically, he wanted to link arms with families at The Door Church and help shepherd students toward Christ. We’

And Why It Matters Whether you’ve followed international soccer for years, or you've been swept up in soccer fever this summer for the first time, you’ve likely seen countless scenes of coaches & athletes circling up on the pitch on your screens. A particular scene caught my attention through the course of the tournament: after each game, members of the US Men’s National Team huddled in a circle that grew from 6 players in the pre-cup friendlies to the entire team and coachi

“What do you do?” After learning someone's name, that's usually the next question we ask. Maybe we ask where they're from or how they know the host—but eventually this question comes. Why? Do we really care that much about another person's job? Not exactly. We ask because we're trying to figure out who they are. Notice the assumption beneath the question: what someone does tells us who they are. Activity determines identity. Now, the answer is helpful. If someone is a detecti

When many people hear the word worship, they most likely just think of music. They picture a church gathering, a worship team leading songs, and a congregation singing together. While music is certainly a beautiful expression of worship, the biblical picture is much bigger. Worship is not simply something we do for a few minutes on a Sunday morning—it is the very purpose for which we were created. From the beginning, humanity was designed to know God, enjoy His presence, and

These two words only have 2 letters different, but they are game changers for how we live and how we engage with other people. As a husband, father, teacher, and coach, I have always been a huge sports fan. Not because I love all the games, but because I love the passion players and coaches put into doing their best to win their games. What draws me in to watch is the preparation, sweat, grind, and grit – in both the season and the offseason – to overcome tough obstacles and

"Moses said, 'Please show me your glory.'" (Exodus 33:18) For the past six years, I have had the privilege of serving on staff at The Door Church. During that time, I’ve had many roles, but none has brought me more joy than serving as Student Minister. These years have been filled with opportunities to lead, serve, learn, and grow. Looking back, one lesson stands above the rest: the best way to lead is to behold. A quote I encountered a few years ago has stayed with me and sh

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”(Matthew 6:21 ESV). Jesus delivers this precious gem of wisdom in the middle of His famous Sermon on the Mount. If you blow by this small line, you can miss how profound it really is, and you could miss its very practical implications. Simply put, we all chase after the thing we value most. We all talk about the thing we treasure most. How do you know what your treasure is? Do a motive check. Take an inventory of your th