Through Abraham we see how God's personal call graciously challenges every aspect of our lives, by giving us entirely new lives with a radical new purpose. God's call to Abraham presents him with the opportunity to find his true self, and to rely on the ultimate security that comes from trusting Him.

Christian growth is described through the metaphor of the fruit of the spirit, which is a gradual process that begins with the seed of the Holy Spirit. As we are changed from the inside out, organically and radically, we will find deep joy and lasting change.

The default mode of the human heart is to work on our behavior and outer appearance, but the gospel changes us at the heart level. To grow, we must understand the difference between religion and the gospel, and apply the gospel to our hearts to confront the idols at the root of our sin. This talk was given at a training conference at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.

We all need a "burning bush" to disrupt our lives and explode our paradigms of God. As we encounter God we see he is both absolutely holy and loving. He speaks to us through Christ, who was consumed in the fire for us.

In life we are inevitably changed and shaped by the things we desire. When good things turn into ultimate things, they become idols. However, by devoting our lives to the gospel, we can give up our idols and look to Jesus, with whom we died and are now raised.

Anxiety is a deep fear that threatens your sense of self. But we must obey Christ in times of hardship, and place our hope in Christ's sacrifice on our behalf.

To find absolute freedom in life, we must admit that life on its own accord is meaningless. True meaning in life is only found through Jesus Christ, the designer of life.

Suffering is inevitable, and we should always expect tears. But by investing our tears we can not only grow from them but eventually find joy through them. In praying our tears, we remember God's grace, behold the cross and find assurance in glory yet to come.

A recording of the Sunday service after 9/11. Jesus experiences both anger and grief in the face of human suffering. But he also brings about a resurrection; according to the Bible, everything bad will come untrue. Jesus is the perfect Counselor who gives us grace even when he has to suffer for us.

The cure for our self-absorption is an encounter with God. The real God is infinitely glorious, weighty, and beautiful. When God moves from being a concept to a reality, he changes our beliefs and priorities by displaying his beauty, man’s sinfulness, and purifying man by grace. Once changed, we can live new lives for him.