Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne is a name we’ll hear a lot of over the next few days.  His revivalist megachurch in Tampa, Florida chose to have church on Sunday and apparently it was packed.  He claimed it was the safest place around and they would never close because “We are revivalists and not pansies.”  The crowd cheered.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw pictures of their church opened, and then was shocked again when a group text of mine (mostly pastors) posted an article sharing that Howard-Browne had been arrested.  My friends and I talked for a bit about whether he should have been, with good arguments on both sides.  However, I thought I’d share three reasons why I believe he should have arrested A misdemeanor for unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency order.

This is no time for the Christian to cower in fear.  I’m not saying be foolish and not worry about how sickness might affect others.  I’m saying be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit wants from you as you navigate the troubled waters of this pandemic.  Be strong and courageous,  God has something for you to do in the midst of all this.  If you can’t live out your faith now, then maybe it’s not worth living it out.

My new novel, Flat Earth, will be released 3 weeks early on April 3rd!

The good news for a believer is that things don’t change because our external circumstances are good or difficult, peaceful or harsh.  We are called to be the people we are called to be regardless of whether we are playing the game Pandemic or are in a real life pandemic.

Years ago, I sat in a small group with fifteen other people, including a couple who happened to be new believers.  My sister, Brooke, was visiting from Indiana that week as well and decided to join in the fun.  The topic of the conversation that night in Millbury, Massachusetts was on prayer.  After the conversation, we prayed for friends or family in our lives who needed prayer.  One of the new believers, Scott, asked if he could pray for someone close to him.  I said yes and he prayed for a coworker of his in Westborough, Massachusetts.  For the record, Westborough is about 20 minutes west of Millbury.  Scott said his coworker’s life was falling apart because of sickness, financial problems, family drama, and a hundred other issues that burdened his friend.  Our small group gathered together and prayed intensely for his hurting coworker.

The apostles, however, staunchly claimed Jesus as Lord and maintained this as the bedrock of their faith.  Throughout the last 2000 years, followers of Jesus repeat this mantra and it stands as the unifying cry of the body of Christ as a whole.  No matter the denomination or the people group or the style of Christianity, a church or group cannot call themselves Christian if they don’t profess that Jesus is their Lord.

My novel “Flat Earth” is only a few weeks away from pre order!  That novel  will be released on Earth Day, April 22, 2020, and “Back to Acts” will be released on May 1.

In a world where traveling is easier than it has ever been, and ministry can happen in more exciting, imaginative ways than ever before, we are setting up shop and building our temples, and in the end, are we placing ourselves in sin’s way, not being moved by the spirit, but by the dictates of the cultural norms of safety and comfort?

There’s a strange injustice in the music business. It is a cruel temptress. It doesn’t just break your heart, it builds you up. It gives you a false sense of security. It lets you think that you actually have a shot at being something. It makes you confident, and it feeds your identity. Dangles the carrot until you are starving. Just when you think you can finally take that bite..