Most people want meaningful relationships, but relationships take work. Many of us want children, but parenting can bring some of the deepest joy and deepest pain of our lives. We want meaningful work, but work can exhaust us. We want community, but then we discover community involves people…and people are messy! Why is that?
Genesis 3 Gives Us the Answer
In Genesis 1–2, God creates the world and calls it good. Adam and Eve are created in His image, brought together as husband and wife, and given meaningful work. Everything is as it should be.
Then sin enters the story. By Genesis 3:16, God tells the woman: “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Suddenly the very things God created as good become difficult.
Something Isn’t Right
Pain in childbirth isn’t God randomly deciding to make life miserable. It’s His judgment and our sin has consequences. But it isn’t final judgment. Adam and Eve are still alive. God is still speaking to them. Children will still be born. Marriage still exists. God’s purposes for humanity haven’t disappeared. Even in judgment, there is grace.
But, the difficulty in humanity becomes an alarm ringing through creation: Something isn’t right. We weren’t created to live apart from God. That’s one reason the things we love can sometimes become the places of our greatest frustration. We keep discovering that we can’t make life work exactly the way we want it to. And sometimes that difficulty is the very thing God uses to draw us back to Himself.
Even Our Pain Can Point Us Home
One verse earlier, in Genesis 3:15, God had promised that the woman’s offspring would eventually defeat the serpent. Then, thousands of years later, the Apostle Paul writes:
“God sent His Son, born of a woman.” (Galatians 4:4)
Do you see it? The very place where we see the consequences of sin becomes the place through which God brings forth the One who becomes the answer to our sin. His name is Jesus!
If you live around The Domain, you probably don’t have to go very far to be around people. You can walk through The Domain on a Saturday night and pass hundreds of people between restaurants, apartments, coffee shops, stores, and sidewalks.
You can live in an apartment building with people above you, below you, and across the hall, and still not know their names, so that Austin is full of people. But being around people isn’t the same thing as being known by people.
The Local Church
The same thing can happen at a local church. You can show up on Sunday, worship, listen to a message, grab some coffee, and head home without ever really finding your place. That’s one of the reasons serving on a Sunday morning can be so important.
It might look like you’re giving up precious hours that can be used for other areas of your life that need attention, but something else happens when you start showing up for other people: you start becoming part of a community.
Sometimes taking steps to grow spiritually starts with saying yes to a serving opportunity. It is taking a step of ownership in your faith that says, “This isn’t an observational experience. This is a personal investment in an area of my life that is important.”
Most people don’t start serving because they feel passionate about a specific area. In fact, one volunteer described being intimidated when she first started working with children because she was afraid she might say the wrong thing. But then she discovered something freeing: it’s okay not to know everything. She didn’t have to be an expert. She simply needed to be willing to show up, learn, and care about the kids in front of her.
Over time, something started to change. The children began recognizing her with smiles in the hallways. Parents began to engage her more naturally. She shared common experiences with other volunteers. Faces she might have passed with a polite “Good morning” on Sunday mornings became people she knew.
Serving once a month in a particular area didn’t just give her something to do. It gave her people to know, so that there is a difference between attending a worship service on a Sunday morning and being known.
That’s especially meaningful in a city like Austin. People move here for work. Young adults relocate for jobs with companies around The Domain and North Austin. Families arrive without extended family nearby, so that it’s easy for people to build a life here surprisingly quickly while taking much longer to build meaningful relationships.
Church can accidentally become another place we consume as another task to accomplish throughout the week. We find a service we like. We sit in a familiar section. We listen to a message we enjoy. And, we leave, only to get discouraged over time because we don’t feel like we are growing. But the church was never intended to simply be a crowd of people attending the same location at the same time. The local church at her heart is a family. And families know one another.
One technical volunteer described how serving changed his experience of worship: it wasn’t just about what he got out of Sunday morning but what he was able to offer on Sunday morning.
Counting the Cost
Of course, serving costs something. There will be Sundays when you’d rather sleep longer. Sundays when brunch sounds better. Sundays when you arrive at church and think, I really don’t want to do this today. That’s natural!
But serving others doesn’t something to our soul. It reminds us, even briefly, about the needs of others. In that moment, we stop thinking only about what we need and start noticing the people God has placed around us.
And in a city that constantly invites us to ask, “What do I want to do today?”, following Jesus invites us to ask a different question: “Who can I serve today?” We don’t have to serve the whole city. We don’t have to know everyone at church. We don’t even have to feel particularly gifted. Maybe we just start with one yes? Maybe it starts with learning someone’s name? Maybe it starts with sharing a little of your story? And somewhere along the way, you may discover that you didn’t just find a place to serve. You found a place to belong.
People often ask me which is harder: preaching a sermon or performing stand-up comedy. The answer depends on the week. Both involve standing in front of people with a microphone. Both require preparation. Both involve reading a room. Both involve ideas bring presented to an audience. But they are still both very different. Here’s what preparation looks like for each.
Preparing A Sermon: Start With The Text
When I prepare a sermon, I don’t begin with what I want to say. I begin with what God has already said. I’ll spend hours reading a passage over and over, looking for repeated themes, structure, historical background, theological connections, and how the passage fits into the larger story of Scripture.
Then, I ask, “What’s the main idea of the passage?” This main idea becomes the thread of the sermon that I want to pull throughout the sermon as I go verse by verse through the passage. Now, every story, application, and transition needs to serve the thread of the passage. After I identify the thread to pull throughout the sermon I generally use these 4-parts in every sermon:
What is the hook of the passage? Why should someone listen? What difference does the passage make in our lives practically?
Where is the tension of the passage? Where will people object? Why will they object? When will they push back?
Where is the gospel in the passage? The goal isn’t to leave with a moral code to accomplish. The goal is to see how Jesus rescues us from the weight of the passage so that He is our hope.
How does the passage lift our eyes to a greater vision? It might be the vision of our church family or our personal lives but I want to draw out the vision of the passage?
Preparing Comedy: I Still Start With A Biblical Idea.
My comedy doesn’t start with a passage in God’s Word, but it does start with biblical ideas. They are just packaged differently. In a sermon, the idea is front and center, but in comedy the idea is smuggled in so the audience never sees it. In fact, my main goal is for the audience to feel like they discovered the biblical ideas on their own. I am not sure I am always able to accomplish this goal in comedy, but that is my end goal.
It doesn’t mean my jokes are “Christian jokes.” It means the moment I let the audience know I am a pastor I am shaping the lens by which they hear everything. It means there is a biblical layer running quietly beneath the entire set.
First, I identify a biblical idea like marriage, money, faith, parenting, etc. Then, I look for inconsistencies in those areas in my life or in our culture. What’s bothersome? What’s frustrating? What’s discouraging?
After that, I want to look for the tension, so that I can create tension for the audience on some level, because laughter comes out of tension. Telling the audience at a comedy club that I am a pastor in the first 10 seconds of being on the stage creates tension.
Next, I start writing out those ideas to create a surprise or a turn for the audience. They know the idea. They are a little uncomfortable with the tension. Then you try to release the tension with a surprise. It’s really hard!
Most of the time I can write all I want but at some point I have to get up at an open mic and see how those words land on an audience. I will show up with 3-minutes of ideas and it’s a success if I can leave with 30 seconds of something that might be funny.
That’s one of the humbling parts of comedy. I may spend an hour writing three minutes, only to discover the audience liked one sentence. Then I go back, rewrite, perform it again, and hopefully build something worth keeping.
The Biggest Difference
In a sermon, I deliver one time. In comedy I will deliver an idea 30 times and maybe on the 50th time I start to see the timing that will make it funny. In a sermon, I don’t always know what lands, but in comedy I know immediately. When I preach, my responsibility is faithfulness to the passage. When I do comedy, my responsibility is to connect with the audience. Those are very different scorecards.
The Biggest Similarity
Oddly enough, both require a deep love for people. If I don’t understand what people fear…What they’re hoping for…What they’re frustrated by…What they’re ashamed of…I’ll struggle in both worlds.
Good preaching applies timeless truth to real people. Good comedy exposes real people to timeless truths about themselves. Both begin with careful observation.
Why I Love Doing Both
Well, sometimes I hate both of them. It can be agonizing to work on something over and over, and then not have the satisfaction of those ideas connecting. But, on Sunday mornings I hope people leave seeing Jesus more clearly. In a comedy show, I hope people leave laughing a little harder at life, and maybe the ideas in the comedy will linger a little longer. Because both remind me that people are searching for hope.
Sometimes hope comes through hearing God’s Word. Sometimes it begins with laughing at ourselves. And every once in a while, those two worlds unexpectedly meet. Those are my favorite moments.
Seems like a lot of people in the United States and parts of the world would identify themselves as “Christians.” But when we read throughout Scripture we don’t see Jesus calling us to be Christians. He calls us to be His disciples. At first glance those sound like the same thing. Biblically, they are. Every Christian is a disciple. Every disciple is a Christian. But I don’t find it helpful to tell people I am a Christian. Instead I tend to tell people I am a follower of Jesus.
The word Christian only appears three times in the New Testament. It was originally used by outsiders to identify the followers of Jesus.The word disciple appears over and over again. It was Jesus’ favorite description of those who followed Him. Today, “Christian” can mean almost anything. Someone might say they’re Christian because they grew up in church. Others because they vote a certain way. And, others because they believe in God or try to be a good person. The label has become so broad that it often tells us very little, because a disciple of Jesus carries specific characteristics.
Am I actually following Jesus?
That’s the invitation Jesus gave from the very beginning, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Everything we need to know about discipleship is wrapped up in that invitation, “Follow Me.” A disciple of Jesus is intentionally looking to follow Jesus with the whole of their life; financially, sexually, relationally, emotionally, mentally, physically, It doesn’t mean you are 100% following Jesus in those areas but you are intentionally looking for ways you can grow and get stronger at following Jesus in those areas, so that following Jesus isn’t adding Him to our lives. It’s making Him Lord of our lives.
Then Jesus says something else in that invitation, “And I will make you.” That’s encouraging because discipleship isn’t ultimately about self-improvement. Jesus never says, “Go fix yourself.” He says, “Follow Me, and I will transform you.” Our responsibility isn’t the transformation. Our responsibility is the faithfulness. That’s good news because all of us have areas where we still need to grow. None of us graduate from becoming more like Christ.
Then Jesus finishes off the statement, “Fishers of men.” In other words, disciples don’t stop with themselves. As Jesus changes us, He sends us, so that every disciple has been entrusted with receiving His grace and extending His grace toward others to help them follow Jesus. The only reason there are followers of Jesus today is because someone was following Jesus then! That’s always been the mission.
There’s one other piece we often overlook.
Jesus rarely discipled people one at a time. He called a group of friends. It might start with one, but it will typically involve a group coming together. They learned to follow Jesus together. That matters because we weren’t designed to grow alone. Following Jesus in isolation almost always leads to spiritual stagnation.
We need people who know us well enough to encourage us, challenge us, pray for us, and remind us of the gospel when we forget it ourselves. I experienced this personally in my twenties. I ended up at a university with a church that took the call of discipling others who disciple others who disciple others seriously. I read the book “Master Plan of Evangelism” by Robert Coleman and was hooked! Looking back, it changed the direction of my life.
Men and women in the church started to teach me and model to me what it looked like for the whole of someone’s life to come under the leadership of Jesus. They helped me learn how to study God’s Word. They helped me find words to talk to others about Jesus. I work as a pastor now, but that wasn’t the goal at the time. It was just the men and women living out what Jesus has taught us to do from the very beginning.
So let me ask you a question, “Do you see yourself as a Christian or a disciple?” Because those two words may sound similar, but they often produce very different ways of living. A disciple wakes up asking, “How do I follow Jesus today?”
How can Jesus keep changing them?
Who are others I can encourage to follow Jesus?
Where can I surround myself with others who are following Jesus?
That’s the life Jesus invited ordinary men and women into two thousand years ago. And it’s still the invitation He extends today. So ask yourself: Have I actually committed myself to following Jesus? Who is helping me grow? Am I allowing Jesus to change me, or am I simply trying to become a better version of myself? Who am I helping take one step closer to Christ? Because, Jesus never invited people to admire Him from a distance. He invited them to follow Him. And that invitation is still drawing people to Himself today!
Austin is full of people trying to optimize their lives. Which neighborhood should we move to? Should I leave my startup? Should we have another child? Should I buy the house or keep renting? Should I stay in Texas?
I think we should pray about every one of those decisions. Scripture tells us to bring everything before God in prayer. Our decisions matter to Him because our lives matter to Him. But over the years, I’ve realized there’s another prayer that is just as important.
“Lord, make me into the kind of man who makes wise decisions.”
Those two prayers belong together. One seeks God’s guidance. The other seeks God’s transformation. I think God delights in answering both. Here are some guiding points to consider:
1. Pray for wisdom.
When God invited Solomon to ask for anything, Solomon didn’t ask for success, security, or certainty. He asked for wisdom. That wasn’t an accident. Life is full of decisions where the answer isn’t immediately obvious. Parenting, marriage, work, finances, friendships, ministry, and leadership all require wisdom. James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God because He gives generously. Before asking God to remove every difficult decision, ask Him to make you wiser.
2. Pray for humility.
One of the greatest obstacles to wise decisions isn’t a lack of information. It’s pride. Pride convinces us we’ve already thought through every angle. Pride dismisses the people God has placed around us. Pride hears advice but rarely listens. Proverbs reminds us that wise people receive instruction. As you pray about a decision, ask God to give you the humility to hear what you may not want to hear.
3. Pray for a clean heart.
It’s amazing how quickly sin can distort our judgment. Unforgiveness, jealousy, selfish ambition, fear, and hidden pride all have a way of making bad ideas sound reasonable. David prayed, “Search me, O God.” That’s a dangerous prayer. But it’s also a necessary one. Before asking God which path to take, ask Him if there’s anything in your heart that’s preventing you from seeing clearly.
4. Pray for a renewed mind.
Every decision begins with the way we think. Romans 12 says we’re transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can discern God’s will. The more our minds are shaped by Scripture, the better equipped we are to recognize what is wise, loving, and honoring to Christ. God doesn’t simply want to change our circumstances. He wants to change the way we think.
5. Pray for discernment.
Many of life’s hardest decisions aren’t between right and wrong. They’re between two good options. That’s why Paul prayed that believers would “discern what is best.” Discernment is the ability to recognize not only what is permissible, but what is most helpful, most loving, and most faithful. It’s a gift worth praying for.
6. Pray about the decision itself.
After all of that, don’t stop praying about the decision. Tell God exactly what’s on your mind. Ask Him for clarity. Ask Him to open and close doors. Ask Him for peace. Ask Him to direct your steps. Our Heavenly Father invites us to bring every concern to Him, including the decisions that keep us awake at night.
Prayer isn’t about informing God. It’s about walking with Him. The older I get, the more I believe every decision is accomplishing two things at once. It’s shaping my future. But it’s also shaping me. That’s why I never want my prayers to stop with, “Lord, what should I do?” I also want to pray, “Lord, who am I becoming?”
Conclusion
Because one day this decision will be behind me. But the kind of man I’m becoming will remain, so pray about the decision and then pray that God would make you into the kind of person who consistently makes wise decisions.
Anyone who has driven MoPac or I-35 during rush hour knows there isn’t always a perfect route Sometimes Waze sends you through neighborhoods you’ve never heard of. Sometimes you stay on the Lamar. Sometimes every option is slow.
Life feels like that, too. God doesn’t promise to remove every difficult decision. But He does promise wisdom for those who ask, peace for those who trust Him, and His presence wherever the road leads. So pray about the decision. But don’t stop there. Pray that, wherever you end up, you’ll become the kind of man or woman who reflects Jesus a little more than you did before the journey began.
There are moments when leadership isn’t about having the answers. It’s about creating space for people to hear from God. A few months ago, our church found ourselves in one of those moments.
Our lease was ending. The rent on our building was increasing from $13,000 a month to $17,000. We knew we weren’t going to sign another long term lease. That meant we had a decision to make: Was North Village Church coming to an end, or was God inviting us into a new season?
On a personal level, there was a temptation to answer that question for everyone else. Instead, our elders decided to do something different. We asked our church family not to decide immediately. We asked them to pray.
Rather than holding one emotional meeting, we created a month long discernment guide. Each day people reflected on a different question. Not logistical questions. Heart questions.
Do you still resonate with our mission?
Do you still believe in the values that have shaped this church?
Would you follow Jesus into an uncertain future even if it meant setting up chairs every Sunday in a temporary location?
Would saying “no” bring relief… or would it feel like you were walking away from something God was inviting you into?
By the end of the month we asked everyone to honestly land in one of three places:
“I’m in.”
“I’m exploring.”
“I’m out.”
Notice what we weren’t asking. We weren’t asking people to stay because of friendships. We weren’t asking them to stay because they felt guilty. We weren’t asking them to stay because they liked me as their pastor. We wanted them to follow Jesus, wherever He was leading.
Freedom Is Better Than Pressure
One sentence from the guide became especially important to me. We told people that if God was leading them elsewhere, we wanted them to feel completely free to go. That sounds simple. It’s surprisingly difficult.
Leaders can often feel pressure to retain people. Attendance becomes a scorecard. Every family that leaves feels personal. But churches aren’t built through pressure. They’re built through conviction. I’d rather have someone joyfully say “yes” because they believe God called them than reluctantly stay because they felt obligated.
The Response
On June 1, after a month of prayer and reflection, 40 men and women committed to moving forward into the next season of North Village Church. Not because we had all the answers. Not because everything was settled. Because they believed God was leading them.
For me, that number represented far more than attendance. It represented ownership. Shared conviction. People choosing mission over comfort. As a pastor, I don’t know exactly what the next chapter will look like. But I know this: I’d rather lead forty people who have prayerfully discerned God’s direction than a larger crowd that simply drifted into the future.
Personal Application
This experience reminded me that leadership isn’t always about persuading people. Sometimes it’s about slowing everyone down long enough to listen. In a culture that rewards quick decisions and confident predictions, leaders have an opportunity to model something different.
And perhaps that’s true far beyond church leadership. Whether you’re leading a business, a family, or simply trying to discern your own next step, the question isn’t first, “What should I do?” It’s:
“Lord, where are You already at work, and how are You inviting me to join You?”
I recently started doing stand-up comedy in Austin, TX. And I am a pastor. Which means most nights I am standing in a bar talking about my life, and at some point, people realize, “Wait… this guy is a pastor.” It creates a moment. You might be asking, “Why would a pastor do this?” You can read about it HERE and HERE.
Austin has become a major hub for comedy, with names like Shane Gillis, Joe Rogan, and Tony Hinchcliffe shaping the scene. The rooms are full, the crowds are sharp, and the conversations are often as unfiltered as you can imagine. So why step into that as a pastor? At some point, I had to decide whether following Jesus meant staying in environments where I naturally fit, or stepping into ones where I did not. Stand-up comedy made that decision unavoidable.
There is constant pressure in those rooms to blend in, to match the tone, to say what works, and to avoid being the one who shifts the atmosphere. But following Jesus has given me a different option. Instead of trying to manage perception, I can simply be honest. There have been plenty of moments where I have said something, or chosen not to say something, and it creates a pause. Not hostile, just noticeable. And in that space, there is nothing to fix. Just a quiet recognition that I am different.
That is not always persuasive, and it does not guarantee agreement, but it is clear. And clarity matters. Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” not because it always lands well, but because it is worth being known for. Jesus lived this way. He did not isolate Himself from the world, and He did not mirror it either. He entered into real places, real conversations, and real tension, while remaining anchored in who He was. He asked questions people were not asking, said things people were not expecting, and stayed present in environments where others might have pulled back.
Following Him means we will feel that same tension. Not because we are trying to stand out, but because we already do. What has been surprising to me is how often this creates opportunity. I have had conversations about a biblical view of marriage and sexuality, finances, some political conversations, and caring for those in need. It’s not because I am actively trying to drive conversations toward those topics, but that, at least in Austin, TX, there are people who are wondering and thinking about those topics today, and then out of a nowhere a follower of Jesus is dropped into their life.
In a few cases, other comedians have quietly shared that they follow Jesus too. Not on stage, not publicly, but they are there. And sometimes just being present and clear has caused them to reconsider what that actually means for their life and their work. That has been the unexpected part. Not influence through volume, but through presence.
So maybe the question is not whether you feel comfortable identifying as a follower of Jesus in your environment. Maybe the better question is where God has already placed you where that clarity would actually matter. Your workplace, your friendships, your neighborhood, or conversations you did not plan. People do not just need content about Jesus. They need to encounter people who actually follow Him. And that will almost always feel a little uncomfortable.
If you live in Texas then I am sure you have heard about James Talarico running for U.S. Senate in 2026. Talarico has been a little unique as a politician because he has been front and center with his faith in Jesus, and how it has shaped his view toward policy in the state of Texas.
One particular reference Talarico has made about Scripture is from Matthew 25 when Jesus references the “least of these.” Talarico isn’t the first to reference this passage. In many settings the passage is presented as a simple moral message: followers of Jesus should help people in need.
44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
When we read Matthew 25 within the flow of Matthew’s Gospel, another possibility becomes visible. The scene is less about general humanitarian care and more about how people respond to Jesus by the way they treat His followers.
The Context: Jesus Is Being Rejected
The later chapters of Matthew are dominated by a growing conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel. By the time we reach chapters 21 to 23, the conflict is no longer subtle. Jesus openly rebukes religious leaders for rejecting Jesus as God in the flesh who has come to fulfill the promises of Messiah. So the storyline of Matthew becomes a question of recognition and allegiance. Will people recognize the King, or will they reject Him?
Establishing the Principle
Earlier in the Gospel Jesus explains something that becomes crucial for interpreting Matthew 25. When He sends out His disciples, He tells them: Whoever receives you receives me. That teaching appears in the Gospel of Matthew 10:40-42.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
Jesus goes even further. He says that even giving a cup of water to one of His “little ones” will be remembered. In other words, how someone treats the messenger reveals how they respond to the One who sent the messenger. This idea is central to Matthew’s writing. Jesus’ followers represent Him in the world.
Key Phrase: “The Least of These My Brothers”
The entire passage hinges on one phrase, “The least of these my brothers.” How we interpret that phrase determines what the passage means. Many readers assume it refers to the poor or marginalized in general. But Matthew’s Gospel consistently uses “brothers” to refer to Jesus’ disciples.
For example, In Gospel of Matthew 12:49-50, Jesus calls His followers His brothers. In Matthew 28:10, after the resurrection, Jesus again refers to the disciples as His brothers. Within Matthew’s own language, the phrase most naturally refers to those who belong to Jesus.
Overview
If “my brothers” refers to Jesus’ followers, then the judgment scene takes on a different emphasis. The nations are not being evaluated primarily on general humanitarian activity. They are being evaluated on how they responded to Jesus by how they treated His people.
This fits the larger storyline of the Gospel. The religious leaders reject Jesus. They persecute His followers. They refuse to recognize the King, therefore, in the final judgment, the King exposes what their actions revealed all along. Those who welcomed His followers demonstrated openness to Him. Those who rejected or ignored them revealed their rejection of the King.
Compassion Still Matters
Recognizing this interpretation doesn’t mean compassion toward the poor is unimportant. Scripture consistently calls believers to care for those in need. But Matthew 25 isn’t about establishing a social ethic. Instead, it’s revealing something deeper about the identity of Jesus and the loyalty He demands. The King identifies Himself with His people so closely that caring for them is counted as caring for Him, and rejecting them is counted as rejecting Him.
Followers of Jesus often face a tension when working in environments that are not shaped by Christian values. Comedy clubs, music venues, corporate settings, universities, and many other spaces raise the same question: How can someone be present in a culture without simply becoming a participant in it?
This question is especially important to me, because I work as a pastor in Austin, TX. My wife and I started the church in 2009, and at the time we had two little children, so it was easy to connect with young families in our neighborhood. By God’s grace we were able to enter into spiritual conversations with those families and for a season it resulted in men and women coming to faith and pop up bible studies. Sometimes we would have 12-15 adults in a living room looking at God’s Word with 30 kids running outside. It was wild!
Fast forward to 2024 and I did an open mic near our house at Cap City Comedy Club as a bucket list type of challenge. The experience went horrible. But for some reason, I wanted to keep trying. Eventually I started talking about being a pastor in a 3-minute comedy set, and 2 years later here I am. Usually 2-3 nights a week I will meet up with comedians and we will try to do our best at making people laugh.
But Austin, TX isn’t known for clean comedy. Austin actually has some nationally known comics in our city like Joe Rogan, Shane Gillis, Tony Hinchcliffe, and more. It isn’t exactly Nate Bargatze material on 6th on a weekend night, so what does that look like for me as a follower of Jesus?
The New Testament doesn’t call followers of Jesus to isolation, but it also doesn’t call them to blend into culture. Instead, it presents a third option known as “Faithful Presence.” Jesus entered ordinary public spaces. He ate with tax collectors, attended gatherings, and spent time with people who lived far from the religious center of society. Yet those around him consistently noticed something different about Him. His presence influenced the room rather than the room defining him.
The challenge for believers today is learning to discern whether they are participating in culture or bringing a distinct presence into culture. Several patterns can help make that distinction clearer.
1. Direction of Influence: Who’s influencing who?
A participant in culture gradually absorbs the values of the environment. Language, priorities, and assumptions begin to mirror the surrounding world. A presence in culture moves in the opposite direction. While remaining fully engaged, their posture, tone, and character introduce something different into the environment.
This doesn’t mean constant confrontation or overt religious messaging. Often it simply means that over time people notice a steadiness, humility, or integrity that stands apart from the surrounding culture. Jesus was often accused of spending time with sinners, yet the stories repeatedly show people being drawn toward change rather than Jesus being drawn into their patterns.
2. The Trajectory of One’s Work: What’s the tone of the work?
For anyone whose work involves creative expression, the work itself becomes revealing. In comedy, writing, music, or storytelling, the deeper worldview underneath the material eventually becomes visible.
When someone is a presence in culture, their work tends to humanize people. Humor exposes human weakness without celebrating cruelty. The tone may include honesty, self awareness, and humility.
When someone becomes a participant in culture, the work often begins drifting toward whatever the surrounding environment rewards most. Cynicism, degradation, or shock value can slowly become the easiest path to approval. Over time, the trajectory of the work often reveals the deeper direction of influence.
3. How Others Perceive You: Are you experiencing favor from others?
Another helpful indicator is how people within the culture describe you. A person functioning as a presence is often respected even by those who disagree with them. Others notice reliability, honesty, or a different moral center. They may not share the same beliefs, but they sense a consistency.
By contrast, someone who has become a participant in culture becomes indistinguishable from the surrounding environment. Their identity is primarily defined by the culture they inhabit rather than the deeper convictions that guide them.
4. Private Spiritual Vitality: Are you still growing in your faith?
Perhaps the clearest indicator is what happens privately. Scripture describes the life of the Spirit producing qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. When someone remains rooted in these realities, their internal life continues to deepen even while they live and work in challenging environments.
5. The Role of Community: Is there willingness to receive feedback?
The New Testament consistently places believers within community. Spiritual formation rarely happens in isolation. A presence in culture remains connected to people who can ask honest questions and offer perspective. Spiritual conversations continue. Others are able to speak into both life and work.
A participant in culture gradually shifts their primary feedback loop toward the surrounding environment. Career success, audience approval, or cultural status become the dominant voices shaping decisions.
6. The Question of Motivation: Does it become a distraction?
Motivation also reveals direction. A presence in culture is often driven by a desire to understand people and serve them well. There is curiosity about the human condition and a sense of stewardship for whatever platform or opportunity exists.
A participant in culture is often driven by a desire for belonging, approval, or recognition within the environment itself. Identity becomes increasingly tied to acceptance by the culture rather than faithfulness within it. Both motivations can coexist at times, but the direction that grows stronger over time becomes revealing.
7. Long Term Fruit: Is there spiritual curiosity from others?
Jesus frequently spoke about fruit as the ultimate measure of a life. Faithful presence often produces meaningful relationships and deeper conversations over time. People come to trust the person because they experience integrity and care.
Participation without discernment tends to produce deeper immersion in the same cultural patterns. The individual may achieve success within the environment but gradually lose spiritual clarity and distinctiveness.
Longterm Goal
For me, my work as a pastor hasn’t changed. I still want to gain trust and credibility to speak into the lives of the people in my life. I pray for those people. I look for ways to encourage them and support them in their pursuits. I look for opportunities to challenge them in ways they would be receptive. I consider it a privilege to be in their life, and I want to point them to Jesus in everything.
The “sermon” isn’t that different either. On Sunday morning it is more clear that I am taking God’s Word and going verse by verse to point people to the hope we have in Jesus, but in comedy my goal is still the same. I am trying to take biblical and cultural values and package them in a way that are hopefully comedic or at least insightful, so that the people who are listening might think more deeply about those areas of life. I can’t say I have mastered this, but I am continually trying to grow in this area.
In the end, pursuing this area of life has been a lot of fun. Our church family has been really supportive. Once a quarter we have been hosting Clean Comedy Shows for our community and partnering with a local non-profit where all the donations are given to them. Our next one will be in May. You should come!
Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic. It’s whimsical, sharp, and dripping with creative brilliance. But if you’re the kind of person who likes to dig deeper, theologically or philosophically, you start to notice that there are a few places where the story doesn’t quite hold together. Here are three big incongruences that stand out, and what they reveal.
Wonder Without a Foundation
At the beginning of the story, Milo is bored and disinterested. By the end, everything is magical and full of purpose. On the surface, it’s a beautiful arc, but here’s the problem: nothing external actually changes. Milo’s “new world” is just a shift in perspective, and while that’s inspiring, it’s also hollow. If wonder is only based on a feeling, what happens the next time Milo wakes up bored?
Feelings are great, but feelings also change, therefore, the reader has to ask the question, “Without an anchor for meaning, something outside of herself or himself, where does a person find something more stable than feelings?” I love “wonder” but “wonder” alone is temporary at best.
The Rhyme and Reason Dilemma
The whole plot revolves around restoring Rhyme and Reason to the kingdom, which I appreciated. Once they’re back from their journey, everything is balanced again. But pause for a second: why were they exiled in the first place? And why does their mere return magically fix a broken kingdom?
The story never digs into those questions. It wants the satisfaction of resolution without the complexity of wrestling with why wisdom was lost, or what sustains it in the long run. It’s like patching a leaky roof with duct tape: it works for now, but it won’t hold when the next storm of life rolls in on someone.
In short, you could make the argument that this book could do spiritual harm to someone, which is what the authors are trying to avoid. It’s great to ask questions but simply fanning the flame of deconstruction could lead a person to a place of confusion. How’s that helpful?
Growth Without Real Community
Milo matures throughout his journey, no doubt about it. He goes from apathetic to engaged, passive to proactive, which is great! But he mostly does this alone as an individual. Sure, there’s Tock and the Humbug tagging along, but the story doesn’t show deep, transformative community shaping Milo.
In real life, and certainly in a biblical framework, real transformation usually happens with people, in relationship, through accountability and shared experience. Milo grows in isolation, which makes for a clean narrative but a shallow reality.
Why These Gaps Matter
None of these incongruences ruin the book, far from it. In fact, they make it a great conversation starter. They reveal that while The Phantom Tollbooth offers brilliant observations about curiosity, courage, and wonder, it struggles to ground those truths in something unchanging. That’s where a biblical worldview shines: it takes the good questions the story raises and points to a better answer — one rooted in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
What do you think? Where have you noticed moments in The Phantom Tollbooth that feel a little thin? Or are these the very things that make the book such a timeless read?
Owning the vision of North Village Church makes all the difference! Owning the vision means every person sees the church’s purpose as their personal responsibility, not just a support system for someone else’s vision.
What does it look like to develop an “owners’ mindset?”
What’s the Difference?
Helper Mindset
Owner Mindset
“Let me know what you need.”
“Here’s something I can do to move us forward.”
“That’s pastor’s / staff’s job.”
“This is our mission—and I’ve got a role in it.”
“I help when it works for me.”
“I show up with consistency and commitment.”
“I’m here to receive.”
“I’m here to invest—my time, energy, and heart.”
“I notice problems.”
“I bring solutions with grace and initiative.”
“This is a church.”
“This is my church.”
How to Live as an Owner
1.Show Up Like It’s Your Living Room
Welcome others like you’re hosting them in your own space. Look for the new. Smile. Initiate.
2.Speak Life and Vision
Talk about the church like it’s yours. Encourage others. Protect the unity. Avoid gossip.
3.Take Ownership of Your Spiritual Growth
Don’t wait to be spoon-fed. Dig into Scripture. Ask questions. Be discipled, and disciple others.
4.Pitch In Without Needing a Title
See a problem? Fix a problem. Owners take initiative, whether it’s picking up trash or praying for someone.
5.Pray Boldly for the Vision
Learn the vision. Own the vision. Pray as someone who’s locked in, not locked out. Ask God to move through us, not just some people.
Reflection Questions
What would change if I saw this church as my responsibility?
Where am I waiting for permission instead of walking in purpose?
What do you do in those moments when you are at work or a family gathering, and someone makes a reference toward a cultural / political event? Fight or flight or freeze? One of those cultural conversations right now is around immigration, and now more than ever we need to be learning how to lean into those conversations instead of avoid.
As a follower of Jesus, immigration isn’t just a political issue, it’s a people issue. It’s also deeply theological. And as someone who believes the gospel shapes every corner of life, including how we talk about borders and belonging—I’ve been asking, How do I speak about immigration in a way that’s faithful to Scripture and neighborly in spirit?
Especially in a place like Austin, a city that prides itself on being inclusive, justice-oriented, and wonderfully weird, the way we engage matters just as much as what we say, therefore, I wanted to provide some encouragement when we find ourselves in those conversations.
Let me offer some reflections on how we can enter this conversation winsomely: with truth, compassion, and humility.
Start with Stories, Not Soundbites
Most people have an immigration story, whether it’s their great-grandparents who came through Ellis Island or a neighbor who crossed a desert last year. Stories have a way of softening walls that data and debate only harden.
I recently met a man whose journey to the U.S. took over a year, and the process for him to get citizenship in the United States took over 10 years! But the real story wasn’t how far he traveled, it was why.
He had been manipulated by people in his country that told him they had created a way for him to get into the country legally, and it was expensive! Him and his family gave them so much money, only to find out the process was to sneak him into the country.
When we begin with real people, we remind everyone that immigration isn’t just a policy issue. It’s a person issue.
Root the Conversation in Shared Values
As a follower of Jesus, I start with this: every person is made in the image of God. That’s non-negotiable. And because of that, I’m called to care to care about others and extend compassion toward those who are hurting or struggling.
At the same time, I also believe in the importance of order, justice, and systems that work. That doesn’t make me cold-hearted. It means I care about both compassion and structure, and I don’t believe we have to choose one or the other.
That’s the tension many of us feel: How do we love our neighbor and respect our nation’s laws? That’s a holy tension, not a political problem.
Understanding Austin’s Heartbeat
Austin, where I’ve planted roots, is a city of contrasts. It’s progressive, but still deeply Texan. It values independence, but also community. It welcomes everyone, while being a fairly divided city ethnically and economically.
Here’s where I find common ground:
Austin values about justice — and, as a follower of Jesus, so do I.
Austin values diversity — and, as a follower of Jesus, so does the kingdom of God.
Austin believes in local action over national gridlock — and the Church has always been a grassroots movement.
But there are also tensions:
Austin often resists institutional voices, and as a pastor, I get lumped into that category.
The city prefers nuance over certainty, and my biblical convictions can sound too rigid if I’m not careful with tone.
Some reject the idea of borders altogether, while I believe in the value of lawfully ordered immigration.
Knowing these dynamics helps me approach conversations with humility, not just truth.
How to Talk About Immigration Without Starting a Fire
Here are a few ways I’ve learned to engage the conversation, especially with neighbors, coworkers, or congregants:
Ask better questions: “What’s your family’s immigration story?” “What challenges does Austin experience because of immigration?” “How do you think a city like Austin benefits from immigration?” “What would a just system look like to you?”
Name the tension: “I feel caught between the heartbreak of broken systems and the need for secure borders. But I want to be someone who listens more than lectures.”
Focus on people, not politics: We can disagree on policy and still agree that every person deserves dignity.
The Church’s Role in a Time of Division
The early church was full of immigrants, refugees, outcasts, and people who didn’t “belong.” Paul says in Ephesians 2:19, “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household.” That’s the kind of community we’re called to build.
The gospel doesn’t erase borders, but it does erase hostility.
What would happen if we, regardless of political leanings, followers of Jesus became known for welcoming the outsider, respecting rules and laws, advocating for justice, and treating every person as someone Jesus died for? Sure, it’s a lofty goal but that’s the opportunity for the local church in this conversation today.
A Path Forward
Let’s not settle for the shouting match. Let’s become porch people, not just protesting people. Let’s build conversations and learn from one another. Let’s lean into conversations instead of avoiding topics. And let’s trust that the God who watches over nations also sees every individual soul.
If you’d like to explore ways to serve immigrants in Austin, we have a group of people from the Ukraine who meet regularly in our building and a church from Nepal who gather in worship on Sunday afternoon’s. These are great people and great ways to get a front row view into their experience.
Recently I was talking with someone and they said, “My friends are my family.” Doesn’t that sound nice? On the surface it makes sense. Our friends are the people we see more frequently. Our friends are probably the people we are more likely to ask for help. Our friends don’t have a history of awkward experiences from the high’s and low’s of life, so it makes sense why we would drift toward friends as family.
God’s Word teaches us when we come to faith in Christ we become family in the best possible sense. Our friends are often people who look like us, think like us, laugh when we laugh, cry when we cry, so many times we are attracted to friendship with other people because they are mirroring our interests and our qualities.
But the church is made up of people who are different from us. It’s what makes the local church beautiful. The church is made up of men and women, young and old, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, and not always but sometimes we will also find different ethnicities and different cultures. What a gift we have in the local church!
Check out how Luke describes this family-like support in the newly established church in Jerusalem:
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:44-46
Remember, “all the believers” in this context consisted of more than 3000 people. They weren’t all living in one house or sharing a single bank account. But they clearly did their best to remove the barriers that divided them into individual household units. They were generous with their money, their possessions, their space, and their time. And they were in and out of each other’s homes and lives.
Can you imagine what that would look like today? Being involved in our friend’s lives is probably something that happens naturally. We probably work in similar fields as our friends. We probably have similar interests as our friends. But God’s Word calls us to invest in our church family who have different interests and different backgrounds, so that we might be strengthened in our faith in Him. Here are some simple ways this could take place:
Look to meet 2-3 people on a Sunday morning.
Write down their name to help you remember.
Ask someone about their weekend.
Prayerfully consider how you might encourage someone in a meaningful way.
Pray for someone on Sunday morning.
Ask someone out to share a meal.
Invite someone to your group.
Exchange contact information with someone.
Meet someone new during the “meet and greet.”
Living like this is counter-cultural, so the first step is probably going to be getting out of our own way. After all, many of us might not even relate to our biological family or friends this way. At times, it will feel hard, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. You’ll open yourself up to rejection, you’ll get hurt, you’ll need to ask for forgiveness. All of these are signs that you’re doing it right. And, through the transition, you’ll also find life, love, security, and freedom to be your authentic self.
New year, new you! It seems like every place we look, someone or something is trying to help us prepare for the new year. Why is that? It’s not like 2023 was inherently evil and 2024 is going to provide a new outlook on life.
But a new year does provide an opportunity for reflection. The season is slowing down. Weather is cooler. Nights come earlier. It’s like all of creation is getting tucked in for bed and in the same way there are some benefits for reflecting on the care of our mind, body and soul.
Our church family provides a resource called Yearly Rhythms, which you can get for free on a Sunday morning at our resource table or you can order your own on Amazon. There are tons of resources for us to learn how to care for our bodies. This particular writing will focus on how we care for our soul.
Last summer our family was returning from our trip to South Padre Island. It’s the nicest beach in Texas, so we try to go every year. On our return home we realized we were short on gas and my wife said, “We can get gas at this exit.” But the gas station was on the other side of the highway and I didn’t want to waste ALL that time going to the other side of the highway, so I said, “We will just wait for the next exit.”
Little did I know, the next exit for gas was 40 miles away! Unfortunately we noticed this about 10 miles into our journey and my wife said, “We better turn around and go back to that gas station.” But I have this unusual gift where I find it almost impossible to turn around for anything, so I said to my family, “I bet we can make it!”
Everyone in the car sighed in disbelief. At this point I could tell my wife was irritated but I thought the worst case is that I will have to walk to the gas station, so I confidently told everyone, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
10 miles later into the trip, half-way there, we saw the Border CheckPoint so we all said to ourselves, “Great, we can get gas from them.” Unfortunately, the Border Patrol is familiar with these types of questions and they quickly said, “No, we don’t have gas but here’s a list of companies that will bring you gas.”
At this point the fuel gauge is beyond E. It’s not on the E. It’s fully on the other side of the E. I begin to admit defeat. I tell my family we will stop driving, leave enough gas for the AC to stay on and I will call a company to bring us gas.
But to my surprise, when we called the company to bring gas, which is a $50 fee just to transport the gas, the person asked, “What kind of car?” We told him and he said those little cars can go forever! We asked in disbelief, “Are you sure?” The gauge is beyond the E. He said, “Just keep driving. You will make it!”
Sure enough, we made it to the gas station. Of course, I turned to my family and said, “See, what were yall worried about?” Nobody thought it was funny.
I share this story because sometimes we can treat our spiritual soul like I treated our gas tank on that day. Every day, throughout the day, we have opportunities to feed our spiritual soul but many times we say to ourselves, “I will be fine! Just keep going.” This is what leads me to a few encouragements:
If we have never trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we need to start there. It is our faith in Jesus that gives us a spiritual tank to fill up!
Next, Jesus calls us to fill up our spiritual tanks every day, throughout the day. Jesus calls it being a disciple. Jesus has this conversation with Peter when Jesus goes to wash their feet. At first Peter protests, “You could never wash my feet” because Peter thought this would be too humiliating. But Jesus’ response is, “Peter, you have already been made clean. You just need to be washed.” Filling up our spiritual soul is like a good washing!
Time in Scripture. It can be a verse a day. It can be a passage or a chapter. It can be a quick reading or a deep study but the key is to ask ourselves these three questions:
What does the Scripture teach me about God’s character?
What does the Scripture teach me about humanities character?
How does Jesus bring us rescue?
Prayer. In the same way, prayers can be long, short, silent, written; it doesn’t matter. On January 21, 2024 our church family taught through the Lord’s prayer and made these observations to include in our prayers:
Adoration
Submission
Trust
Confession
Protection.
Gospel. Our time in God’s Word and prayer should lead us to a place of repentance. Repentance means to turn from sin and turn to Jesus. Repentance softens our heart for God. Repentance reminds us of the glory of God. Repentance shouldn’t fill us with shame and sorrow but joy and hope.
Rest. The bible calls it Sabbath but our faith in Jesus gives us an eternal Sabbath, so that our rest can take place in many shapes and sizes besides one day of the week. But we should still look to incorporate times in our week when we remind ourselves, “God is my provider and protector!”
Giving. Giving financially is a way to remind our soul that we are not the provider and protector. Our country provides opportunities for comfort and prosperity, so that it is easy to feel like we are the ones providing and protecting, therefore, giving is a tangible act of worship, so as to say, “This dollar is not my savior!” You can give in a lot of different ways but if you Partner with North Village Church then you can see how to give HERE.
Serving. God’s Word calls us to look not only after our own interests but also the interests of others, therefore, where in your week are you serving someone else that doesn’t benefit your own interests? I have found that I enter into those moments kicking and screaming. I tell myself, “I don’t have time, I don’t have energy” and yet every time afterwards I think to myself, “I am so glad I did that!”
Sunday Worship. Are you connected to a church family? A church family provides a spiritual covering of protection. I can’t imagine going throughout the day or week all alone. We all need to be committed to a church family.
Fellowship. Our culture is increasingly moving toward an isolated culture. We can pick what we want to eat, what we want to watch, what we want to listen to and curl up in our bed and never have to be around other people. At first glance, it sounds awesome but over time I have found that we will become bored and depressed when we are just focusing on our interests. We need the flavor of other people!
I have found when I am incorporating these spiritual disciplines into my life it leads me to a spiritual tank that is full. It doesn’t mean I won’t have any problems in life. I still have all kinds of problems but it does mean I can weather those problems more securely. My roots in Christ are deeper. My foundation is more solid. My support is more deep. My emotional maturity is more grounded. My thoughts are more clear.
It doesn’t mean layers of anxiety, fear, and discouragement never come my way but it means I can spot them sooner and the truth of God’s Word shapes how I respond to them when I see them coming.
Sometimes people will ask me, “What do pastors do all week?” Afterall most people only see pastors on a Sunday morning but what about the rest of the week? Surely pastors can’t work on sermons all week, right? I have found this proverb to be helpful:
Proverbs 17:24, “Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.”
The easiest thing to do as a pastor is chase after the “squeaky wheel.” There’s always a fire to put out. There’s always something that is broken that needs to be fixed. Sometimes a pastor could spend their whole week being really busy and being busy. Here are some areas I have found helpful to focus on:
Sermon Preparation: I spend about 10 hours a week on a sermon (2 hours a day.) I have never preached a sermon and thought, “There is nothing else to study about this passage.” I could easily spend 40 hours a week on a sermon. It’s fun studying God’s Word and crafting God’s Word into a sermon but early on I prayed, “Father, help me to trust you to show up through my 10 hours of preparation.”
Leadership Development: I spend about 10 hours a week on leadership development. This includes meeting with new people, elders, volunteers, staff and setting aside time to think about where those people are and how to help them grow in Christ.
Vision: I spend about 2 hours a week working on our vision as a church family and how our church is moving toward our vision.
Meeting with People: I spend about 10 hours a week meeting with people.
Reading: I try to read a book a week. A number of years ago I read a book called, “How To Read A Book.” Isn’t that a funny title? The author gave the encouragement that not every book is worth reading word for word, so most of the time I try to read books as fast as I can, so I can come across the books that are worth reading word for word.
Prayer: I do my own devotional time before I come to work. Some pastors make their sermon prep their devotional time and sermon prep is personal for me but it’s always been important for me to keep these two separate so that I don’t blurr my relationship with God and my vocation as a pastor. I typically spend about 2 hours a week in prayer.
Administrative: There are a lot of administrative tasks. It might be sending emails, texts, blogs, phone calls, or organizing information. I set aside 4 hours a week for administrative tasks. Our new admin role at NVC has greatly reduced those hours, which I am very thankful for.
Ministry: Most people work 40 hours at work and then volunteer additional hours for ministry, so in the same way, I try to work a 40 hour work week as a pastor and then the time I spend with neighbors, outreach, community group, or in the community are considered ministry hours. This changes every semester but typically takes 8-12 hours in the week.
Each semester I create a weekly schedule and plug in when and where I will work on those areas listed above. It’s something I have done early on in ministry and found it to be really helpful.
As a pastor, most of the work is spiritual or abstract in nature. It isn’t often that I have the satisfaction of creating a “product” and seeing if that product was “successful” or not. Therefore, having the structure of a schedule to know where I want to work, how I want to work and when I want to work provides the freedom to know when I can stop working.
It doesn’t mean I will stop working as a pastor for the day but it means I will stop working on North Village Church things for the day. I will meet with friends. I will find a way to rest and relax. I will spend time with my family. And I will trust the Lord to do His work in me and through me for another day.
Serving North Central Austin 