The following parable on the current financial bailout was written by JR Miller and echos Jesus’ words as recorded in Matthew 18.21-35. Read more

Next week I’ll be posting a HUGE announcement on this blog!
Actually it’ll be 2 all rolled up into one, so you’ll get two for the price of admission.

For all you out in blogland check in on Tuesday to catch the latest.
If you are part of Elevate, you’ll actually hear the news this Sunday at our weekly gathering,
so this gives you yet another reason why you don’t want to miss (besides the usual coolness that is a regular part of how we roll).

Double impact cominatchya soon.

So more drama from the NFL this week as Oakland Raider’s owner Al Davis fired his head coach Lane Kiffin just 18 months after hiring him based on the premise that Kiffin “wasn’t who he thought when he hired him”. Read more

Missional Churches know that without us, God won’t; without God, we can’t.

It’s easy to retreat into a mindset that sits back and prays for God to do things that quite honestly - we could & should be doing. This approach allows us to feel pious without actually having to DO anything. I’ve seen this taken as far as a group of Christians joining hands and asking God to supply new brakes for a single mom in their midst and never seemed to even think about the possibility that they might meet the need directly. Read more

Todd & Diana Flippin made the announcement yesterday at Elevate’s Launch Team gathering that they are pregnant with their second child!! Todd & Diana are some of the finest parents I know and it’s fitting that the Flippin family is growing. We thank God for a healthy and grace-filled pregnancy for them.

As always the Elevate community welcomed this news with excitement and support.

Today I’ve been blogging for 2 years and have published over 200 posts. Click here to read the very first one. As with any milestone, its good to thank others who have contributed. Justin Ruess takes care of all the technical and design aspects of this blog (and he’s working on a whole new look for us) - so big props to JR. Whether you’re part of the Elevate Church community, support treeoflife missions - whether you are a business or ministry leader or just regularly check in - thanks for connecting to us via this blog site. And a special thanks to those readers who contribute to the conversation by making comments - you enrich the content here. Here’s some quotes on milestones to reflect the one we’re celebrating today: Read more

I’m in the Detroit Metro area and it’s football season so there’s a lot of talk around here about the Lions - mostly about how bad they are and who is responsible for said badness. After another loss this weekend, the #2 owner and son of #1 owner, William Clay Ford Jr, publicly said that if it was up to him he would fire General Manager Matt Millen. His point is a valid one with the team winning 31 & losing 84 games under Millen and the Lions being considered one of the worst franchises in all of sport. (Get the whole story here) Read more

I’m out of town this weekend but wanted to share some things the Elevate community has to be thankful for.

A family member of someone who attends Elevate received a medical report of a mass they thought would be Read more

I’m ministering at an outdoor wedding at an estate in North Carolina today.
In honor of the Jackson wedding here’s some quotes on marriage. Read more