Author: rustytugman

Recently, Jon Acuff told a story about having lunch with renowned speaker and author John Maxwell and pastor Louie Giglio. During lunch, Louie asked John this question: "What's the first thought you had this morning when you woke up?" John's reply was immediate: "I can't wait to add value to someone's life today." He went … Continue reading Add Value

One of the people in my life who is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement is Jim Martin. I am so thankful for his friendship. Here is a recent article he wrote to urge church members to think about how we should approach this season of "re-opening"... I was getting ready to officiate at … Continue reading Love as a Rugged Commitment

One of the most interesting things about my life experience is that people have always felt comfortable sharing their stories with me. And in the last week I have had conversations with... A family who lost a loved one. A preacher who is discouraged. Parents who are worried about the world their children are growing … Continue reading Conversations

There's an old preacher "axiom" that says the best preacher in the world is probably somebody you've never heard of, somebody who is faithfully and joyfully serving a congregation that you probably have never heard of, somebody who skillfully applies the Word of God to the various seasons of life as the preacher walks with … Continue reading The Best Preacher in the World

Last week, an elder of a different congregation called for some advice on a situation he was facing, and that conversation turned into a wonderful, broader conversation on the function of elders in church and the dynamic between elders and ministers. That discussion brought to mind something I had read in this book by Paul … Continue reading The Power of a Confessing Community

A lot has changed in my life over the last two years. I lost my Dad... Along with two uncles who also had a profound impact on me. I lost a little bit of my identity as a result... Along with some security. I lost a sense of normalcy... Along with everybody else in the … Continue reading Another Life Change

From William Willimon: Despite our earnest efforts, we couldn't climb all the way up to God. So what did God do? In an amazing act of condescension, on Good Friday, God climbed down to us, became one with us. The story of divine condescension begins on Christmas and ends on Good Friday. We thought, if … Continue reading Good Friday

The way in which Jesus Christ accomplishes our restoration, redemption, and reconciliation with God is sometimes referred to as "The Great Reversal." John Calvin once expressed the beautiful paradox of Jesus' Great Reversal like this: He was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse … Continue reading The Great Reversal of Jesus