Is Your Parenting Style Transactional or Grace-based?

Many of us find our parenting style too often mirrors the ways we were raised by our own parents. And this is not always a good thing.

My wife, Tina, and I were raised in pretty similar ways. If we had to name the style of parenting our parents often used we would call it “transactional”. Every desire or action–even our emotions–was connected to a certain requirement or response based on the “value” of what it was we desired. Or avoided.  (more…)

The Gospel Is Not Just About Your Afterlife

If you’re struggling with finding joy in your Christian walk or have a low desire to live on mission and share your faith with others, it may be that you have been taught, and are believing­, a very small Gospel.

Christianity is not about sin management and the Good News of the gospel is not just about your afterlife. Let me unpack this for you, stick with me, you’ll love this. [Get my latest free training on Gospel Fluency now.] (more…)

How Do Introverted People Stay Engaged in a Missional Life?

Welcome to this 4th installment of Ask Caesar. Here’s this week’s question:

“Caesar, this missional lifestyle you write and speak about sounds so awesome, but I’m not an extrovert like you and your wife both seem to be. How do introverts like me fit into this whole missional thing?”

I’m glad you asked that Meg because I hear this a lot and I think it’s an important issue.

First, a little history about these personality types and how they differ.

Extraversion and Introversion are the preferences originally used in a personality inventory created by psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s. Most people today may be more familiar with these terms in connection with the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. These terms are unfortunately a bit outmoded, misunderstood and misused in that extraversion is not about being loud or the life of the party and introversion is not about being shy or anti-social. (more…)

Are You Really a Friend of Sinners?

Far too often I’ve heard Christians say, somewhat sheepishly, but with a hint of self-righteousness, that they really have nothing in common with non-Christians. That’s why they don’t have many (or any) not-yet believing friends.

Or they tell me that they don’t hang out with lost people, or allow their kids to, because they are trying to remain “holy” and don’t want to become polluted by the world. And to those objections I almost want to laugh and ask them if they have ever really read their Bibles or have you looked in a mirror recently?

Scripture and virtually all of history have shown us that if there is one thing we have most in common with every other human being, it’s our own sinful nature. Yet usually we let other’s sins define them and divide us, when in fact we are all sinners in need of a savior. We’re all dying, literally, and in need of rescue. We’re just alike.  (more…)

7 Reasons Why Gossip Is Poison

Gossip is poison! And I’ve noticed gossip is one of those things these days that is so common in relationships, in our conversations and in our cultural experience, that we hardly even notice it anymore. Let me show you how to stop gossip.

Let me start off by saying that I have gossiped…

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Gospel Tipping: Why Overtipping Should Be Our Norm

Is it just me or does it seem that more and more people are expecting to be tipped for their services these days? And at increasing rates.

When my wife Tina and I lived in Manhattan we had to actually plan to have cash on us in small denominations at all times because it was such a tipping culture. Why do some people get tipped extra money for doing their jobs and others do not? And how should we respond to that? And what about people who kinda stink at their job, but expect to be tipped anyway?

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