Steve Murrell's Blog, page 11

Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier

If you are a parent, grandparent, or a campus missionary working with students, this might be the most insightful book you will read this year.

Abigail Shrier, an author and investigative journalist, has received the Barbara Olson Award for Excellence and Independence in Journalism. Her book, Bad Therapy, is a New York Times and International best seller.

Today’s youth are experiencing an increasing mental health crisis. Abigail’s research suggests that often, the cause of this crisis can be linked to the mental health professionals who are trying to help. This book will help you understand what the youth in our high schools and colleges are dealing with and why they don’t seem to be getting better.

View book here →

No industry refuses the prospect of exponential growth, and mental health experts are no exception. By feeding normal kids with normal problems into an unending pipeline, the mental health industry is minting patients faster than it can cure them.

The Holiness and Mercy of God

As spiritual leaders, we come across biblical truths that are seemingly opposite concepts when really they work hand in hand, two of which we find in Leviticus 16. The tendency is to embrace one and ignore the other, but as a spiritual leader, we need to learn how to hold on to both and see how they fit together.

The two concepts we see in Leviticus 16 are the holiness of God and the mercy of God. What we find is that the holiness and mercy of God are both theological truths that work together as one. If we remove the mercy of God from the holiness of God, all we have is death. If we remove the holiness of God from the mercy of God, we have deception.

Watch the video for the rest of the message.

“You Are Holy” by Every Nation Music

Here’s the new music video of “You Are Holy” from Every Nation Music’s Generations album. Enjoy.

Friendship Can Save the World by Carrie and Morgan Stephens

After serving as the North American Director of Every Nation Campus, Morgan and Carrie now serve as lead pastors of Mosaic Church, a multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-site church in Austin, Texas. Carrie is the author of Holy Guacamole and Jesus, Love & Tacos. Morgan serves on the Every Nation North American Leadership Team.

You can find Morgan’s sermon from the 2024 North American Every Nation Campus Conference here, where he delves into the importance and challenges of navigating relationships in a diverse culture.

View book here →

We believe our human friendships can save the world when they are rooted in the divine friendship God has offered us through his Son, and we believe the book of Ruth is a gift that can light the way on the long road home together.

Choosing God’s Presence

Life is about the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. Too often, leaders inadvertently choose God’s promises, protection, and provision while excluding his presence. In Exodus 33, Moses shows us that no amount of Abrahamic promises, angelic protection, and abundant provision can make up for a loss of the presence of God.

As spiritual leaders, let’s make sure we’re choosing God’s presence above everything else.

Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West by Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson is the teaching pastor at King’s Church London. In this book, he connects the dots between where we find ourselves today and what happened in 1776. This is not a US history book. This is a historical and cultural look at how Western civilization has come to be in 2024. If you want to understand the culture you’re called to lead, this book will help.

View book here →

The big idea of this book is that 1776, more than any other year in the last millennium, is the year that made us who we are. We cannot understand ourselves without it.

Set Apart for Discipleship

Today, I want to talk about being set apart for discipleship. When we think about being set apart, several questions come up: Set apart for what? Set apart based on what? Set apart by whom?

In Matthew 4, Jesus addresses those questions when he calls his disciples and sets them apart for discipleship. We find that being set apart is:

PersonalCommunalDirectionalTransformational

As we think about being set apart for discipleship, I pray that God will help us understand his calling on our lives and his way of setting us apart.

“Red & White” by Every Nation Music

This song never gets old. It is confrontational, multi-generational, unforgettable, and life-giving all at the same time! I watched and listened to it with my grandkids over Easter weekend. Enjoy.

Run: Endure the Pain, Keep the Faith, Finish Your Race by Ferdie Cabiling

Here’s Ferdie’s book, where he narrates his epic ultra-marathon run across the Philippines to raise money for Real LIFE scholars. It also includes leadership lessons he learned along the way.

View book here →

. . . fixing our eyes intently on the risen Jesus Christ who endured the cross and despised the shame of it all (Hebrews 12:1,2) tends to change our perspective. . . . Focusing on His victory empowers us to run with endurance and finish strong.

Rooted and Grounded in Love

In Ephesians 3, Paul writes a prayer for divine strength, divine power, and to be filled with the fullness of God.

Q: How do we lead God’s people toward this?

A: By being rooted and grounded in love.

Being rooted and grounded in love causes growth. Being rooted in law can measure growth but not cause growth.

Click the video for the rest of the message.