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Yesterday at City Church we completed a 13-week series on God's grace entitled Charis (the Greek word for grace).  It is a series I have been putting together and processing for a few years now.  Perhaps no set of sermons has ever been more personal to me.  Here are a few of my takeaways. - Grace is more than tolerance or leniency.  It is even more than the unmerited favor of God.  Those definitions dilute the fierce and aggressive nature of grace ... which not only welcomes rebels but relentlessly pursues them.  - If grace does not offend your human sense of justice or fairness at some point, you probably do not grasp a) the magnitude of your own sin and/or b) the scandalous nature of His grace. - Grace is more than a doctrine.  Grace is found most clearly embedded in stories.  The Bible from cover to cover is filled with the narrative of broken people who stand in need of radical grace and the God who pursues them. Do not try and restrict...

Today is the due date for Levi Lockey Hudson.  Unfortunately he is not on our schedule. We are on his. So he has not officially arrived yet.  I've been thinking about his arrival and had a few thoughts I wanted to share with him. Dear Levi: You are a product of grace  One day when you get older you will hear a story of grace and redemption that led to this moment in time when you became a part of our family. You are a gift from a gracious God who heals, restores, and redeems.  God has given us the privilege of being your parents for one simple reason: He is a good Father. Your mommy is the best  Your mommy is my best friend. She is a blessing to those who know her. She is loved by a lot of people.  She is sweet, kind, pleasant to be around, encouraging, positive, beautiful, smart, and a ferocious lover of God, your daddy, and our family. You are privileged to have her as a mommy.  I will seek to love her in a way that demonstrates for you ju...

Yesterday at City Church we took a Sunday to break away from our "regularly scheduled programming" for a Sunday of intentional prayer, reflection, and discussion regarding what has been happening in our culture.  We discussed racism, violence, the role of the church, and many other tough topics. A few of the things that I took away from our discussion: - God is in absolute sovereign control. Not one thing that has happened recently caught God by surprise. His sovereign rules extends to every square inch of our planet and He can be trusted. - We must be intentional to listen way more than we speak.  Social media is a platform that gives me the opportunity to state an opinion before I take time to listen.  Don't fall into the trap. It is easy to make noise with a keyboard. - Life matters to God - all life.  Protestors. Victims. Cops. Criminals. Bystanders. All life is valuable. Every person is created in God's image.  Treat people like they are valuable .....

As you have probably heard, Ashley and I are expecting a baby boy at the end of September. We are beyond excited. We have discussed a multitude of names and have finally decided on a name for our son.  We wanted to pick a name that we love and also has meaning.  We believe we have found one that meets both criteria.  So we are happy to announce the name of the next Hudson boy will be... LEVI LOCKEY HUDSON  LEVI Levi is the name of Jacob & Leah's 3rd son in the Old Testament.  I identify closely with the story of Jacob as he wrestled constantly with the struggle between his own human identity and the man God created and called him to be.  His ultimate identity was not found in his own cunning ways to gain notoriety but in the God who saves and redeems sinners.  He is one of my favorite OT characters.  Also Jacob and his wife Leah met under unusual circumstances generated by wrong choices that God used to create a lasting bond in spite of...

God never ceases to amaze us with His amazing grace. Grace by its very definition is undeserved and unearned.  As you know, our story is one of brokenness and redemption, hurt and healing, unfaithfulness and forgiveness. It is a story that testifies of God's relentless grace. And our grace story continues to be written. Ashley and I are thrilled to announce our family is growing! God is giving us another undeserved gift of incredible grace. WE ARE EXPECTING A BABY!!!!! That's right: Ashley is pregnant. God has granted us the privilege of becoming parents.  He continues to make beauty out of ashes. We have often questioned whether we "deserved" to have a baby. The Enemy has a way of constantly reminding you of your consequences and how "undeserving" you are of God's blessings.  And yet we know that God redeems brokenness for His glory and goodness. He brings life out of death.  And in His sovereign grace He has created life in spite of our failure...

Do you ever wish life came with an edit button? Do you wish you could go back and rewrite or omit a chapter of your story?  I think all of us have moments or seasons we wish we could amend. Ten years ago this week a new church launched in Las Vegas.  135 people gathered in a middle school cafeteria north of Las Vegas and Grace Point Church was born. I had the privilege to serve as the Founding & Lead Pastor of Grace Point for its first five years.  In reality, I had already invested over 3 years of my life into that moment so the official "launch" was simply the climax of the previous chapter of my life. Parachuting into a community like Vegas and planting a church is a daunting task. Very few church plants survive in Vegas.  And truthfully only a church planter knows the weight and burden of starting a church from scratch.  The amount of money that must be raised (a million dollars for us), convincing a core group to move to Las Vegas with you with no...

A few years ago I wrote a blog post regarding my oldest daughter Kayleigh turning 16.  This week my second daughter Ragan crosses that threshold as well.  I am in denial and shock.  My sweet princess is 16! How does this happen?!?  Time is a cruel taskmaster and a wonderful gift at the same time. On this special day, I want to remind you Ragan of a few reasons why your Daddy loves you "to the moon and back" ... 1) You have a caring heart. I love Ragan's heart.  She cares for people. She loves her family and friends.  She has a tenderness about her that is unique.  Her heart has been captured by the gospel and it gives her a loving kindness that few young ladies her age have. 2) You are growing into a beautiful young lady. As Ragan gets older, she is growing more and more beautiful.  I love her cute smile and happy personality. Her naturally small frame is the envy of anyone who has to "work" to stay in shape but it does not define her....

I do not consider myself a great parent.  Unfortunately parenting does not come with an instruction manual. Most parenting is learning as you go. For that reason alone, I frequently make mistakes as a dad. By the time you add to the mix different personalities, genders, emotions, life circumstances, sin, and the complexity of leading and loving another individual, you realize quickly there is no such thing as a perfect parent. I have also discovered parenting girls is completely different than raising boys. I grew up in a home with all brothers. My father is an only child so he has no sisters. My mom was raised with two brothers and no sisters. My older brother has only sons.  My daughter Kayleigh was the first girl in the Hudson family for 2 generations. Needless to say, raising daughters was not in the genes when my girls came along. Every season of a child's life is different. They evolve as a person. They grow. Their personalities are shaped. Life experiences mold them...

We are in a benchmark series at City Church called CORE.  In this series we are unpacking what it means to fulfill the mission to which we believe we have been called: to continue what Jesus began. We have refined our mission with 4 Core Values that serve as our guardrails to make sure we remain focused on our task.  Two of those values focus on what we believe: 1) The Church belongs to Jesus & 2) Grace is a way of life.  The other two deal with what we practice: 3) We live intentionally in community & 4) We are in the city for the city.  This Sunday I will be preaching part 2 of our second core value ~ Grace is a way of life.  Living a life of grace begins with believing and accepting the gospel of grace.  We learn grace by being graced. As we grasp the gospel (what has been done for us in Jesus & who we are in Jesus), grace becomes a way of life. We tend to live out what we have received - what has changed our lives. I believe most of our...

Today we announced that Revolution Church is re-launching as City Church.  We are excited about this direction change for a number of reasons. 1. We believe it is time for a fresh start.  With new leadership comes a re-defined focus. The name Revolution (and formerly Crosspoint) Church served a purpose. We believe that season is now complete and it is time for a new start.  It is important for Ashley and I to take ownership of a fresh focus and changing the name is a natural part of this process. 2. We want our name to reflect who we are.  We believe God has called us to be IN this city and FOR this city.  God has called us to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel in this community. We want the people in our city to know that we are for them. We will serve them. We will love them. We will partner with them to make our city a better place.  The name City Church reflects a bigger vision than what just happens on Sunday mornings. 3. Our mission statement i...

Eighteen years seem like such a long time ... until you drop off your first child at college. At that moment, you realize just how short 18 years actually is. There is no way to prepare for the 18 years of emotions you feel as a parent. As I drove home yesterday after leaving my Kayleigh at Samford, my heart felt ... I don't know how to describe it other than weird .  I am SO excited for her future and know that these next 4 years will potentially be some of the most memorable of her life.  And yet there is a deep heaviness in my heart knowing it will never quite be the same. I am not sure you ever feel ready as a parent to say goodbye to your child. I am proud of the young woman she has become and yet every insecurity I have as a parent surfaces in these defining moments.  Your mind is filled with both good times, struggles, and a flood of questions regarding your abilities as a parent. A lot of memories are created in 18 years - many you will cherish always and so...

Tomorrow evening my oldest daughter Kayleigh will put on a cap and gown, walk across a stage, receive a diploma, officially become a high school graduate, and enter a new season of life. I am not sure that reality has sunk in for me yet.  My little girl is becoming a young woman. Even as I type those words, my heart pauses for a second.  On one hand, I am so excited for her and what lies around the corner in her life.  On the other hand, I want to burst into tears, hold her close, and protect my little princess from the broken world that awaits. My mind races to the giggles, vacations, closeness, wins, laughs, and everyday moments we have enjoyed. And at the same time it also recalls the hurts, tears, tough conversations, pain, and moments of distance we endured.  As she prepares to transition into this new season, I wish I could multiply the good times and edit the not-so-good ones ... but then I realize ~ God has used both to make her the person she has become ...

I read an interesting article yesterday entitled To the Pastor Considering an Extramarital Affair .  As someone who as the culprit has lived firsthand through this reality, I was interested in what Dr. Degler had to say.  Her perspective is spot-on for the most part.  Here are a few of the thoughts that stood out to me. 1. The real issue when it comes to sins like adultery is my own brokenness.  I can blame my former spouse and our unhealthy relationship on my choices (and those issues are not totally irrelevant) but in reality my own brokenness caused me to make the choices I did.  While my wife loves and understands me at a level that I have never experienced, it is only because of what God has done in our lives that I can make that statement.  What caused us to get involved with each other initially was rooted in our own selfish hearts and actions. 2. Your sin will be exposed. I can't describe the pressure of living with the realization that you ...

"You will not make it three years! Your so-called marriage is destined for failure." The words leaped off the page at me. They hurt deeply. They angered me. This remark was just a small part of a long grace-less diatribe I received from one of former mentors.  I had reached out to him to seek his forgiveness after a year of silence.  Like many, he contacted me shortly after my sin was exposed and harshly informed me how wrong I was and how deeply disappointed he was in me.  And then I didn't hear from him again until I reached out to him a year later to seek his forgiveness and convey how God had been working in my life over the previous year. His response? A harangue on how unrepentant and narcissistic I was and how my second marriage was destined for failure. I guess I wasn't surprised. We tend to talk about grace more than we display it.  He really didn't know what steps of repentance, restoration, and healing I had taken so he didn't really know the s...

This weekend my oldest daughter Kayleigh turns 16. I still remember the moment she was born. I cried as much as she did as I witnessed our incredible gift enter the world. It is a moment that cannot be described. It can only experienced. I can hardly believe she is now turning 16.  As I reflect on the past 16 years God has given me with Kayleigh, here are a few thoughts that I have for her this weekend. 1. You are beautiful.  My daughter Kayleigh is beautiful inside and out. Like any teenage girl, she battles her own insecurities with the unfounded pressures our society places on young people to look, think, and act a certain way. In reality, she is one of the most beautiful 16-year-olds I have ever seen.  Even more importantly, she is beautiful on the inside.  Kayleigh has an incredible heart for God.  Her inward beauty dwarfs her outward appearance.  She seeks after Jesus. She is a leader. She loves to serve. She worships passionately. She listens t...

I am divorced. I am remarried. This is my reality (and the reality of many others). The circumstances that led to my divorce and remarriage are not pretty. I was unfaithful to my first wife. I sinned against her. I allowed my heart to grow hard and refused to turn from my sin and trust God. And as a result, my first wife rightfully filed for divorce. I did not fight it. I simply allowed the process to happen in order to get my way. I live with this reality every day. Unfaithful. Divorced. Remarried. Over the last 18+ months, I have listened to multiple sermons on divorce and remarriage. When I was a pastor, I preached several messages on this difficult subject. Heck - I even wrote a 300+ page PhD dissertation on the subject. And yet, my reality remains: unfaithful - divorced - remarried. Of the many homilies on this subject I have listened to or presented, almost all of them deal with the "how to avoid it" side of the issue. Most approach it from a preventative ...