David Sunde's Blog

One of the best to kill the vibe of a perfectly good small group is a curriculum. The alternative - discussing Sunday sermons - doesn’t offer a better growth trajectory. We’ve all been there - discussion narrows, relationships find a polite lane, and learning becomes primarily cognitive.

So, what if the “content” was your family rehearsing what you believe is true about God? What if you could move the needle of your small group from discussion to demonstration? From information to equipping? Wha...

Spend five minutes with a child asking a few questions and you can quickly learn what their family values, expectations, what’s allowed, and what’s frowned upon. Why is that?

Because a mirror works even when our eyes are closed.

Without having to say a word and without intending to, human nature has a way of expressing preferences, fears, political leanings, approval, annoyances, pleasure, and doubts without having to say a word. It’s in our reactions, a heavy sigh, how we spend, and what’s permis...

Arriving before daybreak to immerse myself in the Austin phenomenon that is SXSW, I joined a rising tide of die-hard live music fans. A local radio station had set up in an oversized living-room-for-a-lobby at the Four Seasons. Sitting in the round, they live-broadcast their morning show all week—offering the perfect indie-music sampler platter. Two songs per artist, stripped-down sets with minimal DJ introductions—an ideal way to digest the week's overwhelming festivities.

These emerging artists...

While the Church wrestles with outward cultural relevance, it's also navigating an inward challenge of metrics. Results and fruit, though both valuable, serve distinct purposes. The primary difference is:

God doesn't call His people primarily to results—He invites us to bear fruit.

Results manifest in statistics—attendance, sign-ups, volunteers, baptisms, small group involvement. Each number represents a life , yet the fruit of person’s life is best measured in developmental relationships; those c...

Even if shopping comes easily, an IKEA excursion can expose even the most committed of shoppers. I have a friend who imagines IKEA as the Swedish word for “hell.” Once inside, you’re lost in a maze that seems to lead you back to a vaguely familiar kitchen. Of course, in wandering, you’re sure to be separated from anyone you love. If you have to use the restroom, they’re all fake, like a bladder mirage. And when you think you’ve escaped the warehouse nightmare, you find yourself in self-assembly ...

“Maranatha” is often translated as “our Lord comes,” which is as unfortunate as reducing Christmas to Jesus’ birthday party. This Aramaic word captures “three times zones” that Jesus came, He’s here, and He’s coming again.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol famously illustrates these three “time zones” through the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. He narrates the Christian vision that even the most Scrooge-like person among us can experience a change of heart. Dickens offers a compel...

The Church today is missing a great opportunity to be UNequally yoked. When the idea of being “in community” consists mostly of life-stage gatherings and similar interests, we end up with a whole lot of sameness. Of course, sameness isn’t bad. It’s just geared for maintenance rather than growth.

When it comes to dating, every youth group kid is taught to be “equally yoked” (2 Cor.6:14), which is wise counsel. However, disciples only finding sameness makes it hard to embrace sent-ness. Meaningful...

There are two types of strength and neither is automatic, but both are universally available. The first, called Fluid Intelligence, launches our adult mission fueled by passion, concern, talent, and intuition. In his best-selling book, Strength to Strength, Arthur Brooks illustrates how fluid intelligence offers early recognition, validation, and confidence. The problem is that fluid intelligence leaves us sooner than we want or realize (typically, in our late 30’s). So, what initially validates...

Circadian rhythm is like our body's internal clock. When this clock is working well, we feel motivated, attentive, and healthy. But any traveler knows the effects of jet lag that disorients our bodies from our daily routines. It’s the Monday morning lull after a full-throttle weekend that leaves us out of sync. Or its modern technology fueling long hours and blue screen viewing at night that disrupts healthy sleep. Studies show we are in a “rhythmic epidemic”, which explains why most people are ...

In 2008, an interesting book emerged like an abbreviated anecdote to society’s under-whelmed sense of hope entitled, “Not Quite What I Was Planning.” It’s a collection of 6-word memoirs to sum up lives:

“My reach always exceeds my grasp.” 

“More than yesterday. Less than tomorrow.” 

“Once was blind. Now I see.” 

“Made a mess. Cleaned it up.” 

“It was worth it, I think.” 

It’s become an additive cliff-noting commentary for own observations:

I can make awkward look effortless.

Boba Tea is Lost On Me. (Ser...