The Vision 
A Season of Listening…
(0)Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19) For the better part of the past 7-8 months, I have recognized the value of silence. This has been a hard lesson, because I love to talk. I love to voice my… Read More ›
How to Go Back to Church – Part 2
After writing part 1 of “How to Go Back to Church” (you can read that here), I was eager to write part 2. I had the post ready to publish, then life happened. I found myself in not one, but two discussions with people who are just done with the whole church thing. “I’ve changed. I no… Read More ›
How to Go Back to Church – part 1
So, it’s happened. Whatever IT is, you have dropped out. Why? You have your reasons. And while some people may simply be habitual quitters, maybe you are not. You have had something go wrong in the ONE place where it should not: God’s house. The “safe,” “welcoming, “accepting (no matter who you are)” place turned… Read More ›
Why I Still Love the Church
Years ago, I ordered a Beef n’ Cheddar sandwich from Arby’s. If I go to Arby’s, this was what I get. It is about the only thing I ever eat there. Roast beef, melted cheddar, onion roll, Arby’s sauce, and a little horseradish sauce thrown in for good measure. But on this particular occasion, things… Read More ›
Breaking the Box
I have learned to hate the phrase “think outside the box.” It’s a great phrase, though. In fact, it’s the “go-to” expression of many in church leadership. I’ve heard it uttered at church conferences. I’ve heard it uttered in creative team meetings. It’s a real catchphrase among those trying to plant churches. I’ve probably… Read More ›
Vision Check
When I was 18, I discovered I did not have good eyesight. I had not known that before. Sure, I strained to see the blackboard if I was in the back of a classroom. But who didn’t? (or so I assumed). I got by just fine. I enjoyed spectacular views. I appreciated the beauty of… Read More ›
Easter Service?
As a kid, I remember Easter being one of the two Sundays a year that my dad went to church. In fact, looking around the sanctuary, I probably was not the only kid who appreciated this occurrence involving their own fathers. Year after year, the Easter service filled up with face after face of people I… Read More ›
Take. A. Break.
Today, I drove past a church with a marquee out front that read: “Spring break is not an excuse for being absent from church.” Every now and then I see a church sign that makes me want to find its author, smack them upside the back of the head Gibbs’ style (NCIS) and say, “No! Stop… Read More ›
Loaded Words
Words are funny things. Take the word “bomb.” Apart from its literal definition as an explosive device, we have used it idiomatically in our every day speech for years. In the 80s, to call something a “bomb” was to indicate it was a failure. That movie was a “bomb.” That concert “bombed.” You still hear the… Read More ›
Obsession
Ob-ses-sion (noun): : a state in which someone thinks about someone or something constantly or frequently especially in a way that is not normal : someone or something that a person thinks about constantly or frequently Obsession can be a minister’s greatest strength. In fact, it’s our “not normal” preoccupation with those that are far… Read More ›
unORDINARY 