Articles
Innovation Takes Courage
What if there was an explosion of innovation in the church today? Imagine the effects of innovation on discipleship, community, racial reconciliation, hospitality, and giving! These are just some of the giants waiting for ministry leaders to tackle. These are outward...
First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament
LONG AGO, IN THE TIME BEFORE ALL DAYS, before the beginning of all things, the Great Spirit created the spirit-world above and the earth below. At that time our mother earth was an empty wasteland with no form or beauty, and great darkness was over the face of the...
God’s Call to Welcome and Embrace The Addicted
Drug addiction is killing people just like you and me: fellow image bearers of God who are moms dads, uncles aunts daughters and sons From February 2018 to February 2019 alone, 69,000 people died of drug overdoses. This problem has grown markedly worse during the...
Superheroes Needed!
It’s Them! Superheros Like an intense, action-packed Marvel movie, the stage is set, and the head-to-head battle between Light and Darkness is coming to a head. It’s taken decades to get here with the last six months progressing at warp speed. Many of God’s people are...
The Difference Between Giving Up and Letting Go
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. Martin Buber In many situations in life, our instinct is to fight it, fix it, and seize control. But very often, the Lord is asking us to do the opposite. He’s asking us to let go. Surrender is...
The Outsized Power of Shared Purpose
In 1992, seven years into my company, I was a relatively new corporate officer and by now a keen student of teams. This was during the period of my father’s death, when Debbie and I joined what turned out to be a booming church. As I described earlier, we saw a...
You can’t say that!
Those words are becoming more and more common these days. Not only are people, usually people on the more conservative side, being told they can’t say certain things, it is now creeping into the arena of our thoughts. Who would have ever thought that a sitting...
Rest and Refresh
We need rest. Scripture teaches that we are dust (Gen. 3:19). Unlike God, we tire. We are finite creatures. We need sleep and refreshment. John Piper reminds us: “Sleep is a daily reminder from God that we are not God….Once a day God sense us to bed like patients with...
How to Care for the Seniors in Your Church
In essence, church communities are a type of chosen family. When you share a faith experience with someone, week in and week out, you come to know them on a personal level. One of the ways church members are called to do their part is to care for older churchgoers....
Reclaiming Sunday Morning as the Church’s Primary Formative Event
One of the unique values of corporate spiritual practices —those experienced regularly on Sunday mornings —is that they shape and direct our desire for God in ways that private disciplines fail to replicate. Over time, habits and rituals, combined with pertinent...
Has Jesus left the building?
As we sit in the back pew and look around, we notice the dearth of people and wonder: Has Jesus left the building? COVID-19 has been foremost in many minds for over a year. We’ve all had our lives restricted, have had to follow orders in our personal lives from the...
Can You Read the Bible Like A Child?
Sometimes a fresh look at the obvious yields a bombshell. At age 20, my life was crushed and rebuilt by one small challenge. Could it change yours as well? For fifteen years as I speak and travel talking to people about my conversion to Christianity. I have been...
How to Stop Feeding Your Victim Mentality
Born of trauma, loss, chaos, and injustice, the Victim mentality often feels like a strange form of justice or protection. It can cause you to become so self-focused and defensive that you incrementally push others away. The Victim Identity continually seeks attention...
The Ninefold Path of Jesus – Trust
Imagine being significantly free of worry and anxiety. What would that be like? Deep peace. Sound sleep. Full attention. Is that a quality of life you desire? Do you think it’s possible? In the teaching on the hill Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life.” The...
6 Ways (Minus 3) to Know God Is in Your Life
My good friend Jason used to be an outstanding pastor and preacher. After a church split and two other hard experiences, though, Jason no longer felt God was in His life. “God,” Jason prayed, “if You are real, say something. I need to hear You speak to me.” Jason...
Comparison Games
After a year of social distancing, isolation at home and all the overarching pandemic woes, most of us are itching for a proper summer vacation. Dreaming about returning to that holiday ritual, my wife, Amy, recently found an old picture of me on the beach in San...
Recruiting the JV Squad
It’s recess on the blacktop back in elementary school and all the kids are lined up eagerly awaiting your finger to point in their direction. While their self-esteem hangs delicately in the balance, the only thing on your mind is winning. That’s the job of the captain...
The Creed
Every Sunday, my church recites the Nicene Creed during the worship service. Sometimes, I wonder why. True, the ancient words summon a succession of images in the mind, often powerful, treasured pictures. But am I aware of what this act means as I participate in the...
NC Lt.Gov Mark Robinson BRINGS HOUSE DOWN with Trump-Like 4th of July Speech
A MUST WATCH from the first till the last minute. This is what a real Patriot should be.
Which Truth?
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. - Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) Have you ever stopped to think about WHY we need to guard our hearts...and, more importantly, what we need to guard them from? To explain this, we need to talk about two...
