Articles
You’re Already Discipling
Sometimes it feels like we should be doing more. Our preaching could improve, and there’s always something more we could be doing. Add to that comparisons to other pastors and churches and it’s easy to get discouraged. I have good news for you today: You’re already...
Smoke Machines in Church?
My teenage son, Justin, had been invited to an area church by a friend. Since he had grown up as a PK (pastor’s kid) and had never been to a megachurch like this before, I wondered what impression it might give him. Sure enough, soon after his experience, Justin asked...
Pastor Practices
Now a word about pastors with doubts. When I was in college, I waited tables at one of my then-favorite restaurants, which served amazingly soft rolls with cinnamon butter and allowed you to throw peanut shells on the floor, a brilliant combination of two of my...
Masks
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT) Halloween. It’s the time of the year that stores and homes get paper ghosts and skeletons out of their closets and hang them up...
Ask the Experts!
Do you remember when you were younger and you wanted to know something? Did you head straight to your parents? As a teenager, did you head straight to your friends? Perhaps as you matured, you expected that your teachers or a book might have all the answers to your...
Here in Spirit
The Holy Spirit. Three words couldn’t divide the church more. I suppose “I hate you” is up there, but that’s more of a division between people rather than churches. Entire swaths of Christianity have divided over the third person of the Trinity. This division, over...
3 Realizations That Will Help You Trust in God’s Plan
It happened again… Out of nowhere, your great plan was blown to smithereens. You had your life in nearly perfect order and things were going great, but apparently God had different plans. Life threw you a curve ball—and you’re left confused, frustrated, and anxious....
Secure
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 NIV) I was plagued by night terrors when I was very young. I had a vivid imagination and dreamed in living color. My dreams were like watching a 3D movie with surround sound in...
4 Tips for Growing Your Ministry Facebook Page
Are you struggling to get engagement on your Facebook page? Are you posting regularly but not seeing any new likes or followers? Unless you are an expert or strategist growing your Facebook page may seem like a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 4 tips...
Forgiving Ourselves and Forgiving Others
I have been thinking about forgiveness a lot lately. I know many people who struggle with it, in that they are either unable to forgive themselves for something they have done or they are unable to forgive someone else for hurting them. When I think about God’s...
Worshiping Doubters
I love being a pastor and am called to be a pastor, but at times, doubt comes more naturally for me than faith. When a child dies, I don’t see a hidden joy and design behind the tragedy; I see nonsense. I don’t feel divinely comforted; I feel rage. So if you need your...
Improvise
“Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life . . .” (Ecclesiastes 9:9a HCSB) I had the perfect date planned for my young bride. We had only been married a few months and didn’t have a lot of money, but I wanted to give her the best experience...
Jesus Cares About Your Joy
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. —John 15:11 Last words matter. When someone dies, we often think back to our final conversation, remembering and reflecting on what we said to each other. I hope my final...
An Act of Worship
God, assuming we believe in a divine being, existed before the beginning of time. And Christians believe the God who revealed Himself in the Bible never had a beginning, a thought beyond our ability to comprehend. But it is not beyond our ability to comprehend that He...
The Rule of Rubrics
Perhaps most would agree that thirty years ago there was no such thing as rubrics. Oh, there was evaluation, but other than a potential list of requirements for that upcoming project or paper, there was no way to determine what the score might be…until...
Freed
“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.” (Romans 8:12 NLT) The old sinful nature is a slave driver, a drill sergeant. It demands obedience. It uses the desires and longings of the body and soul to...
A Distracted and Disenchanted Day in the Life
“We have drawn important boundaries for the encroachment of technology into our lives to preserve our family and attention spans, but that does not mean we’ve managed to save time for reflection.” The beauty of using my iPhone as my alarm clock is that when I reach...
Inconsolable Longing
Is anything more disruptively unsettling or existentially challenging than having to deeply feel a desire that will never be fully satisfied in this life? It seems reasonable to assume that a good God who loves the human creatures He created would never build into...
Social Ministry: 4 Reasons Why Your Church Should Be Social Media
Social Media has now become a tool that allows churches and ministries to reach a global audience. Social Media does not replace a traditional church service or replace church but social media is a place where we can keep the conversation going after church service is...
Training Small Group Leaders
When we first launched small groups at National Community Church, we designed a three-hour, in-person training to prepare potential leaders. We packed in as much as we could—theology of community, icebreakers and snacks, raising up apprentice leaders, asking powerful...
