The Bible Study book Solve was released on May 17, 2016. The 2015 Solutionists series and the book that comes from it are both based on Nehemiah, one of Scripture’s neglected superstars. As I was involved in the creation and editing process, I wanted to reach out to...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Ways To Cope When You Want To Quit Ministry
Ministry is like most occupations: there are times when, in the immortal words of Johnny Paycheck, when you want to take this job and shove it. So what do you do when you're a pastor and Mr. Paycheck is singing to you? For you? Well, as a survivor of a few of those...
The “Making Sure Your Tongue Doesn’t Tie You Up” Sermon Rewind
I'm not going to lie. I liked yesterday's message a lot. I liked the set up for the sermon -- a song by Don Henley & Trish Yearwood called Words Can Break Your Heart. Don and Trisha weren't with us in person, mind you, but their roles were filled more than...
Preventology, Week 5 — “Making Sure Your Tongue Doesn’t Tie You Up”
Anyone ever gotten in trouble because of something you said? Yeah, me too. That's why I think this week's Preventology message is one of the most important in the series. The book of Proverbs, our guide to preventing crises rather than managing them, has a lot to say...
#TBT — Some Famous 32s
Through the years, there have been some high profile athletes sporting #32 on their jersey. First there was Jim Brown: Then, OJ. You know, before: My favorite football 32 was not so well known . . . unless you grew up in Dallas and loved the Cowboys:...
When A Church Has Horsepower
Do you remember those scenes in old Western movies in which a stagecoach raced across the American plain? While we are grateful for the modern system of interstate highways, the stagecoach's image is nevertheless one of romance, energy, and alignment. All that...
Top Five Tuesday — Top Five Elements Of A Good Wedding Ceremony
Maybe it's because my own 32nd anniversary is coming up on Thursday. Maybe it's because I have a spate of weddings over the next few months. Maybe it's because that spate includes that of my own son & his fiance. But I've been thinking about what makes a good...
The “How To Prevent The Coming Economic Collapse” Sermon Rewind
I had a few things I wanted to accomplish with Week 4 of Preventology: Let people know that no national economic collapse happens without a lot of individual collapses preceding it; Let them know that they are not victims of forces beyond their control; Let them know...
Preventology, Week 4 — How To Avoid The COMING ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
So is this what our future looks like? Is it inevitable? Will it be impact everyone? Or . . . will it be Donald's fault? Hillary's? Or the Libertarian candidate's? Or is there a completely different way to approach money, resources, and national crises? I...
Bring The Shout Back
If you Google the words “Shouting Methodist,” you’ll discover that the phrase is not an oxymoron. Instead, you’ll read these words in the first article: One name commonly applied to early nineteenth century Methodists was “shouting Methodists” – a name Methodists were...