A lot of people in leadership mistake activity for progress.I know this because I've done this.Back in the day, for example, I wanted the church bulletin to be as full as possible. I wanted it to be loaded with information and to feature a calendar that was stocked...
On July 20, 1969, I was seven years old and watched the moon landing and moon walk at my Aunt Florence's house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.What do I remember?Flying from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale with my mother on an Eastern Air Lines flight and eating a corned beef...
How do you "launch" something that emphasizes being "still"?Here's how:This series will be a departure for us. But it's a depature we must take.Four weeks on the 23rd Psalm.And I believe God will be in it, just as he is in those words: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall...
There I am, hard at work at Vacation Bible School.We're in Rome.And you know what you do when you're in Rome.So we had chariot races. The cardboard was the chariot; the teenagers were the horses.How'd we do?Take a look:By the way, that's my son Riley on the chariot in...
Schadenfreude is such a great word. Borrowed from German, it means "satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune."And pastors have it. In spades.Sadly, our schadenfreude is usually directed at other pastors or ministries. We're not overt about it, mind...
July is the time of year when many, many Methodist pastors begin serving new "appointments" -- they have moved from one church in the connection to begin serving another.So what's the best way for a new pastor to begin serving that "new" church? How does the pastor...
Here's a video we showed in church yesterday featuring Linda Keziah and Annette Hamilton.That's what Walking Together is all about. We want to create as much space as possible for people to walk alongside each other in friendship, laughter, and joy.
Don't miss this Sunday.Just don't do it.The music will move you, the message will surpise you, and the videos will inspire you.They all come together to complement the journey we just took in unChristian while preparing us for the journey we're going to take with...
There's one more verse on my list.One I don't live out very well.Jesus says this in Mark 10:43: For the greatest among you is servant of all.Wow.I think of greatness in terms of tennis victories, church accomplishments, professional accolades, and kids who make me...
Another favorite verse is Proverbs 3:5-6:Trust in the Lord with all your heart &lean not on your own understanding.Think of him in all your ways,and he will make your paths straight.These are the first verses of Scripture that I ever memorized. I did so at the...