Is Missional The Same As Gospel?

Missional thinking is the latest "must do" in the world of the church.What is missional thinking? In simplest terms, it changes the way we measure success in the church -- moving away from "how many people attend and how much money do they give?" and moving towards...

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It Doesn’t Get Worse Than This . . .

The Body of Christ in Charlotte is reeling this week over the tragedy at Christ Covenant Church.In a perfect storm of teenage exuberance, foul weather, and well-intentioned adults, this happened:Day at church camp turns tragic for teen struck by ATVEvan Wolfe, 15,...

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A Weekend Full Of Altar Calls

I experienced three different altar calls this past weekend, each of which took place in very different surroundings with varying degrees of impact.For those of you not familiar with the tradition, an altar call is a distinctively evangelical and predominantly...

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It’s Bigger Than Church

Not long ago, I saw a church describe itself as "an incredible move of God."My first thought was, "Man, that's brash. Isn't that the kind of thing you let other people say about you instead of claiming it for yourself?"Yet as I considered that description for a few...

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Church The Way It Used To Be

At the end of last week, Julie and I took our daughter back to college in Nashville, TN. Because of dicy weather and rock slides, we took the "southern" route to get there: down to Atlanta, up to Chattanooga, and over to Nashville. So we were in four states: both...

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In-N-Out Burger & Church

Most of us on the East Coast aren't familiar with In-N-Out Burger, a California-based fast food chain. You can read more about it here.The stores are known for their simple, focused menus. You won't find a chicken sandwich or a taco salad, for example, at any In-N-Out...

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The Real Competition

I am hopelessly, helplessly, relentlessly competitive.The easy explanation is that my competitive streak stems from a lifetime of trying to become the number one ranked tennis player for kids my age in Texas. And you don't do that or get there without beating other...

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