Participation, Not Association
When I fly on an airplane, I am associated with the people next to me. We are in close proximity to each other. We are on the same flight, experience the same bumps, the same views, and the same food. But despite having the same experience and being next to one another, we are not […]
You Are Only as Strong as Your Foundation
Your ability to stand strong is based completely on the strength of what you are standing upon. My daughters make me nervous when they climb on top of something that is not sturdy, something that will give out and cause them to fall. Standing is really not about our ability but the strength of what […]
The Perceived Leaders for a Guest
While serving full-time on local church staff teams, I intuitively knew that the people who we put on the platform/stage would be perceived as leaders in our ministry. But I did not realize the magnitude of that perception until Kaye and I started visiting churches as a non-staff attender. Those on the stage (musicians, singers, […]
Sequoia Tree Faith
A few years ago, I took my wife to San Francisco and we drove up to Muir Woods just north of the city. Muir Woods is filled with sequoia trees, many of them 1,500-2,000 years old. And they are huge. The highest sequoia trees in the world average over 250 feet high. That’s almost as […]
Four Keys to Better Church Hospitality
As my family visited churches upon moving to Nashville, we were blown away by the differences in hospitality to first time guests. In some churches we knew exactly where to park, were graciously welcomed, escorted to the children’s area to drop off our kids, and introduced to several helpful people. In other churches, we had […]
Giving and Ownership
While Kaye and I searched for a church home in the Nashville area, we still gave to our former church in Miami. Throughout this process, the truth that your heart follows your giving was affirmed for me. Or as Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Because we were still […]
Apple Cannot Deliver
I am a fan of Apple. I run with an iPod, am writing this on an iMac, talk on an iPhone, and listen to music on iTunes. I love their discipline and relentless focus, their simplicity, and their excellent products. They are known for delivering on their promises. But with all the connectivity they promise, […]
Apology to the Replacement Refs…
After Green Bay lost Monday night on this incredibly inaccurate call (one ref signaling an interception while the other signaled a touchdown), sports fans and pundits began to demand change and an apology from the NFL Commissioner to fans, teams, players, and coaches. While I feel badly for all of the above, I feel worse […]
Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart
The Lord rescued me the summer before I turned 18. As I was new in my faith, I struggled with the security of the salvation the Lord had graciously provided for me. Some of my friends believed you could “lose your salvation.” And because I still sinned a bunch, I struggled with the fear of […]
Creature of the Word
I have been honored to team up with Matt Chandler and Josh Patterson on our new book, Creature of the Word. Prayerfully, we believe the book will encourage and challenge church leaders and be a blessing to local churches. Frankly, many churches have a gospel-centered doctrine without a gospel-centered culture. The Reformers, however, viewed the […]