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 […]
The Drain and Gain of Student Ministry
I am very grateful for the student pastors and volunteers that serve students in churches every single week. As Christ stepped into our culture to serve us, they step into the teenage world to love and lead students. Because of the responsibility to pass on the Christian faith to a new generation, churches must have […]
Sabbatical Insights for Churches
I know that the decision makers for giving pastors a sabbatical vary according to context. The ones responsible with the decision may be executive staff, elder team, deacon body, or personnel team. If you are on one of those teams, I encourage you to give your pastors a sabbatical for two reasons: (1) for the […]
Seven Sabbatical Insights for Pastors
The church I served as executive pastor for eight years (Christ Fellowship) graciously gives their pastors a sabbatical. Mine was scheduled for six weeks in the summer of 2010, but I was not quite sure I was going to make it until then. In January of 2010, some signs of exhaustion were clear. I was […]
Why Your Pastor Needs a Sabbatical
In a church I served years ago, I was in a committee meeting where some members were bemoaning the fact that my senior pastor was taking “a sabbatical.” One man boldly proclaimed, “The devil does not take a day off; if we want to make a difference in this community – how can our pastor […]
Burying a Program
Since writing Simple Church with my boss Thom Rainer, a common question has been, “How can we eliminate a program or an event?” Those who ask the question often know that a program on their church calendar accomplishes very little for the Kingdom and is not aligned to the mission of their church. But they […]
God’s Work of Art
Frank Gasparro was an artist with very little name recognition, yet his artwork has been held by millions of people. You have owned one of his works. Frank designed the images on the penny. All pennies from 1959 through 2008 have his initials on them. If you look at the lower right of the Lincoln […]