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 […]
God and Synergy
Every time a great group of individual players come together on the same team, fans and commentators raise the question of synergy. Will the players be able to play well together? Will there be chemistry? As a Heat fan, I desire synergy from Lebron, Wade, and Bosh, but my hope is that the new Lakers […]
When Your Church Needs New Wineskins
The great folks at The Gospel Coalition recently asked me to write a few articles on church staffing. My latest article is below. One day a group of people approached Jesus, confused that his disciples were not fasting. After all, John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees were fasting. Why were Jesus’ disciples not […]
Crush These Clichés
There are several unbiblical and untrue clichés that are seemingly passed from one generation of Christians to another. And these clichés need to be crushed. Believers must continually repent of the thinking represented in these clichés, and Christian leaders must not allow these clichés to be passed off as Christian truth. Here are my top […]
Paths of Righteousness
Psalm 23 is a passage that many people love because of the comforting imagery of the Lord being our shepherd in difficult and painful moments. And He is. He restores and cares for His own. He provides for His sheep, His people. And He leads. But notice where the Scripture promises us that He leads […]
The Power of Repetition and Contradiction
When I served alongside Rick Blackwood as executive pastor of Christ Fellowship Miami, I was honored to preach/teach a third of the time. Because we shared the teaching, we would regularly compare notes to ensure we knew where each person was going with a text or topic. For a season, we worried about repetition. The […]
Two Sign Guys
When I am waiting at a red light where an “advertising sign guy/gal” is stationed, I tend to take notice of the person’s intensity and enthusiasm. At times I see a person really engaged in his role. He is flipping the sign, dancing, waving, and drawing attention to the location of the store that hired […]
When Vision Is Not Enough
I once heard Rick Warren wisely say, “People respond to vision, not need.” His statement resonated deeply with me, and I’ve seen it to be true in every ministry setting where I’ve served. “We need more small group leaders” never works as well as “God is calling us to launch 20 more groups and we […]
Experiences Not Toys
Today I am taking Eden (our oldest) on her first trip to New York City. She wants to see The Lion King. During our short visit, we will also take a carriage ride in Central Park, visit several toy stores (no purchases), and enjoy several meals together – including one at a famous Peanut Butter […]
When Football Is God
The report from former FBI Director Louis Freeh regarding the Penn State scandal is both shocking and sickening. Our hearts break for the victims and our anger burns against those who knowingly put children in the path of devastating danger. The report shows that key leaders at Penn State, including head coach Joe Paterno and […]