The Epidemic of 2012 Before the Pandemic of 2020
There has been a lot of talk about the pandemic’s impact on mental health deterioration. Stay at home orders and social distancing reduced both time with others and physical exercise, which adversely impacted mental health. The decline in mental health as a result of the response to the pandemic has been well-documented and discussed. But […]
Love Your God More, Not Your Country Less
When you love something or someone, you are tempted to love that thing or person more than God. Because we are prone to idolatry, we can easily take good things—blessings in our lives—and give those blessings our worship. I can do this with Kaye, my daughters, my role, and so many things. C.S. Lewis wrote […]
Election Year and the Kingdom You Belong to That Will Not Be Shaken
Ah, another presidential election year in the United States of America. And of course, another election that is “the most important election in our lifetime,” as each one has been called since I can remember. Among Christians, we will hear all kinds of comparisons from within the biblical narrative. Some will liken our choices to […]
Leaders and Managing the Gift of Momentum
If you are a leader, you know there are seasons with momentum and seasons without. As a Christian leader, you must preach to yourself that God is good in both seasons, faithfulness to Him is the priority in every season, and often the most fruitful work is done when there is no momentum—that seasons of […]
On the Table: A New Bible Study Answering Common Cultural Questions
Last year I led our church through On the Table, a teaching series that answered major questions Christians often receive. Some of the questions felt more theological such as “How can we trust the Bible?” and “Is Jesus the only way?” Some of the questions felt more cultural such as “What does God think about […]
New Goals and an Old Dream for a New Year
When people ask, “What are your dreams for the new year?” they are typically speaking of broad hopes or specific goals. Hopes and goals for a new year can be both inspiring and clarifying. They can help motivate us and serve as a filter for decisions. I have dreams and goals for the new year […]
2024 and the Sure Foundation for Your Times
The version of the children’s tale The Three Little Pigs that I heard growing up featured the big bad wolf eating the pigs who built their homes with straw and stick. I learned that not everyone grew up with such a grim version of the tale. In some versions, the pigs ran to the home […]
6 Thoughts for Worship Leaders on Theology and Our Weekend Gatherings
Our Lead Worship Pastor, DK (Daniel Kim), asked me to speak to all our worship leaders from all our congregations about some theological convictions that I hope inform our weekend worship gatherings. This is not an exhaustive list. Nor do I think it is an inerrant list! But I do love serving alongside others who […]
A Tool I Wish I Had as Simple Church Was Released
Nearly 18 years ago, Thom Rainer and I wrote Simple Church, a research-based book that showed how thriving churches were much more likely to be deeply committed to a strategic process for discipling people than non-thriving churches. It was the non-thriving churches that offered lots of programs and were bloated by an abundance of activity. […]
An Annual Teaching/Preaching Calendar: How We Think About It
I recently wrote about the why of advanced sermon planning, and a question that inevitably emerges is, “How do you decide what to teach?” Or, “When you are planning a teaching calendar, how do you think about different approaches to teaching?” Three big thoughts guide how I think about a teaching/preaching calendar: Preaching and teaching […]