3 Ways Busyness Hurts People and Churches
There was a famous research experiment conducted by two Princeton psychology professors that shows the harm busyness does to our priorities and our focus. Because the experiment was conducted on seminary students, it is very applicable to ministry leaders and churches. The year was 1973. John Darely and Daniel Batson were the professors. Three groupings […]
Grieving, but With Hope
The church I serve as pastor gathers together in the same community where Kobe Bryant and his family live. Many have “their Kobe story,” such as the time they ran into him at Starbucks and he was kind and approachable or how they enjoyed seeing him just be a “Dad” at a local kid’s event. […]
Diagnosed with Disconnection and the Beauty of Community
The phrase “diagnosed with disconnection” comes from a compelling story in Johann Hari’s book Lost Connections. He tells the story of a psychiatrist, Dr. Derek Summerfield, who traveled to Cambodia to learn about the mental health of the Cambodians. The Cambodians realized there were people who struggled with deep sadness and pointed to this one […]
Popeyes, Our Fascination With “New,” and the Exhaustion of Climbing
Because I grew up in the New Orleans area I grew up eating and loving Popeye’s Chicken (Popeyes started in New Orleans). As a kid, my parents would drive us by Al Copeland’s house at Christmas, the founder of Popeyes, because of the incredible Christmas lights he put up each year. My childhood nostalgia had […]
5 Ways You (and the People in your Church) Will Grow This Year
When God wrestled with Jacob (Genesis 32), God won Jacob to Himself by making Himself weak. In His love for Jacob, He withheld His power as even a slight touch to Jacob’s hip dislocated it. God has won us to Himself through weakness too. He emptied Himself, took on human flesh, and submitted Himself to […]
4 Ways to Set Effective Goals for 2020
It is a new year and many people will take time to set new goals or make new resolutions. Goals can be helpful as they cause us to evaluate our lives, consider what is important to us, and decide what changes we need to make. Setting goals has also proven to be fruitful, as research […]
“Christmas Makes me Sad/Glad” and 3 Reminders for Us Preachers
Christmas season tends to bring out emotions in all of us – some emotions of sadness and some of gladness. A recent Google search of “Christmas makes me sad” turned up 347 million results with lots of articles telling us why Christmas makes us sad. Psychologist Ken Duckworth commented “Holidays are a great example of […]
Merry Christmas From Genesis 3 (and 3 Reasons It Is Important)
The Christmas story does not begin in a manger; it begins in a Garden. Genesis 2 ends with Adam and Eve in perfect paradise where they “felt no shame.” Then after surrendering to the temptation from the evil one, they immediately feel shame, attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves, and hide from the Lord. […]
4 Ways to Make Reading Your Bible a Daily Habit in 2020
Charles Spurgeon said, “Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” The more we read the Bible, the more likely we are to wish we read more of it. That’s what the State of the Bible 2019 found when they surveyed people on how consistently they interacted with the Bible and […]
Thank you, Instagram, for Hiding Likes
This weekend I noticed that my Instagram posts were not keeping a running tally of likes. I was so glad to see this feature being tested. Thank you, Instagram. I cut my social media teeth on Twitter because, as some have said, “Twitter is about words and Instagram is about pictures.” And as the leader […]