I first started blogging because Thom Rainer, my former boss and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, encouraged me to use a blog to encourage and help ministry leaders thus the vast majority of my writing was for them. But after a few years of blogging Chris Martin, who helps with my blog, surveyed all the…
sin
The Deadly Sin I Was Least Aware Of
I recently finished a teaching series on the seven deadly sins, and I saved the best for last. Or so I thought. Compared to the other sins, I thought a message on sloth would be the most fun to prepare because surely the Lord would not need to deal with me on the topic. Sermon…
5 Things Christ Will Reverse What the Coronavirus Has Revealed
The Coronavirus crisis has revealed what we already knew. It has alerted us, all at once, to the pain and suffering around us and within us. Here are five things I have been grieving, five things the global pandemic has painfully reminded me of: 1. The brokenness of our world We live in world that…
September 11, the Coronavirus, and Ministry
I was on the phone with my good friend Ed Stetzer a few nights ago, asking for his perspective on the impact of the Coronavirus on our culture and the Church. Ed is much smarter than I am on these sorts of things, and he articulated that there have been five culture-altering events in the…
Pressure and Shame from the Increasing Paradox Surrounding our Bodies
Joey Chestnut is the most dominant person in his field. People marvel at his ability and his dedication. He is consistently the national champion in the Nathan’s Annual Hotdog Eating Contest. He won again last year by downing 71 hotdogs (with buns) in ten minutes. 25 years ago, it took 20 hotdogs to win the…
The Gift of a Decline in the Stock Market
Money is not the root of all kinds of evil, but the longing and lusting for it is (I Timothy 6:10). Greed is the corruption of the good and God-given desire to manage resources well, to provide for your family, and to be fruitful in this life. Greed is the corruption of that desire to…
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…
7 Signs We Are Not Spiritually Hungry
We all hunger for something, at all times. Whether for position, for influence, for affluence, for possessions, for a relationship, or for righteousness – we are hungry for something. Jesus said that only those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. In Jesus’ Kingdom, the only way to be satisfied is to be…
5 Sins Leaders Must Constantly Give New Wounds To
In his famous and classic work, Mortification of Sin, John Owen wrote, “Never think your sin is dead because it is quiet, but labor to give it new wounds, new blows every day.” He also famously wrote, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” The more we think our sin is quiet, the…