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Influence
One thing that simply cannot be underestimated in our lives is the influence of others. People only WE may know, but can change the course of our lives. They won’t make the cover of Time magazine, or be on American Idol or Oprah. They simply lived life and you were better because of them. The world will never hear of…
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I Love this (Bar)… (Church)…
Mark Galli is becoming a favorite of mine. He cuts through the cultural laziness we have as a church. His recent article deals with just how “friendly” a pastor or church should be. Really, putting it in pure poll numbers, the church just isn’t ranking up there! Isn’t that just a shame? We’d rather go to the local bar than…
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My Great Loves
Happy Valentine’s Day! I confess my great loves today. First is my great love for God. I spent this weekend in a “silent” retreat contemplating Ephesians 1-3. I love Ephesians. For the past 15 plus years of my life it has been bedrock to my life. Once again I was blown away by my God’s great love for me. I…
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Really… Does Truth Matter?
I hear clips like this one, and realize millions listen to this guy… Honestly, do we even CARE about truth anymore?
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Follow up on Mixed Martial Arts…
The other day I linked to a crazy article about MMA and our bloodlust. Here are some reactions to that same NY Times article.
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Marketing and the Church
I get into debates with myself over what is “marketing” for the church. What “counts” vs. what “doesn’t count,” etc. But then I read articles like this one and just get sick. The article begins like this: In the back room of a theater on Beale Street, John Renken, 42, a pastor, recently led a group of young men in…
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Monday Thoughts
Some great thought-provoking posts and articles are surfacing this Monday. Bill Mounce over at Koinonia has some thoughts on the Ted Haggard situation. His big question is: “Why was Haggard removed from his church? Why were they not allowed to at least attend?” He readily admits he doesn’t know the entire situation, but he asks the question anyway. I find…
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Age Segregated Worship
For years I have preached against becoming some niche church. I don’t want to pastor a “40-something” church, or a “30-something” church… I want to pastor THE CHURCH. The Church reflects a family, not just people my exact age with my exact income level, education level, and life circumstance. Yet, that is what we are starting these days, and have…
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Why I am Sacramental, Part 2
I need an addition to my affinity for the sacramental life. Another deep appreciation I have for the sacramental life is the love for the Church. There is a solid connection to the Body of Christ. There is probably not one person in the Church that has not suffered some form of abuse in the institutional Church. Yet, I hear…
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Why I am Pentecostal
This is an attempt at a series. I doubt I will post regularly enough on it to be meaningful, but there are some things I want to try and lay out, even in rudimentary form. I begin with I know best: I am a Pentecostal. I was born into a family that went to a Pentecostal church. My earliest memories…
Category: Church Life
