Church Life

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • I hear clips like this one, and realize millions listen to this guy… Honestly, do we even CARE about truth anymore? Read more

  • The other day I linked to a crazy article about MMA and our bloodlust. Here are some reactions to that same NY Times article. Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • Time Wasters

    I had finished my message for Sunday morning when I ran across this great column by Mark Galli. I wish I had come across it before writing my message. I could have printed this off and just read it! My text for the day is Luke 2:22-40, the story of Simeon and Anna. Here are… Read more