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May 2014

May 19, 2014

What's in the 'Secret Sauce' at Mt Vernon

The DNA of each church is different. Every church culture is unique. Recently our staff...

May 16, 2014

Five for Friday (5.16.14)

School's almost out! But that doesn't mean you can't stop learning! Here are five articles...

May 14, 2014

The Flu, Broken Homes and The Church: The Power of Belonging

Where do you belong? To a family? To a school? To a job? To a...

May 13, 2014

37 Reasons My Wife is Amazing

Last week my wife celebrated a birthday. Now I know it's improper to reveal a...

May 05, 2014

My Two Demonic Encounters

When I was living in Africa back in 1999, I had two demonic encounters within...

April 2014

April 21, 2014

The Easter Hangover

originally posted on April 1, 2013 It happens every year to pastors: the Easter...

April 17, 2014

The Danger of Easter Sunday

I recently talked to a lady whose husband hasn't been to church in fifteen years....

April 16, 2014

The Overwhelming Thing Guests Will Be Looking For This Easter

For churches, Easter is the "Superbowl" of Sundays. The bushes are spruced up, the pile of...

April 14, 2014

The Myth of the "Unchurched" in the South

As a pastor I've heard the term "unchurched" thrown around for years. I look at...

April 10, 2014

The Small Shift That Could Revolutionize Your Church

It's the difference between attending a party and hosting a party. When you attend a...

April 09, 2014

The Bully Pulpit, by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The Bully Pulpit is a riveting tale of two men and a magazine that changed...

April 08, 2014

Do You Want to Get Well?

In John 5 there's a verse that puzzled me for years. One of the times...

April 02, 2014

The Difference 7 Years Can Make

Seven years ago, the narrative of Robin and I's marriage was that we were the...

March 2014

March 31, 2014

That Time the Apostle Paul Went to Go See the Movie Noah

The movie Noah has been a lightning rod in the Christian community. To see it...

March 29, 2014

Noah: Why You Should See It

WARNING: Noah (the movie) is a radical interpretation of an ancient story that directly contradicts our sanitized-VBS-idyllic...

March 26, 2014

Why We Don't Have an Invitation at our Church

We don't have an "invitation" at the end of our services, and there's a very...

March 24, 2014

A Guaranteed Way to Get Unchurched People to Come to Your Church

Sometimes we overcomplicate things. There are tons of books out there on how to see...

March 05, 2014

What to Do During a Bad Church Solo

We've all experienced it before: the overwhelming panic that covers you like a blanket when...

March 03, 2014

When Your Mood is as Fickle as the Weather

Yesterday was a balmy day in Mississippi. Mid-70s, t-shirts and shorts weather, all the kids...

February 2014

February 26, 2014

How to Have Your Heart Broken in Ministry

My heart is broken the fourth Monday of every month at 1 pm. It's like...

February 17, 2014

For Those of You Limping Into Monday

Can we be honest and say that sometimes we don't look forward to Mondays? Maybe...

February 14, 2014

Valentine's Post to All the Single Ladies Out There (repost)

Being a youth pastor for ten years, I’ve got a lot of “daughters” that I...

February 12, 2014

10 Things You Learn After 50 Years of Ministry

Recently I was watching an old Catalyst talk where Chuck Swindoll shared ten things he's learned...

February 07, 2014

10 Ways Social Media Has Changed Us in Ten Years

It's hard to believe Facebook is ten years old this week. While some of us...

February 03, 2014

Seattle's Secret Weapon in Winning the Superbowl (The Power of a Chip)

If you watched last night's beatdown handed out by Seattle, then you know that the...

January 2014

January 31, 2014

Trusting God Enough to Give

If you've ever given a sick child medication, you know how much they can resist...

January 29, 2014

The 90-Day Tithe Challenge

Several months ago I attended a conference at a great church in South Carolina (NewSpring)...

January 24, 2014

Why Church Should Be Fun

Church should be fun. It really should. Now wait, all you coffee-shop-theologians, before you start...

January 15, 2014

The (Real*) Reason You Don't Bring Friends to Church

Here's a reason that we don't bring friends to church, one that we don't talk...

January 13, 2014

7 Reasons Why We Don't Share Our Faith

Let's be honest: most Christians don't share their faith. We say it's important, we feel...