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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 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 12, 2014

The Small Thing a Pastor Can Do To Make a Huge Impression

This past Sunday at church I met several new families at Mt Vernon Church, but...

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 28, 2014

Why We Created a Next Steps Desk at Mt Vernon

Things are always changing at Mt Vernon. One of the major changes we made in...

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 21, 2014

How a Handshake Can Change Your Church

This couple isn't supposed to be at our church. One grew up Church of Christ,...

February 19, 2014

Hooray! We Ruined Church!

We ruined church for someone, and we're excited about it. A few days ago I...

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 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...

January 2014

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 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...

December 2013

December 09, 2013

Why Americans Don't Trust Each Other

USA Today recently reported (original article here) that Americans don't trust each other anymore. In...

December 06, 2013

Advent Conspiracy

In 2006, five pastors got together to conspire to celebrate Christmas differently. Why? Because Americans...

December 03, 2013

20 Things I've Learned in Two Years

Two years ago (back on Nov. 11 to be exact) I officially sold out and...

November 2013

November 15, 2013

601 Marbles

I have 601 weeks left until my oldest son Zeke graduates high school. I know...

November 04, 2013

The Beauty of the Mundane: Making the Rocks Cry Out

It's just another Monday. Nothing special. You get the kids up and off to school....

October 2013

October 23, 2013

Why Adult Sunday School Can Hurt the Church

Now, before you start throwing rocks the size and shape of your LifeWay quarterly, hear...

October 21, 2013

One Ministry Every Church Should Have

Yesterday at Mt Vernon I received a comment from a first time guest that I...

September 2013

September 25, 2013

Stories of Hope (Why I Do What I Do)

Yesterday at staff meeting (whoop whoop!) we went around the table and shared stories about...

September 09, 2013

Why You Need to Be in a Small Group (And Why I Love Mine)

Mt Vernon Church is big on LifeGroups (our uber-hip renaming of Sunday School), and here's...

September 04, 2013

Why First Impressions Are So Important

This past Sunday my wife and I were out of town and had the opportunity...

August 2013

August 30, 2013

A Beautiful Mess

One of my favorite parts about being a pastor is getting to baptize people whose...

August 19, 2013

Calling a Spade Anything But a Spade

On July 3, the Egyptian military ousted democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi and installed themselves...

July 2013

July 29, 2013

Please Pray for Colonial Hills Baptist Church

Over the weekend, a horrific bus accident killed three adults and an unborn child. The...

July 10, 2013

How a Playdate Can Change a Life

It's the little things that can change a life. A few weeks ago at Mt...

July 08, 2013

Park Stevens Funeral Message

This past Saturday, I preached at a funeral for one of our college students who...

July 01, 2013

The Most Valuable Commodity in the World

Over 25,000 Americans commit suicide each year. Over one million will try but only one...