It’s All in How You Say It
People are fascinating, aren’t they? A lot of folks will dodge a conversation even when the topic isn’t hard at all. Shame is usually what’s fogging up the windshield. Sometimes a little reframing of the words you use is all it takes to turn an awkward moment into an open door. When I speak to…
Called, Willing, and Unready: Why Young Preachers Keep Leaving
Most of us remember the first time somebody handed us something important and walked away. Maybe it was the keys to the family car, a cash drawer at a first job, or a newborn at the hospital door while the nurse smiled and waved goodbye. You stood there thinking, “Surely somebody is going to show…
Nobody Carries Water Alone
Picture a church fellowship meal in the middle of a hard week. Somebody brought three casseroles because she figured somebody else would forget, a man who just lost his job is laughing at the dessert table, and the widow who almost stayed home is getting more hugs than she can count. Nobody announced that this…
52 Things I Have Learned in 52 Years
Today I turned 52, and somewhere between the birthday cake and the reading glasses I need to read the candles, I got to thinking. Fifty-two years is a lot of living. I’ve preached for 30 of them, raised a family, made more mistakes than I can count, and learned something from almost every one. Some…
No Longer Children
Being childlike before God is a good thing. Jesus said, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Being childish at forty is a different animal. Paul says the goal is “that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and…
Every Part Working
Some folks treat the church like a restaurant. You come in, you get served, and you leave a review on the drive home. The singing dragged on and on. The sermon ran too long. Nobody spoke to anyone in the foyer. Three stars. Paul had a different picture. Paul says that God gave apostles, evangelists,…
The Measuring Stick
We love to measure ourselves against the folks around us. Somebody is always a little shorter than we are. Paul will not let us do that. The goal is “mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). The pencil mark is set at the height of Jesus, not…
Stop Letting the Past Overtake the Present
As rocks fell upon the body of the preacher Stephen, standing close was one holding the coats of the stone throwers. This man agreed with the death sentence of a preacher of God. His name…Saul. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees and, if held to the law, blameless. (Philippians 3.5-6) It would be this…
Gratitude Lessons from the Son Who Came Home
We all know what it feels like to wander. Sometimes, we lose sight of what we have until we find ourselves far from home, longing for the comfort and love we once knew. The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) isn’t just about mistakes and mercy; it’s a powerful lesson in gratitude, especially when…
