Journey
As cancers go, it was the best kind to have, the doctor said. Basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, that lives at the base layer of the skin, but rarely metastasizes to other parts of the body. The bad news, he said, was that it was in the
Culture
About 3 years ago, Debbie and I unplugged the cable TV and stashed our 27" big black box behind an upstairs couch. And we went cable-less for almost 18-months. Then the presidential election came along, and we turned it back on last fall. Yesterday I turned in the cable
Journey
I received a call from the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office at about 9:30 PM tonight. A very kind investigator told me that my brother had been found dead late this afternoon in the apartment he shared in Atlanta. We knew this call would come one day.
Community
In addition to pastoring a small church, we garden. Actually, Debbie does the real gardening, I just dig holes where she tells me to. Here's a walk from our backdoor to the vegetable garden and beyond. Note the 1-day old bluebirds at the very end of the video.
John
This is the third sermon in an eight part series titled, "Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church Faces." I'm preaching this one tomorrow, and I hope your Sunday is a great one. Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there, too! Seven Cultural Challenges Every Church
Congregation
A probing question companies ask themselves in planning is, “What business are we in?” You might think it would be obvious that a newspaper, for instance, is in the print news business. But, not so, according to a popular journalism blogger. Steve Yelvington says that newspapers are in the business
1 Corinthians
Here's the sermon I'm preaching tomorrow from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. I hope your Sunday is great! Running To Win 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a
Congregation
Browsing in a Barnes & Nobles today, I saw a book titled, Lies My Teacher Told Me. Apparently the author takes issue with some historical stuff he thinks is misrepresented in public education. The title of that book got me to thinking about my seminary experience. While I would not
Journey
When I was a kid, time seemed to stand still, especially in the weeks before Christmas. I remember asking my mother, “How many days ‘til Christmas?” Her patient reply to her 6-year-old reassured me that Christmas would indeed come someday soon. We didn’t start decorating for Christmas at our
Congregation
Here's the sermon I'm preaching on Sunday, September 21, 2008. I hope you have a wonderful day at your church. Standing Firm in the Struggle Philippians 1:21-30 NIV 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am
Culture
Read Joe Eszterhas's article in the Washington Post today. Joe wrote the screenplay for Basic Instinct and Showgirls, neither of which I would recommend. Now Joe gives a compelling testimony of how God saved him. I mean literally saved him from death. Read it, it's an
bless the world
Tom Sine's latest book, The New Conspirators, celebrates the increasing diversity in the church. Sine's book continues the theme of his classic book, The Mustard Seed Conspiracy, published in 1981. Sine was a 'red-letter Christian' before the official group existed, and in this hopeful