Community
courtesy BBC I wrote about the impending crises in the three E's -- energy, environment, and economy -- several weeks ago. This weekend we saw all three converge, vying for media coverage with each other. Hurricane Ike hit Texas and the Gulf Coast; gas prices spiked with gas
church as abbey
We're in a transition in our church some 4 years after my arrival as pastor. Our congregation is aging, and younger families have left the church, primarily because we didn't offer the programs that larger churches in our area offer for children and youth. We recognize
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
church as abbey
Some in my Southern Baptist denomination are calling for more stringent church discipline. That's mostly because we can't find about half of our 16-million members. Obviously, some of our folks don't take church membership very seriously. The logical thing to do to solve that
bless the world
Here's the sermon I'm preaching Sunday, August 24, 2008, from Romans 12:1-8. I hope you have a wonderful day on Sunday. Living Sacrifice, Graceful Service Romans 12:1-8 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
Community
She called today. Soft-spoken, courteous, hesitant. "My husband just got laid-off," she said. "He's applied for unemployment, but that won't start until next week. They're going to turn our lights off if we don't pay the $150 we owe.
bless the world
Tall Skinny Kiwi (aka Andrew Jones) had an interesting post today titled "Baby or Bathwater or both," referencing Jonny Baker's post. But, TSK also picks up a quote from the same issue of Encounters by Jonathan Ingleby, who says: My answer to that question is another
Congregation
"It will be worth what we're spending if only one person gets saved." That comment came from a deacon when I was serving a previous church. He was referring to an expensive project we were undertaking. I nodded in agreement because his sentiment seemed so right.
Congregation
Maybe there is no "right way" to do church. That thought occurred to me the other day while reading Mission in the 21st Century by Andrew Walls and Cathy Ross. The "right way" to do church may be the way that is authentic to the group
Congregation
We had a long and intense discussion in a committee meeting tonight at our church. The subject: how can we reach more families and children? My challenge to the group was to lead the church to make a commitment as a congregation to the "what" -- reaching families
Congregation
In leading your church, have you ever thought "it's too late" to start a new class, solve a problem, or try a new church strategy? Or, "we missed our chance?" Or, the best one -- "we tried that once and it didn'
Community
(A couple of days ago I wrote about several converging crises -- energy, economy, and environment. Since then the price of gas has gone down! Proof that I was wrong. Not! As a nation we are so shell-shocked by the energy crisis that we think a 10-cent reduction in the