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Celebrating Earth Day
For Earth Day, Ethan’s Kindergarten class put on a special Earth Day program. The class, which spent weeks preparing, did a great job. And, we are very proud of Ethan! The one-hour program included a...
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I Love the Psalms!
I’ve always loved the book of Psalms. I am often reading through the psalms. In fact, in the earlier days of my journey, I followed what I heard was Billy Graham’s system for reading Psalms and...
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What the Most Powerful Preachers Do Before Breakfast
In the last two days, I read three mini-ebooks by Laura Vanderkam. The books are from her series, What the Most Successful People Do. The books are good because they are short, practical, and include...
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Preaching Requires Investment
Preaching is hard work. It’s not just the act of preaching that’s hard, but all of the prep that goes into it during the days (and sometimes weeks) leading up to the preaching event. Preaching requires...
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5 Challenges From Preach Better Sermons
Yesterday’s free, 4-hour online preaching conference, Preach Better Sermons, was great. It will take some time to process it all, but here are five things that resonated with me … 1. Find your own...
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“Training Camp”
I finally got around to reading Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else by Jon Gordon, which I’ve been interested in for a while. The book is a fictional story that shares lessons on...
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Under the Influence of the Spirit
I really enjoyed preparing a message for Pentecost Sunday this past week. In fact, it struck me that without Christmas and Easter, there would be no Christianity, but without Pentecost, Christianity...
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A Heart Strangely Warmed
Today is Aldersgate Day, and it marks 275 years since John Wesley recorded these words in his journal … In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading...
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No Questions in Heaven
I’ve said during a couple different worship services in recent years, there’ll be no questions in heaven … only gratitude! That’s certainly not to make light of the questions we have now or the...
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Prayers for the Church: Trust
The Church needs to trust God! I have been writing a series of prayers for the Church, offering a prayer with a different focus each week. It’s been a few months since my last prayer in this series,...
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The 2013 School Year in Review
Today was a busy day, and it marked the end of a busy year! This year, Sarah completed her first year of preschool (see Sarah Goes to Preschool!), and Ethan completed Kindergarten (see Ethan Goes to...
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A Makeover for Your Mind
Have you ever gotten a makeover? Makeovers aren’t just for your face and hair or even for your house. They are also for your mind! The dictionary definition of transform is … to make someone or...
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Sing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs!
One of the things I’ve discovered over the years that stirs my passion for God is listening to praise and worship music! In Ephesians 5.18-19, the Apostle Paul wrote … Don’t get drunk on wine, which...
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Prayers for the Church: Courage
The Church needs courage! This is another prayer in a series of prayers I’m writing for the Church, each focused on a different area. I’ve lifted up a number of areas, so far (see list and links...
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York, Maine 2013
We just returned from vacation in Maine (where we went in 2011 and 2012). The kids enjoy going to Maine. They talk about going there through much of the year, even though it’s far away and the water is...
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Gathering or Scattering?
As I look back over the past twenty-five years of following Jesus, clearly my greatest passion has been God’s mission — engaging in it and leading others to engage in it, too! I’ve always been...
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You Can’t Do it Alone!
Recently, I re-read Exodus 18 where Moses receives a visit by his father-in-law, Jethro. It’s a well-known story, especially among Christian leaders. It’s often used to make a case for team-building...
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Prayers for the Church: Vision
The Church needs vision! I’m nearing the end of a lengthy series of posts, offering prayers for the Church focusing on different areas (see list and links below). According to Bill Hybels, “Vision is a...
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Keeping Our Distance
Recently, I was reading in Exodus 20 and the words describing what followed the giving of the Ten Commandments grabbed my attention … 18 All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and...
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“What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast”
Laura Vanderkam has written a series of short books focusing on “what the most successful people do.” The first book in the series is What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. Mornings have...
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