I can identify a rural church by listening to its congregation members in three statements or less: What are you bringing to the potluck? We were late for church ‘cause we had a cow down. Huh, we’ve never done that before. I bet you could add several more to this list without much thought. It’s a pretty fun game to play. But, here’s an another one. I bet I can identify a rural church in one line or less talking to their pastors. Ready? Here we go: I need leaders. I know the language most …

It has been said that the days in which we live are marked by one common distinctive: division. You don’t have to tune into any news channel very long before you have evidence of this. Whether republicans or democrats, liberals or conservatives, or the many divisions across the spectrum of sexual ethics, religious beliefs, or even technology and its use there are dividing lines, camps and a very clear “us versus you” mentality in almost every stream of life today. All of that division manif…

We know the cause of death; it was the cross. It was not necessarily the injuries to which He succumbed, despite His lack of ability to breathe as His lungs filled with fluid, or His cries from the cross indicating His thirst. His death may not have come from His visible wounds, not just those received hanging there at Golgotha, or from the beating He took coming down the Via Dolorosa to that place, or the scourging received from the Roman soldiers before, or even beating with rods in King He…

This may be an awkward introduction, probably more for you than for me. I’m a Christmas ornament.  I’ve been around for years, and I bet if you love the holidays, I love them even more. I can make the case that I live for them. A sweet couple brought me home from the store almost ten years ago. I don’t know what they wrote on my back, but if I understood the conversation, it was the date and something about their first Christmas. WHAT A PRIVILEGE! All ornaments want to be associated with a sp…

I am one of the most Christmassy people you will ever meet. I love everything about the holidays from the sacred to the hokey: I start Christmas music with the start of the NBA season I go to every Christmas party I am invited to, and some I am not I am a verified over-gifter and sin against my Dave Ramsey roots as an annual indulgence So, with all that being true, I have a surprisingly “ba humbug” thing to bring to the table. I have a problem with your nativity. No, I am not talking about …

There is a lot of tension in being a follower of Christ. If you haven’t noticed, you haven’t been reading the manual very closely. We often call them a paradox: to be first, you must be last; to save your life, you must lose it; what good is it to gain the world and lose your soul? You know, little things like those. But, I recently have been pondering a grace and works tension. Not regarding salvation, no, no! There is nothing to add to or take from the work Christ did for us on the cross. I…

I am not grateful enough for Jesus.  I am thankful I am aware of this, and I am crying out to God to help me become more tender to all Jesus has done for me and asking Him to increase my gratitude. Writing this to you is a way for me to do that. I always learn more when I teach than any learners do, so this is my hope. I know Jesus loves me and that He loves me more and better than anyone else can or would. But, the truth is that my wife loves me, there is no doubt. My kiddos love me; I know …

Pastors are leaders, not a groundbreaking statement, but what kind of leaders are they? Very often, leadership is considered a binary issue. Either you are or you aren’t. You have the gift, or you don’t. You’re leading a crowd or taking a walk by yourself. But what if leadership had levels? That would help you know where to place people with the “gift “of leadership in your church. And it helps discern where you are as you face the challenges of leadership daily. This concept surfaces in Exod…

Good Friday. I know we have all heard the sermons about Good Friday being misnamed, because it was anything but good.  Brutal, yes. Sad, absolutely Agonizing, without a doubt. So, we have been pointed in the direction of identifying the irony of calling such a vicious day a “good” day. I don’t disagree; I’m sure I have preached that message in the past. I know we’ve also been taught to view this as Good Friday because of what takes place later. In other words, it’s only Good Friday becau…

This is the second of two articles I was asked to contribute to a series of seven articles about why some churches die. At the end of the article will be a link to this entry where you can also find the other articles in the series. The joke landed well in a room of 300-plus denominational leaders and pastors. The laughter sparked numerous spontaneous testimonies and anecdotes – that apparently needed to be shared immediately. It took a minute to get the room back to the speaker. What was th…