Tonight finished up the end of my Christmas busyness!! It was a crazy week, but I'm glad that's it's all over now and I can enjoy the rest of the season. It's so ironic that we spend so much time doing "Christmas" things and yet we sometimes forget why we're even doing them. The same can be true with the Christian life in ... [Continue Reading]
Championing the good
In watching some videos on vision again this evening I was really challenged with an idea that I thought about a year ago but have allowed to slip from my mind: championing the good. This evening the idea was tossed around as it comes to vision in the form of celebrating when people do something that is supportive of the vision. For example, when a volunteer ... [Continue Reading]
Shocking statistic
I'm not one to look much at statistics... I remember hearing in college that 90% of statistics are made up on the spot. However, in a book I'm reading for my Leadership in Ministry class, I read that in a typical church, nearly half of the attendees give $0 (that's right, zero dollars) to the church in a given year! Shocking, ... [Continue Reading]
Change is the only constant
Yesterday I watched a really fascinating video for my class on leadership. The lecturer was explaining a principle that is something to consider. A group of researchers wanted to determine how changing the lighting situation in a factory would affect the productivity of the workers. The lights were brightened, and the measured productivity increased by ... [Continue Reading]
What really matters
I'm in Ohio today getting ready to visit my brother and his wife in Mt. Vernon in addition to Kari's grandma and aunt and uncle. I decided that no trip to Ohio would be complete without getting some Caribou Coffee since it's not very accessible in Indiana. So here I sit at Caribou with my Caramel Apple coffee drink, eating a sugar cookie. ... [Continue Reading]
Clarifying confusion
A good friend of mine and I have had a good debate today about whether my church (LifePoint) is actually governed by the Presbyterian form of government. The answer to that question is "yes" because the congregation at my church does not carry any kind of vote when it comes to making decisions. BUT LifePoint is not like a traditional Presbyterian ... [Continue Reading]
Church government
I just finished listening to some lectures for my seminary course on types of church leadership. In case you're curious, LifePoint is has a Presbyterian form of government with a board of elders who govern the congregation. The pastors of the church are non-voting elders, and they are under the authority of the Board of Elders. For the record, I think ... [Continue Reading]
Talented People
I am really blessed to work in a church with a ton of talented people. This morning we heard a children's choir sing. They were awesome! And then we had two ladies play their violins before the sermon. Incredibly worshipful! It is fun seeing people use their talents for the Lord while blessing others in the process. ... [Continue Reading]
An olympic effort
I was proud of my country last night. It's not the first time I've been proud of the United States, but last night I watched a team of first-time olympic competitors in men's gymnastics peform better than anyone could have expected or hoped. These guys made everything look so effortless, and they earned a bronze medal against all odds. ... [Continue Reading]
It ‘ s not Jesus and… (Acts 18:19-19:41)
For some people it's tempting to add Jesus as *another* thing they believe rather than *the* thing they believe. That was the situation during the time of the early church, and it's a situation we face now. We like to pick and choose what we like and leave the rest out. When Jesus says God is love, we like that. When Jesus says we have ... [Continue Reading]
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