When I finally got on Spotify this week, the first song I looked up was El Paso by Marty Robbins. When I was a kid I had a cassette of his Cowboy ballads. I wore it out. I had just about every song memorized. I can still sing most of El Paso, but not without […]
Three Motives for Planting a Church
I haven’t written about church planting in a while, but I continue to have conversations with planters in the middle of it, as well as with pastors considering leaving their established churches to start new ones. One such conversation got me to thinking about the different reasons for planting a church. Anytime we start discussing […]
July 21, 2011 by 4 Comments
A Clear Definition of (Spiritual) Fitness: Ready for Anything
In these posts I’ve been applying what I’ve learned about physical fitness from CrossFit to the pursuit of spiritual fitness. Specifically, the need to have a clear and functional definition of (spiritual) fitness. Read Part One Read Part Two Beyond the specific spiritual domains and accompanying exercises, there could be an even simpler, and more […]
July 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A Clear Definition of (Spiritual) Fitness Part 2
The Goal of Spiritual Fitness Most churches have done an excellent job of describing the kind of the church they want to be: open, inviting, relaxed, contemporary, grace-filled, seeker-sensitive, diverse, and kid-friendly. But how many churches have taken the time to describe the kind of disciples they hope to form? CrossFit is not so much […]
July 19, 2011 by 8 Comments
A Clear Definition of (Spiritual) Fitness Part 1
The Goal of Physical Fitness One Sunday morning, my nine year old son and I were sitting in the large auditorium of a church building where I was about to speak. As he looked up at the impressive architecture he asked, “What would you do if all of this stuff starting falling down on us?” […]
July 18, 2011 by 2 Comments
Commercial Break: My Speaking Ministry
I really enjoy being a guest speaker for churches on the weekends. Sometimes I do a block of Sundays for churches without a preacher. (I’m speaking at the University Church in Conway, Arkansas three times this month.) Sometimes I do a one-time spot for my preaching friends who need someone to fill in for them […]
July 17, 2011 by 2 Comments
Time Trial #2
July 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A Word to the Desperate and Lovesick
Here is an excerpt from my book Before You Go. ***** “They say love is blind; it is also deaf, dumb, and stupid.” -Jaded Cynic “The girls all get prettier at closing time.” -Mickey Gilley I used to hate doing premarital counseling and so did the first few couples I counseled. That’s because I didn’t […]
July 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Like Sands Through the Hourglass
I love this image from Repacking Your Bags: It begins with an image-the image of an hourglass. Most of us live our lives as if we’re in the top of the hourglass. We’re rushing around trying to build our sand castles, but as fast as we can do so, the sand is running out. The […]
July 14, 2011 by 1 Comment
The Good Life
I’m reading through Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for the Rest of Your Life for a project I’m working on. One of my favorite parts of the book is their generic formula for living the good life: Living in the Place you belong, with the people you Love, doing the Right Work, on Purpose. […]
July 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons