The speaker steps to the podium and begins. “Good Evening. It’s great to be here tonight. By here, I mean up here on this stage. I have sat where you all are sitting many times and wondered what it would like to stand up here and look out at such a crowd. Now that I’m […]
The Secret to Being Miserable in all Circumstances
I’ve been working on developing a framework of “organizational wisdom” for churches that can help them do a better job of discerning and then deciding their next best steps to accomplish their mission. One of the ideas I’m exploring is that many of the wisdom principles taught in the book of Proverbs apply to groups […]
January 19, 2011 by 4 Comments
Preaching on Work (Part 3 of the Preacher Geek Series)
If you want to preach some material that your church probably hasn’t heard before, do a series on the theology of work. In fact, I can almost guarantee you’ll be stepping into frontier territory with your first sermon. Most Christians have never been encouraged to think about their work–what they spend 40 to 60 hours […]
January 17, 2011 by 3 Comments
A Mean Prayer
Dear God: You know I’m not very good at prayer. I try, but my small words always get stuck on big ideas. I’m trusting you know what I need–and what my prayers mean–even when I don’t. I’ve read my Bible a few times and there are lots of things in there that bother me. Some […]
January 12, 2011 by 2 Comments
The Difference Between Good and Bad Decisions
I recently heard a great quote about decisions from Tom Selleck’s character on Blue Bloods: That’s the thing about decisions. You usually don’t have to talk yourself into making the right one. How true this is! It’s caused me to pay more attention to the things I’m trying to talk myself into as I chart […]
January 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Preaching the Beatitudes (Part 2 of the Preacher Geek Series)
One of the preacher’s worst nightmares–besides working with a church that actually expects him to practice what he preaches–is to plan a six week series of teachings that turns out to be only five-and-a-half weeks long. By that, I mean that the preacher runs out of material before he gets to the end of the […]
January 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Beware of Restaurants with Large Menus
I love finding wisdom in unexpected places. Last night I was listening to The B. S. Report with Bill Simmons podcast and Bill and Mike Lombardi were talking about how the Baltimore Ravens lack an identity on offense. Lombardi compared them to a restaurant with too many items on the menu. The best restaurants usually […]
January 5, 2011 by 4 Comments
30 For 30: Time and Chance
I’ve watched about one third of ESPN’s 30 For 30 series of documentaries. I plan on watching most of the rest as long as they remain On Demand via Time Warner. I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve seen so far. Several have made me cry. I was especially moved by “The Guru of Go,” about Paul […]
January 4, 2011 by 4 Comments
Preaching Romans (Part 1 of the Preacher Geek Series)
One of the challenges for preachers is to come up with fresh ideas for teaching series. While I’m a fan of expository preaching over topical, I favor framing expository series in a topical way, rather than just saying, “We’re going to spend the next year in Romans and see where it takes us.” Over next […]
January 3, 2011 by 1 Comment
10 Top of Mind Reflections from 2010
I sat down and typed out my reflections on the lessons I’ve learned this year just as fast as they would come. Here are the the Top 10. If you don’t like em, go learn your own! 1. You don’t really know who your friends are until you’re in trouble. Then they come out of […]
December 31, 2010 by 4 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons