Be Careful Who You Invite into Your Life Who influences you? Who are the people that guide your decisions and inform your perspectives? We must be careful who we let into this most critical mental space of our lives, for if we are unwise in who we let shape our sensibilities, we risk letting others […]
Celebrate Your Minister With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #43. This congregation received us warmly and embraced our presence. They exuded a sense of family, just as true church should be. I felt a peace. I felt […]
We are All Priests Through Jesus With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #36. We arrived at church only to learn they cancelled the service because their pastor had an emergency. Despite this, we hung around and talked […]
How to Identify a False Teacher Peter writes to caution the early church about false teachers, leaders who misguide, doing more harm to the church of Jesus than good. We need to watch out for them. Here are some of the characteristics of a preacher gone bad. False Teachers I’ve known preachers like this. I’ve […]
Small Churches versus Bigger Churches With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #19. We’ve visited many small churches on our journey. Except for this one, all these tiny congregations desperately desired to grow numerically. But is this God’s […]
Enjoying a Shared Meal With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #13. If not for a prior commitment, this pastor and his wife would have invited us over for lunch. I would have enjoyed getting to know them […]
Make Sure That What Draws People to Your Church Is What Matters Most With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #12. This United Methodist Church drew me. I wanted to make a return trip, attending for a full […]
With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #7. Churches typically spend the majority of their money (at least half, often quite a bit more) on staff compensation but not this church. The pastor of this church is a […]
We walk into the church and receive an engaging welcome, as two greeters celebrate our presence. “If you’d only come in a couple weeks,” they playfully jest, “you’d be able to meet our new minister.” They’re most excited about her arrival, anxious for her time as their shepherd to begin. I tease that we could […]
Seminary Doesn’t Prepare People for Ministry; It Merely Meets Manmade Expectations I know many people who have gone to seminary. And I have friends who are going to seminary. I encourage them, pray for them, and once even helped pay the tuition. I respect those who have gone to seminary and graduated. But here’s the […]