Decoding Discipleship Myths: Your Sermon is Enough
It is often innocent enough as an assumption, but that is exactly what it is, an assumption. The senior pastor assumes that all the people of the church just need the sermon for spiritual growth. So groups are given discussion guides, or a series of questions, to come together in their small groups to talk about the sermon from that Sunday morning. Of course, the expectation is that every group member has seen/heard the sermon to some capacity, which is rare.
A Quiet Soul
We have stopped living in a quiet world. Now, that doesn’t have to mean sound in our lives. Take stock for 10 minutes of how many notifications come across your phone. How many emails? How many messages? How many news updates? How many dings, pings, and vibrations happen in your life in any given amount of time. Our world has become loud.
Dueling Budgets
Perfectly Imperfect
We are an unusual lot, we humans. Perhaps even more to the point, we are an unusual lot, we Jesus followers.
German Elections
Germany has a new presumptive Chancellor and the prospect of a new coalition government after German voters went to the polls and awarded the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party more than 28% of the seats in parliament.
Decoding Discipleship Myths: Attendance equals growth
Far too many myths exist within the church about what it means to grow spiritually and how a church facilitates that growth. The goal of these articles is to identify those myths and give thought to how to possibly overcome those myths within your organization.
Ukraine Aid Paused
The United States has paused military aid to Ukraine in an effort to speed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The move comes days after a tense Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On That Day
On that day. Those three words denote a dramatic change in perspective and destiny. They provide a window into why and how you should have hope about your future.
Tariffs Take Effect
U.S. tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico are now in effect, and the previous U.S. tariffs on China have been doubled. Canada and China responded with retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, and Mexico announced it will do the same this weekend.
Joint Session of Congress
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. In what is essentially a difference without a distinction, it was not formally a State of the Union address, as the President is in the first year of his second non-consecutive term.
To Respond or Not to Respond
Federal employees are in a bit of a bind as a result of mixed messages from their chain of command. Over the weekend, employees of agencies across the federal government were instructed by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to report by email what they had accomplished last week, or else be terminated.
The Vital Skill of Listening in Marriage
Married couples regularly underestimate the value of not just good, but great, communication in their marriage relationship. Communication underscores any truly successful marriage
Mayor Under Fire
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is under fire but may soon be exonerated from federal prosecution. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked for the corruption charges pending against him to be dropped.
A Penny Saved
You might want to hold on to that jar of pennies on your shelf, because they may soon be a relic of the past, as U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to halt production of new pennies.
A Satisfied Life
Terror at night . . . armies attacking . . . a stalking enemy . . . plagues . . . pestilence . . . wild animals . . .
Those are all descriptors found in Psalm 91 of the dangers you and I face in this world. It paints a pretty bleak picture!
Leading from Personal Vision: The Missing Piece in Pastoral Leadership (Part III)
When pastors lead with personal vision in place, their leadership takes on new depth and credibility. Instead of asking their people to live lives of purpose while struggling to do so themselves, they lead from a place of integrity and inspiration.
Tariffs
It was a wild news week on the tariffs front. First, U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on goods imported from China, Canada, and Mexico. Goods from Mexico were to be subject to a 25% tariff when entering the U.S., while goods from China were to be subject to a 10% rate, and goods from Canada were to face either a 10% (energy goods) or 25% markup (non-energy goods).
Leading from Personal Vision: The Missing Piece in Pastoral Leadership (Part II)
So how does a pastor develop a personal vision that fuels rather than fights against their ministry vision? It starts with intentional reflection in three key areas…
A Shaky Ceasefire
Less than a month into the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, there are serious signs it is faltering. After a series of hostage-for-prisoner releases, both sides are accusing the other of violating the ceasefire, and Hamas has threatened to delay the next planned release of hostages (set for this weekend).
A Thin Line
Less than two hours after swimming the best race of her life, she was in tears of disappointment.