Prayer and the Art of Sportsing
Squarely within our cheering and jeering, I firmly believe that we’ve completely missed the fact that our prayers for such matters are misguided at best, and may in fact even be idolatrous.
Tag: problem
The Heart of the Matter…
My city is in pain. The country is in shock. And much of the world is in mourning. Amidst everything that’s happened in Orlando in the past 3 days, I’ve never been more proud to call this city my home. While I may complain about the drivers, the cheesy pandering to tourism, and the mindless devotion to The Mouse, we certainly know how to come together for a cause.
5 Dangers of Having it “Your Way” at Church
In 1975, Burger King forever changed the fast food game by launching a campaign known as “Have it Your Way”. It was a simple, but brilliant marketing idea. Around this same time, the American churches decided to take on the same campaign strategy. Here’s 5 reasons why having it your way is a very dangerous thing.
Learning from Cobwebs
The common definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. And all too often, the thing we repeat is treating the symptoms of our problems.
New Book is Here!
What I wanted to write about, then, was my own personal observations from my time “behind the curtain”, as it were. There are a lot of old traditions and longstanding institutions that need closer scrutiny, and there’s a lot of decisions being made with good intentions but poor destinations…
Announcement: “Deconstructing Church” book coming soon!
Many of you know that I’ve been working on writing a book for the better part of two years now. And, to be honest, the content has been brewing inside of me in various ways for closer to a decade now. This is truly a work of the heart and represents both my deepest frustration […]
Why I Hate Conservatism
I cannot stand Conservatism. Mind you, I’m talking about the word itself. The movement, if it can be called that has its merits and its flaws, to be sure. But it’s the word that I’m hung up on. Talking heads and blogs on either side of the aisle have begun using this terminology and it […]
Problem 4: Are We Letting Big Church Inform Everyday Life or Everyday Life Inform Big Church?
“And in a flash, it’s all over. In an hour, all the hard work and preparation has come to a head, and it’s either time to do it all over again (literally in your next gathering), or start planning for next week, where you can do it all over again. Does it ever feel like Sisyphus, forever doomed to push the rock up a hill, but never reaping the rewards of reaching the top and the promised land guaranteed on the other side?”
Let’s Talk Legacy
Shame says “I am a mistake and I must do something to change that or forever be forgotten.” Pride says “Building a legacy is about forever being remembered.” Jesus says “Let people see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Problem 3: Are We Telling People What They Should Do or Inviting Them Into What We Are Doing?
Sign up for this program. Join a small group. Work in the children’s ministry. If we aren’t careful, the very things that truly could be beneficial to the congregation turns into a mandate that is accompanied by a guilty conscience if their response is in the negative.