My team was tired. And I couldn’t blame them, even though the fruits we saw from our ministry efforts were undeniably profound. We’d just marched through a packed calendar of amazing, bridge-building events that attracted new teenagers to our ministry and a Bible study series that deepened the faith of our student leaders.…
After co-hosting my church’s online service last weekend, I logged onto the service-stream of a friend’s church in another state. “Carl” (not his real name) was focusing on the “Hurry Sickness” that afflicts our culture (well before COVID-19 descended on us).…
There is a big difference between privacy and secrecy—once again, we’ve been reminded of that difference in the most painful of ways. This week the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News published an in-depth investigative report on the widespread and systematic sexual abuse of minors in Southern Baptist churches over the last 20 years.…
Every great organization has great leadership… period. It’s going to be nearly impossible to become great if your leadership is sub-par. Believe it or not, this relates to churches as well. Many times, in church work, we find ourselves in a tough spot; desperate for help, so we compromise in the area of leadership and we get ‘Volunteers’ to serve in our ministries instead of ‘Leaders.’…
Uh-oh. You’re supposed to give a Christmas message at a community party or youth event or at your Toastmasters meeting…and you forgot? No problem–here’s a quick message you can share in any setting. Merry Christmas! A Christmas Gift Christmas traditions abound.…
Suddenly I feel cornered in a dark alley, surrounded by naysayers, no-hopers, knuckleheads, and the Knights Who Say Nee (didn’t see that last one coming, right?). I mean, I can’t turn and spit without hitting someone pontificating that Christianity in the United States is terminally ill, and that youth ministry is pretty much a failure any way you slice it.…
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