Giving Living
A little boy was sitting in church one day when the offering plate passed by. He didn’t have any money, so he tore off a piece of the sermon note page and wrote, “I give myself.” I’m not sure how much was given in cash and checks that day, but that little boy gave the
The Seven Deadly Sins of a Pastor (Part 2)
TREATING STAFF LIKE SECOND RATE CITIZENSMaybe you’ve only served as a pastor, and you’ve never served on a staff under someone else’s authority. If so, this is a real and subtle temptation, especially for those who are called to serve in multi-staff situations. Satan and our flesh can suggest to us that the attention, applause,
The Seven Deadly Sins of a Pastor (Part 1)
For fifteen years I served in a church staff position. I was surprised when God called me to the pastorate. Early in my ministry I had no desire to be the Senior Pastor…but God changed my heart and the direction of my ministry. I count myself a blessed man for having served as both a
There Is a Hope
If all I did was watch the news and listen to the prognosticators, I would be very discouraged. I’d probably be in a cave in the mountains and become a mystic. But, that would be a mistake. Yes, I know the world is devolving (not evolving, that’s obvious even to a scientist with common sense),
What Does It Take?
Some folks seem clueless. I mean, folks who shouldn’t be clueless. Folks who should know better. Educated folks. Seemingly intelligent people. But apparently the comedian Ron White is right, “You can’t fix stupid.” Some folks don’t like the word stupid. They call it the “S” word. Regardless of the word you use, people are stupid,
Pastor Appreciation
Let me begin by saying that I pastor the greatest church on the planet. It’s not a perfect church, no way. It’s not a great church because we make movies—that has nothing to do with it. It’s a great church made up of some great people who have learned to pray, seek the Lord for
Be Careful Little Hands What You Tweet
I’m a tweeter. I look at Twitter as more than the mundane “I had lunch at…” and “Here I am sitting by the pool (a sight you really don’t want to see)…” Most of my tweets are related to the culture, preaching, revival, or churches. Some are biting. A few, I try to use a
The Signs of the Times Are Everywhere
No, I’m not agreeing with Harold Camping and his end times prediction. The fact that anyone would take him seriously is a revelation of biblical ignorance and arrogance. According to the Scriptures, if your “prophecies” don’t come true, you are a false prophet. God doesn’t think highly of false prophets. Because of his mockery of
A View from Mount Perspective (Part 2)
Because Terri was home recovering from surgery, I had gone to the church to meet my friend, Pastor Ed Litton. Ed was in town to speak at Sherwood Christian Academy’s graduation that night. I walked out of my study and next door to the Strauss House, a guest house our church maintains for speakers who
A View from Mount Perspective (Part 1)
For the last thirteen years, we’ve been blessed to own a piece of property in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. After my father died and we were settling his estate, we had a small amount of money to put toward a down payment on a log house outside of Gatlinburg. Terri and I had prayed for twenty years
Does Preaching Matter?
Whether it’s discussed under the subject of worship wars or of what the exact nature of preaching is, this is a good question. Let me just go ahead and state the obvious. I believe preaching matters, not just because I’m a preacher but because the Word of God teaches, endorses, and encourages the proclamation of
The Joys and Trials of Travel
Not long ago, I had the privilege of taking two flights on a private jet. Because of the graciousness and generosity of an individual, I found out what it was like not to go through the hassles of TSA search and seizure, seats with no padding, crowds of cranky people, and tired ticket agents. I