There is a lot more talk about prayer in our day than there is praying going on. Prayer is the foundation of all that happens on earth. Jesus called us to pray in such a way that we would remember “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matt. 6:8)
This […]

I read in the Church Report that Tony Campolo feels the state should limit itself just to “legal unions” and the church oversee sacred weddings. I think he is right. And in essence that is what is already happening. The rate of couples living together outside marriage is staggering when compared to a […]

I grew up on Easy Street. It wasn’t a metaphorical experience but an actual street. It was a street that had formerly been the main highway outside town. It became a residential street when Eisenhower’s highway system replaced the old concrete highway. I loved living on Easy Street. I didn’t know the meaning of living […]

The London Times ran an article on a visit to England by Neil Young. He has a new movie coming out titled the Freedom of Speech Tour with Crosby, Stills and Nash. Besides aspirations for his music that lies ahead he is developing a battery-operated car. He has taken a 1959 Lincoln and […]

Good communication has to do as much with what you don’t say as what you do say. I am a short preacher. I preach shorter for three reasons. One, it’s easy to maintain a strong devotion to our children’s ministry with shorter services. But our habits are to continue adding more and more […]

Marijuana was the 60’s drug of choice. And in 2008 it still is. Today’s supply is about 50 times more powerful than the stuff sold in the 60’s. Therefore the habituation factor is much higher today. I think we are being too slack as healers and as a society about the drug. It […]

Sometimes Christianity can become more like empiricism than the supernatural revelation it is. And it is just as easy to begin to see the presentation of messages as good self-help material. Does preaching have to be pragmatic? Well, first, I think so, yes. But it is always more than that. It […]

Emotional Intelligence has been written about a great deal by Dr. Daniel Goleman. It has become a substantial discussion in leadership. The sobriety prayer best defines emotional Intelligence. It goes, “Grant me the courage to change what can be changed, the patience to accept what cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.” […]

Every so often a great idea comes along and a great partnership. Both have happened to me on more than one occasion. Steve Sjogren, a noted author and leader and I are teaming up to do seminars in churches titled “New Evangelism.”
It is an intuitive set of four sessions. The […]

Religion is sounding more and more toxic to the generations coming into the mix now.
The desire for something more authentic and organic is strong. Can the church fit into the new schemata? I think so but our demeanor needs to continue to change.
The Christian population is becoming progressively more irreligious. Or, they are dropping […]

I have been keeping the spiritual discipline of writing an essay on prayer five days a week. I’ll spare you my essays. They were written just for me and the start of an outline for a book. But I thought I’d share a quick glance of on an outline I did on […]

There is a minor tempest brewing in the marketplace and church about how the Millenials (twenty-something’s and younger) get along with Boomers (47 to 63). It wasn’t such a hard task for Busters/Gen X and Boomers to get along. My experience in working with churches showed that busters and boomers were close enough […]

I make part of my job reading books on outreach and evangelism.  I don’t often find any I’d recommend.  But I have one for you this month.  The book is titled “I Once Was Lost” by Dan Evert and Doug Schaup.  
The book is built around what they call five thresholds […]

One of the creative and driving forces of the 70’s Jesus awakening died in February. I just heard about it yesterday. Larry Norman was a controversial figure in the Jesus People movement and for decades after. He left a touching note to his audience which can be found at his website www.larrynorman.com. […]

There are crucial dates in every era that mark the generations. December 7, 1941 was the day of the Pearl Harbor attacks that brought the U.S. into a war that marked our history for generations. The atomic age was introduced on August 6, 1947. Thank God no other such attack has been […]