The hours are ticking down to a new year and a new decade! Whether 2019 was a good year or bad year, let it go. Mourn or celebrate then bid 2019 adieu. A new year and decade are before you. Here are a few thoughts to launch strong into 2020 and beyond. * Be Creative.…
A few weeks ago, Christie was at an event while I was home with the kids. Later that afternoon, I made a pizza run. About a mile away I got a call. While playing outside, my nine-year-old daughter, Jubilee, went into a seizure. One of my other kids was alone with her when it happened…
The auto-correct on my phone once tried to change the word “minister” to “monster.” Funny, yet sobering. It gave me pause. It gives me pause now. Ministry is tough. Pastoring is, at times, a monster itself. Peter Drucker, the late leadership guru and author of The Effective Executive, once shared what he believed to be…
My grandmother Lockhart died decades ago a lover of Jesus. One morning her close friend, Ms. Velma, called my mom to tell her of a dream. She dreamed my grandmother walked out of her house onto a huge stage at a Christian concert. She was as beautiful as an angel, the star performer, and sang…
I’ve had it all wrong. Many well-meaning motivational speakers, best-selling authors, teachers, and preachers have had it wrong. Let me explain. I live with the threat of clinical depression crushing me at any moment. I pray, meditate on Scripture, experience community, take medication, see a therapist, eat clean, exercise, and do my best to get…
Sexual abuse in the local church… It’s sickening that such words are in the same sentence. Sadly, this isn’t breaking news anymore. In fact, we recently learned of another scandal with the Catholic Church, the sexual abuse of nuns. This on top of the years of reports of sexual abuse by priests and the cover-up…
It often takes me a while to respond to current events that shake our culture.. I try to understand all views best I can and then process and pray on it until I feel ready to contribute to the fall-out. First, I’d ask you to please read my post, “Of Politics and Presidents: A Letter…
Sitting in the doctor’s office the other day, I came across a National Geographic Magazine piece titled, “The Story of a Face.” Joanna Connors writes: “We are born seeking faces. Newborns turn toward them during their first moments out of the womb. Babies observe, respond to, and mimic our expressions as though it’s their job.…