People do not usually come to church because of a slick marketing campaign. Most people come to church because of a personal invitation. Becoming a congregation who invites others into the community to hear the word of God is, then, an important aspect of fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Now, you might be thinking, … Continue reading Why Inviting Others to Church is So Important
Productivity Glossary
Here is a glossary of typical productivity terms. The point is to be able to get clear on things in order to record, track, and execute work more effectively. "Task" - A task is a small action. It is usually something that can be accomplished relatively quickly. For example, a task would be sending an … Continue reading Productivity Glossary
The Dark Knight Rises is the Movie We Need Right Now
Christopher Nolan's third installment in his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises (2012), is the movie that we all need to watch and embrace right now. Although it premiered a decade ago now at this point, it has a timely message for us in our culture. The movie opens with Batman in "retirement" because the … Continue reading The Dark Knight Rises is the Movie We Need Right Now
Reflections on Challenge 2022
It’s been four years since I was able to bring our Youth Group to the EFCA’s national youth conference, Challenge. This year, nineteen of us flew from New Jersey to Kansas City a few days early to have an experience like no other. We heard amazing preaching, sung along with 3,000 other teenagers in worship, … Continue reading Reflections on Challenge 2022
We Need a New Metaphor for Race Relations
Aaron Renn has an excellent episode on how metaphors shape the conversations we have around race in our country. He notes that we construct our lives around metaphors, and these metaphors in turn shape how we live our lives. Think of one common way of describing relationships: “Love is war.” How would it shape someone … Continue reading We Need a New Metaphor for Race Relations
A Non-Anxious Presence
Why does everyone seem so anxious these days? And how can pastors lead their congregations through these anxious times. Those are the questions that Mark Sayers attempts to answer in his book, A Non-Anxious Presence. Sayers first digs into the sources of the pervasive anxiety that seems to sit over the whole culture, even the … Continue reading A Non-Anxious Presence
How I try to be productive (my productivity system)
Being productive is not easy these days precisely because it's easy to misunderstand what productivity really is. When you hear the word "productivity" might just think of getting a bunch of stuff done really fast (efficiency). You might think of shooting off and replying to emails. But I think a focus on efficiency or just … Continue reading How I try to be productive (my productivity system)
Pursuing a Deeper Life
It’s easy to skim along the surface of life these days, bouncing from distraction to distraction. What I want in life is depth. I want to have a life that counts. Not “successful,” but one that counts for eternity. To that end, I’ve been a bit of quest recently for how to live a deeper … Continue reading Pursuing a Deeper Life
A Theology of Sex and Gender (Part 3): The Fall of Humanity into Sin
Genesis 3 narrates the fall of humanity into sin. The terrible consequences of sin manifest themselves in a broken relationship with God, each other, and created order (3:16-24). Adam and Eve are kicked out of God’s presence in the Garden of Eden (3:24). Enmity and strife makes its way into their relationship (3:16). The world … Continue reading A Theology of Sex and Gender (Part 3): The Fall of Humanity into Sin
The Relationship between Projects and Systems
Ministries are a collection of systems and also contain a host of projects to be done. How do they relate? Before looking at how projects and systems relate, it's important to review what they are and the differences between them. Projects in ministry are time bound. Projects have deadlines. Because projects have deadline, this means … Continue reading The Relationship between Projects and Systems