Earlier this week the local school board met to discuss how to handle the upcoming start of the school year. Should kids be back in the building? If so, should they wear masks. By the way, I’m writing this during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, before a vaccine has been developed, and to date 150,000Continue reading “What to do when Covid is a no-win situation for churches (and other orgs) – Current Events Q3 2020, Part 5”
Tag Archives: church
How to be an encouragement – Current Events Q3 2020, Part 4
Our study of the “One Another” passages in the New Testament continues. If you haven’t read the previous posts, I encourage to start at the first one here. There are more than 50 “One Another” passages, and put together they form a powerful teaching about the identity and practice of the church. This week IContinue reading “How to be an encouragement – Current Events Q3 2020, Part 4”
Do you have disagreements in your church? – Current Events 2020 Q3, Part 1
What do you do when you’re at a church gathering and someone makes political statements? Do you feel uneasy? Do you sense the temperature in the room start to rise? What if those political statements are viewpoints you tend to disagree with? Do you confront them? Do you disagree? What do you do when someoneContinue reading “Do you have disagreements in your church? – Current Events 2020 Q3, Part 1”
Do politics and tradition guide your thinking more than Jesus? – Acts 21, Part 4
In 1991 the former Grand Wizard of the KKK, David Duke, was in a run-off election to become governor of Louisiana. In the four weeks leading up to the run-off, the New Orleans Saints were playing a home game, and a black season ticket holder told the story of his feelings as loud eruptions ofContinue reading “Do politics and tradition guide your thinking more than Jesus? – Acts 21, Part 4”
Two important principles for leaders – Acts 20, Part 4
Leaders, I encourage you to pay special attention to this post. As you’ll see it is specifically about leaders in the church, but I think the principles apply broadly to leadership in any venue. So does that mean you can skip this post if you’re not a leader? Actually, this post is not just forContinue reading “Two important principles for leaders – Acts 20, Part 4”
What makes life worth living – Acts 20, Part 3
What makes life worth living for you? Think about that. Is it spending time with your family? Is it enjoying vacation? A hobby? Maybe you’re working for the weekend? For some people it is getting outside and being in nature, gardening, hiking, or some other sport. What makes life worth living? What makes lives worthwhileContinue reading “What makes life worth living – Acts 20, Part 3”
What is needed to help people grow as followers of Jesus – Acts 18, Part 4
Are you a pastor, a small group leader, a Bible study teacher, seeking to help people grow as followers of Jesus? Or maybe you are a parent, or a grandparent, and you would love to help your kids or grandkids better follow Jesus. I’ve preached countless sermons and had numerous conversations with people, many timesContinue reading “What is needed to help people grow as followers of Jesus – Acts 18, Part 4”
Is it okay to give up on some people? – Acts 18, Part 2
Have you heard the words, “There is no hope for them”? Maybe you were the one saying those words or a phrase like it. Maybe someone said it about you. Often we say these words about a person who has a pattern of making bad choices, or a stubborn streak, and they seem unteachable, unreachableContinue reading “Is it okay to give up on some people? – Acts 18, Part 2”
Why is it so hard to talk about religion? – Acts 17, Part 1
How do you feel talking about Jesus or about religion? Do you find it easy or difficult to talk with others about these topics? When it come to talking about Jesus, I had a bit of a reality check this week. As a pastor, you can imagine that I talk about Jesus a lot, butContinue reading “Why is it so hard to talk about religion? – Acts 17, Part 1”
How should Christians respond when our world falls apart? – Acts 16, Part 1
It’s been quite a year already, hasn’t it? And we’re not even halfway through! We started the year in political turmoil with a presidential impeachment hearing and the normal increased intensity of election year debates. Then Covid-19 hit, and we were in quarantine, including a near total shutdown of the country, for months. Then multipleContinue reading “How should Christians respond when our world falls apart? – Acts 16, Part 1”
Engaging Scripture 