We need more people coming to church ready to consume. We need more churches ready to give the people the product they need. That's the trouble with the hating on the consumer mentality-- it's not always wrong. "With joy you will draw water from the wells of...
Fear the Lord to start the game
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - Proverbs 1:7 In the game of Trouble, you need a dice roll of one or a six for your pawn to get on the board. That’s similar to what this proverb tells us about the fear of...
Great people start with service
“She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.” - Proverbs 31:15 If you’ve been around church for a while, Proverbs 31 might provoke a bit of an eye roll. That’s because so often we treat this chapter like it’s the...
We’ve all got a boss
“Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.” - Prov 30:10 This is one of those places where it feels like the Bible gets unnecessarily specific. Why not say: “Do not slander,” and leave it at that? Spreading false, harmful...
Should we stop people from saying mean things?
A young man with heavy scruff was sitting in the airport, wearing a Harry Potter World cap and a simple black tee shirt. The non-stylized white text on the shirt was in a small enough font to make you linger an extra second in order to read the sentence: "Freedom of...
How to develop new leaders: The Freedom to Fail
When was the last time you failed well? I mean, really bombed out on something? We never forget our spectacular failures, but more often than not, the fear, and regret, and embarrassment evaporate, leaving behind the residue of a humorous story and, after we have...
When you argue with a fool, you are wasting your time
“If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.” - Proverbs 29:9 Serious political candidates don’t appear on radio DJ talk shows because of this proverb. Dialogue, and especially debate, trends toward the lowest...
1 Step Evangelism
Aren’t you about due for a fresh round of penance for your disappointing evangelism efforts? Chances are your church is already offering a healthy assortment of channels through which you can merit some level of atonement for your recent oversight in this area. Or at...
Prayer Shaming and Prayer’s Power
“What if you and your family were starving, and someone with an abundance of food responded by offering ‘their thoughts and prayers’?” “Stop praying,” you’d say. “Do something.” A preponderance of these and similar reactions fire around Twitter in the wake of a...
Marginalized Oppressors
“A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.” - Proverbs 28:3 In today’s world, we expect to find a playing field of winners and losers. There are sore winners, and victimized losers. You are among the abused, or you are an abuser....