As my church grew bigger my heart grew smaller You could have heard a pin drop as pastor Denny Wilson shared those thoughts. We all recall how Solomon taught us to guard our heart. We can develop compelling vision and excellent ministries strategies, but without a broken spirit and a contrite hea...

It was a remarkable day. We took the Aspen Team and speakers out to dinner then to Starbucks for more great conversation. My brain hurts after 12 hours with Mel McGowan, Will Mancini, Jim Sheppard, Bill & Jim Couchenour, Brad Eisenmann, and pastor Denny Wilson. I got back to the hotel around ...

Many of us probably don’t think we share much in common with mega-church pastor, mega-celebrity, mega-author Rob Bell. We may be wrong. Bell spoke recently at the National Pastor’s Conference about the “million little paper cutsâ€� of criticism. He used that common pastoral experie...

I’ve always tried to avoid trite Christian sayings like, “Christians aren’t perfect…just forgiven” or, “Be ye fishers of men. You catch ‘em; He’ll clean ‘em.â€� Yet after 30 years of walking with Christ, I still struggle to explain the all encompassing impact of...

Following the recent Starbucks news of more store closures and more layoffs, Kevin Coupe says CEO and founder Howard Schultz must go. His argument comes down to Schultz’s near-sighted business vision. It’s worth a read. Here’s a snippet… It is my sense that Starbucks has lost its...

An encouraging recent Barna study revealed that many churches have attempted to help their congregations understand and responsibly address the current financial challenges in the U.S. 78% noted that their churches are providing special prayer support for those who are struggling financially. 52% of...

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.� Last year, SMITH Magazine asked readers for their own six-word memoirs. Stories came in droves, and they got everything from bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, ...

What personal kingdoms do we carefully protect? We were challenged with that question last night at church. We know the humble manger story about a king with no kingdom. We remember a mad Herod who killed thousands for fear this baby wanted his. It’s rare to find leaders who see beyond what th...

In my last post, I asked the question, “Is suffering a precursor to learning?” Could it also be a precursor to becoming a great Christian, a great parent, or a great pastor? Here are some insights from two books: Geoff Colvin’s “Talent Is Overrated” and Malcolm Gladwell...

Most traditional churches are struggling to connect in this Digital Age. This isn’t breaking news to anyone anymore. Traditional businesses are struggling with the same thing, for that matter. That’s why we met recently with authors Alan Jamieson and Len Sweet in the mountains of West Vi...