One of the great joys of my ministry is helping people discover their Spiritual Gifts.  This helps people see how God has made them, how they can serve in God's kingdom, and where God is already at work in their lives.

Some people rarely are affirmed. Or they have been forced into a box. Or tried to be made a teacher or…

In the book, Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication by WIll Mancini and Leonard Sweet and…

Whenever I do Missional Outreach Seminars, I divide the participants in smaller discussion groups to have them share what hopes and dreams that God has laid on their hearts to reach out to the community. I do a similar thing when I sit down and help people…

In case you missed them, here are the first two blog posts in this series:

Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking - Part 1: A Left-Brained Fellowship in a Right-Brained World…

If you have been following the Church of Christ blogosphere, you may have seen the last two posts that I wrote on "Why Churches of Christ are Shrinking:"

Part 1: A Left-Brained…

 In the above video, which we showed this Sunday, Kelly Weatherford talks about how she had prayed for her husband, Charlie, to become a Christian for 13 years. They went through the Story of Redemption, and at the end of the study, he was baptized! Now, everything has changed. Charlie has become the spiritual leader in their home, they are…

Here is the second in a series of blog posts on why Churches of Christ are shrinking. The first post,"A Left-Brained Fellowship in a Right-Brained World," has gone viral. While not everyone agrees with everything in the post, from the new members that joined the network, it would appear that a high percentage of these new…

Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking? - Part 1: A Left-Brained Fellowship in a Right-Brained World

For followers of this blog, you know that most all of my posts deal with larger kingdom and cultural issues. The Missional Outreach Network has readers from all different denominational backgrounds, and I want to bring people together…

Wow. What a week. Lance Armstrong is set to confess to Oprah and the world after 15 years of harsh denials that he used performance enhancing drugs. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's story of a girlfriend who died of cancer is discovered to be a hoax--whether he was in on it or not is yet to be seen. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens all…

Hello! I am continuing to blog through "Effective Staffing for Vital Churches," by Bill Easum and Bill Tenny-Brittian, which is a staffing guide for missional churches. Many churches want to grow. However, they fail to realize the transitions that must take for churches in order for this to happen. While having a…

Hi guys. I need your help!

I am working on adding some additional ministry tools to my Spiritual gifts website. In case you have not seen this site, it is www.YourSpiritualGifts.com. This site lets people discover their top 5 Spiritual gifts. They can…

Here is a short excellent post from SermonCentral about why some churches never grow. Every…

How does your family deal with the Santa Claus myth?

When my oldest daughter, Gina, was 4, she asked her mother about Santa Claus, who she had wondered about suspiciously for some time. 



She said, "Mom, will you tell me the truth?"

"Yes, dear," said Becki.

"Will you ALWAYS tell me…

A book which I am reading through right now and am starting to blog through is Effective Staffing for Vital Churches by Bill Easum and Bill Tenny-Brittian. It is,…

 

Yesterday we had quite the snow storm in McKinney, TX. Above is a picture of our family in the snow storm.…

Anonymous Criticism is Cowardly - Both for the NY Jets and in the Church

An article was published today about Tim Tebow and the NY Jets, titled, "Tim Tebow Feels Frustration...Sadness" Over …

The Challenges Facing the Republican Party:

10 Things that the US Church Can Learn From This

Though I place no faith in politics to change the world, I do follow politics closely. And as an observer of culture, it is clear that many of the challenges that the Republican party faces are also…

Here is a list of the 59 “One Anothers” of the New Testament, taken From Carl F. George, Prepare Your Church for the Future (Tarrytown: Revell, 1991), 129-131.

1. “…Be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)

2. “…Wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)

3. “…Love one another…” (John 13:34)

4. “…Love…

How do you reach the unchurched? Build it and they will come? Here is a very relevant article from ChurchLeaders.com on reaching the unchurched. 

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Another one came this past week. A flyer arrived in my…

Why are Young Christians Leaving the Church? - Part 2: Shallow - (Does not impact real life, wrestle with real questions, or emphasize what is most important)

Recently, I was asked by someone why I thought that we were losing the "postmodern generation"--why younger Christians are leaving our fellowship. It is a…