Christianity, Six-Inch Headlines, and Fear
August 11, 2011I’ve had several conversations with folks in the last few weeks, fearful of the state of the world. Economic downturn, failed leadership at all levels, personal tragedy, and just really bad news all around. A lot of people are starting to think that this is the worst time in history. At least American history. I’ve heard various versions of “America has lost its greatness.” or “America is headed downward.” It’s interesting that I only seem to hear this from Christians when a certain party is out of power. Then suddenly, when someone we like is in the White House, suddenly…
Continue ReadingSpurgeon to Young Men and Women
August 10, 2011Charles Haddon Spurgeon, to young men and women who think they may be their generation’s savior: If God comes forth, in wondrous grace, to call any of us to work in His vineyard, it is not because He needs us, but because we need Him; He does not set us to work because HE needs workers but because we need work. He calls us, not because He requires us, but because we required to be called. A Good Start, pp 141
Continue ReadingDo Christians Rely Too Much on Statistical Research?
August 8, 2011With a title like that, I’m sure to stir up some controversy. But lately I’ve been reading through Bradley Wright‘s magnificent book, Why Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites and Other Lies You’ve Been Told. In this book, Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut and an evangelical Christian, looks at major polling data on evangelicals and debunks many of the myths we’ve come to believe. Among them is the well-worn warning, “Christianity will be dead in a generation.” This is a common premise in a lot of well-meaning books and seminars. The idea is that we’re doing church all wrong and…
Continue ReadingFriday Five: Stephen Altrogge
August 5, 2011Stephen Altrogge is a popular author and blogger at The Blazing Center. He’s a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Indiana, PA where he leads worship and works in the college ministry. He is also the author of a number of popular worship songs. Stephen is the author of the book Game Day For the Glory of God: A Guide For Athletes, Fans, and Wannabes, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence. Stephen humored me by stopping by for today’s Friday Five:
Continue ReadingWhy Christians Should Care about the Facts (But Often Don’t)
August 2, 2011Our church has been going through a study of the book of James. Last week we came upon a verse that is mightily convicting in this digital age: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; James 1:19 (ESV) You don’t have to parse the original Greek text or consult a Bible scholar to divine the meaning of the Scriptures here. It’s pretty clear that James is saying that a mature believer is one who is slow to make hasty judgements, quick to listen and gather all the facts about…
Continue ReadingThree Lessons for Christians from the Debt Crisis
July 29, 2011I as I write this late at night, it still appears there is a stalemate on the debt crisis in Washington. Will the leaders come together and get a deal done? Will the markets react? We don’t know. But what can Christians learn from this crisis? I see three lessons: 1) When You Put Off Hard Choices, They Get Harder Later Let’s face it, we are in this spot, because for too long we have not come to terms with our national debt. And this is the fault of both Republicans and Democrats going back many years. But really its’…
Continue ReadingFriday Five: Craig Glass
July 29, 2011For several decades Craig Glass has been a leading influencer of Christian men. He has served in a variety of ministry leadership, including 20 years with International Teams, a missions agency based in Chicago. He has also served on staff at Willow Creek Community Church, providing leadership to their men’s ministry. Today, Craig is the director of Peregrine Ministries whose vision is to lead men into inspiring adventure and authentic relationships that transform lives. He blogs regularly at his blog, Men Matter. Craig was kind enough to stop by and chat for today’s Friday Five.
Continue ReadingThe Importance of a Good Editor (In writing and in life)
July 28, 2011I’m currently working on my fourth book, a look at the unique struggles of those who grow up in the church. It’s the most difficult book I’ve written and probably the most ambitious. I have learned over the course of writing three books and numerous articles the importance of having a good editor. I’m not talking about the editor at the publisher, who is also very, very good. I’m talking about someone willing to look at your chapters when they are 80% done but you don’t know how to put them over the top. I’m talking about someone willing to…
Continue ReadingTalking to Yourself in a Trial
July 22, 2011In trials, you cannot directly control your emotions, but you can change them indirectly by leading your mind toward the right biblical considerations. Thinking about trials God’s way generates the proper inner and outer responses. As you begin to see trials more and more from God’s viewpoint, eventually you will read the place where you can rejoice in them. This doesn’t just happen; it takes a deliberate act to wrench your mind out of the pagan cesspool of thought into which you have allowed it to wade. Over the years, perhaps you have slackened the reins and allowed your mind…
Continue ReadingFriday Five – Bob Hostetler
July 22, 2011Bob Hostetler is an award-winning writer, editor, pastor and speaker from southwestern Ohio. His twenty-six books, whichinclude The Bone Box and American Idols (The Worship of the American Dream), have sold millions of copies. He has co-authored eleven books with Josh McDowell, including the best-selling Right from Wrong (What You Need to Know to Help Youth Make Right Choices) and the award-winning Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door. He has won two Gold Medallion Awards, three Ohio Associated Press awards, and an Amy Foundation Award, among others. Bob is a frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and retreats. Today Bob was kind enough to…
Continue ReadingWhy You Should Tithe
July 21, 2011If you wanted to start a heated argument among Christians, just bring up the subject of tithing. Some say that tithing was a principle reserved only for Old Testament law. Others say that tithing is antithetical to grace. I hear all those arguments, but still, I think it’s good practice to be a regular giver. I can’t tell you, with integrity, that tithing is a specific command of God as prescribed in the Bible. But I can tell you that it’s a habit of wise, mature, Bible-believing, Christ-following Christians. This is a discussion that could fill several books (and it…
Continue ReadingHow to Do a Radio Interview
July 19, 2011photo © 2009 Renée Johnson | more info (via: Wylio) With the publication of my three books, I’ve had to quite a few radio interviews, mostly on Christian radio. I’ve also done some TV interviews as well, but mainly I do radio, because it enables me to do it from home or office and is a good way to promote the message of my books. I’m not an expert and I still have a long ways to go as a communicator, but along the way I’ve picked up a few tips. I thought I’d share them with you:…
Continue ReadingWhat Jesus Says to Those Hurt by His Followers
July 18, 2011Lately I’ve been working on a book project aimed at 2nd Generation evangelicals. In the last few years, there has been a surge of books authored by young evangelicals who have been hurt by the church. Some have stayed in the faith. Others have lost their way. I’ve read a few and have been saddened by the myriad ways in which Christians can cause pain. These books serve as a helpful warning to my generation of church leaders. May we hold our power lightly and live out the faith we preach. But something else saddens me about the memoirs. Not only…
Continue ReadingThis is the last of three classic Friday Five interviews I’m posting while our family enjoys some vacation time. This is with S. Michael Houdmann, founder and proprietor of Gotquestions.org, one of the most heavily trafficked Christian sites online. And believe it or not, this interview continues to be one of the most popular pages on my blog: Last year, while attending the annual gathering of the IFCA, I stopped by a booth and met S. Michael Houdmann, a graduate of Calvary Bible College and Seminary. He introduced me to his powerful website, gotquestions.org. I remember thinking, “Why hadn’t I discovered this…
Continue ReadingLessons from the Juniper Tree
July 13, 2011If Hollywood commissioned a biopic of the Old Testament hero, Elijah, they would probably end the movie with his epic holy war on Mt. Carmel. It would be a fitting ending for such a bold, courageous, insurgent leader. But alas, this is not how Elijah’s story ends at all. If you turn the page one chapter, from 1 Kings 18 to 1 Kings 19, you see a completely different side of this seemingly bullet-proof warrior. You find a fragile shell of a man, in a fetal position, begging God to end his life. Elijah doesn’t look much like a leader…
Continue ReadingThe Church and the Parachurch
July 12, 2011I’ve only been a pastor for three years, but I’ve noticed one of the acute pressures of this role (a role that I thoroughly enjoy and cherish, by the way). It’s the pressure to place emphasis on certain aspects of needed ministry in the church. And much of it comes from parachurch ministries. I’m generally a fan of parachurch ministries. I think they help the larger body of Christ by specializing in needed emphases such as child training, origins, special ethnic outreaches, and activism/politics. I’m deeply grateful for many of these ministries as they serve pastors by informing, training, and…
Continue ReadingFriday Five Interview: Jerry Jenkins
July 8, 2011Our family is taking some needed time off for a couple of weeks. So between June 24th – July 8th, I’m reposting some classic Friday Five interviews. This interview with my friend, Jerry Jenksin originally posted on June 4th, 2010: Does Jerry Jenkins really need an introduction? Jerry is one of the most successful, celebrated Christian writers of all time. He is the author of over 175 books, including the 70 million selling Left Behind series. He is the former editor of Moody Magazine and is now the Chairman of the Board of Moody Bible Institute. He has been interviewed on…
Continue ReadingMini Reviews #3
July 7, 2011Here’s another batch of mini-reviews, taking care of some books that have occupied my nightstand (and travel bag) this summer: Lions of Kandahar by Rusty Bradley and Kevin Maurer I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from cover to cover. It was a bit of a diversion for me as I usually read books on theology or Christian living or biography. I selected this book to review through Amazon Vine because I wanted to stretch myself a bit. Consider me stretched. What I love about this book is that Rusty Bradley, an active-duty Special Forces Commander and Kevin Maurer, an AP journalist, carefully…
Continue ReadingHow to get (and capture) ideas
July 5, 2011Ideas are the lifeblood of the creative life. Whether you’re a poet, a pastor, or a professional contractor, ideas fuel your work. But even the most creative folks run out of ideas. So how do we stimulate more? Here are some things I do that seem to get the juices flowing again: 1) Move away from the computer. Sometimes you just got to get away from your laptop. This is hard for me to do, because there is always something to be done. But I find that when I’m in the middle of a all-consuming project, I get ideas on…
Continue ReadingWhy the Gospel is Not About “Trying Harder.”
July 4, 2011I ran across this clip from Joshua Harris. He explains why the Gospel is more than just trying hard. This is a concept that we must keep reminding ourselves of over and over again. We can’t hear it enough:
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