The Opportunity I Won’t Get Back
June 30, 2011It was my first year in college and I had an important job interview with a Ramada Inn close to our house. I really wanted this job as desk clerk. I thought dressing up in a suit and handing out keys was pretty cool. I had an eleven o’clock morning meeting, which meant I had to drive six hours back to Chicago from downstate Illinois on a trip with a few friends of mine. I had the timing worked out perfectly. I would check out of my hotel very early and drive back to Chicago and have thirty minutes to…
Continue ReadingCreative Tensions: Between the Editor and Your Voice
June 29, 2011This is the third post in a series of posts on writing and the creative life. The other two posts are: “Between Annoyance and Passivity“; “Between Authenticity and Plastic.” Today I want to discuss another tension, the one that exists between your unique voice and the hot red pen of the editor. One of the things that is difficult for new writers to understand is that the editor is not your enemy but your friend. I had a good book editor tell me one time, “Dan, you are not Hemingway.” Tough, but great advice. What she was saying is that…
Continue Reading5 Ways You Can Love Your Church
June 27, 2011As a pastor and a lifelong church-goer, I’m in love with the Church. Even though the Church has a thousand problems (and every week it seems another book is coming out extolling those), the Church is still Christ’s beloved bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). And every week, pastors of big and small churches labor to deliver the Word of God. And paid staff, part time staff, and volunteers give of their time and energy to make their church best express the gospel in the community. So in a sea of angry anti-church blog posts, Twitter rants, and angst-filled books, I want to…
Continue ReadingFriday Five: Caleb and Brittney Breakey
June 24, 2011As a pastor and author, I enjoy those who are passionate about helping others communicate the truth of God’s love to this generation. Which is why I’m pumped about the young husband and wife writing team of Caleb and Brittney Breakey. Caleb is an award-winning journalist who has been trained by bestselling authors like Jerry Jenkins and Brock and Bodie Thoene. Caleb is also the proprietor of Calebreakey.com where he trains and mentors young writers. He’s a sought-after speaker at some of the top writer’s conferences in the country, including the Blue Ridge, Oregon, Colorado, and CLASS Christian writers conferences.…
Continue ReadingCreative Tensions: Between Plastic and Authentic
June 22, 2011This is the second post in a series on writing I’m calling “Creative Tensions.” The first was entitled, “Between Annoyance and Passivity.” It is some advice on nurturing relationships that can grow your writing opportunities. Today I want to discuss another tension you will need to navigate in your writing, especially if you’re writing (as I do) about your faith and your life. I supposed this advice would fit with those who communicate in other ways, especially preaching. People connect with other people who seem to be real. That is they are not so wooden and stuffy that the word…
Continue ReadingDo This For Dad on Father’s Day
June 18, 2011Okay, so this Sunday is Father’s Day. We all know that Father’s Day arrives with much less fanfare than Mother’s Day. At church we usually hear a message citing statistics of how terrible fathers in the world are today or we hear a good inspirational message on fathering (my preference). At home, guys are just happy to get a chance to relax, watch a little ESPN, and eat their favorite meal. And of course we work hard to honor our Dads this Father’s Day. As a young father of three (and one on the way), I thought I’d write a…
Continue ReadingFather’s Day Song
June 17, 2011As I think about Father’s Day and my roles as a father of three (with one on the way), this song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean reminds me of the awesome responsibility. I enjoy it:
Continue ReadingFriday Five: Sarah Pulliam Bailey
June 17, 2011She’s interviewed everyone from Barack Obama to Billy Graham and her work is featured by news organizations such as USA Today. Sarah Pulliam Bailey is the Online Editor of Christianity Today, where her interviews with newsmakers often make news themselves. She’s also a monthly columnist for the Indianapolis Star and a contributor to Getreligion.org. I’ve always enjoyed Sarah’s interviews. Today Sarah was nice enough to stop by for a chat for this week’s Friday Five:
Continue ReadingCreative Tensions: Between Annoyance and Passivity
June 15, 2011I’ve had some folks ask me to post a bit more on the writing life. So I decided to begin a series I’m calling, “Creative Tensions.” I’m not coming at this as an expert, as some kind of know-it-all bestselling author. My goal is to share what little I know about writing in hopes that it helps and inspires a few who read it. Today I want to discuss the creative tension between annoyance and passivity. One of the keys to advancing in your publishing career is to develop relationships. The publishing world is a small world and so the…
Continue ReadingThe Gospel and Relationships
June 13, 2011Yesterday I preached a message entitled, “The Gospel and Relationships.” It’s a single message in a series of single messages until I begin preaching through the book of James in July in a series entitled, Authentic Faith. Ironically, I took my main text for this single message from the book of James, chapter 4:1-3. Essentially the gist of my message was this: the gospel moves us from an external focus on the problems of others to an internal focus on our own sins. If we continually come back to the gospel, it can revolutionize our relationships. Here were my six…
Continue ReadingRemembering Stephen Bly
June 10, 2011I just found out that my friend Stephen Bly passed away. This is how I remember Steve. I never actually met him in person, but several years ago, while working as the editor of a devotional magazine, I read an article he wrote in Moody Magazine (no longer in existence). It was titled, “Leading from the Back of the Line.” It was the kind of article that moved me, not only because of Stephen’s tight writing and beautiful word flow, but because it was from the heart. It pushed against the cultural pressure to put oneself first. IT was the…
Continue ReadingFriday Five: Colin Smith
June 10, 2011If you listen to Christian radio, you’ve likely heard the distinct Scottish accent and solid Bible teaching of Colin Smith, Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Colin was raised in a Christian family and felt the call of God to pastoral ministry from an early age, training at the London School of Theology. Prior to his ministry at The Orchard, Colin served as Senior Pastor of Enfield Evangelical Church in Enfield, UK. He also served as President of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. He is the author of several…
Continue ReadingFaith at the Field Museum
June 9, 2011This past Monday my wife convinced me that it was important to take our kids to the Field Museum in Chicago. Monday is typically my day off and this week the museum was free. So we packed the kids in the van and drove downtown. We live in the suburbs and like it that way, but we thoroughly enjoy visiting the city. Chicago is rich with first-class museums, beautiful parks, and much to do. I hadn’t been to the Field Museum in about 20 years. I had remembered it as a big place with a lot of dry artifacts and…
Continue ReadingForgetting the Past – Of Others
June 8, 2011I had a conversation the other day with someone about a guy we both grew up with. This guy was considered a “bad kid”, always getting in trouble, kicked out of school, and proudly wearing the reputation as “no-good.” So when he came up in this conversation, the person I was talking to sort of picked up where he had left off with this bad dude. But his information on him was dated. I happened to know that God had done a work of grace in this former bad kid’s life, not only helping him overcome a serious addiction, but…
Continue ReadingMini Book Reviews #2
June 7, 2011I’ve slimmed down the stack of books on my nightstand lately. This is, of course, to make room for more books, right? Here are reviews of three excellent books I have recently finished: Tempted and Tried by Russell D. Moore. We did this book as part of our Sunday Morning Men’s Bible Study at Gages Lake Bible Church and it provoked great discussion. Russell Moore gets behind temptation and testing, offering the devil’s work against Jesus during those forty days in the wilderness as the hope for Christians today. This book will get you thinking beyond the moralistic way we…
Continue ReadingSideways Spirituality
June 6, 2011Around our house, we’re starting to call my youngest daughter, Emma, the “Me-Too” girl. This is because, at 1, she has practiced and perfected the fine art of envy. Everything her brother and sister have, Emma wants. And she demands it by pointing vigorously at it. And if Mom or Dad get some food or snack, even if Emma isn’t hungry, she’s pointing it and wanting it. She’ll even do this at dinner, pointing to Mommy or Daddy’s plate and we remind her that she has the same stuff on her own plate, if only she’d look down. It’s kind of funny…
Continue ReadingFriday Five Interview: Jon Acuff
June 3, 2011Jon Acuff is the founder of one of the most widely read Christian blogs, Stuff Christians Like. He’s also the author of the book, Stuff Christians Like and a new book, Quitter. His writing and work has been featured by CNN and other media outlets. He’s been interviewed on national and international radio and TV. He’s a sought-after conference speaker and now works with the Dave Ramsey team. Today he was kind enough to stop by for today’s Friday Five.
Continue ReadingChristians and the National Debt
June 2, 2011I thought Chuck Colsen’s perspective on the national debt was really good. For some reason, it wouldn’t embed here on the blog, so here is the link. I highly recommend it.
Continue ReadingOh, Canada!
June 1, 2011I’m sitting in the Buffalo airport, waiting to board a plane to Baltimore, where I will board a plane to Milwaukee, where I will drive back to the Chicago area where we live. It’s been a wonderful, whirlwind couple of days. I had a few passport issues, but thankfully the border guards on both sides of the U.S. Canadian border were full of grace and allowed me passage. The purpose for my trip was to appear on the longest running television show in Canada, 100 Huntley Street. This show has been on the air for over thirty years. When you…
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