Friday Five
Every Member Has a Role
Today, for Leadership Journal, I talk to Thom Rainer, CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources. I always enjoy Thom’s insights on leadership and church life. His podcast Rainer on Leadership is a great listen and his blog is a go-to source for leadership content. I asked Thom about this latest book, I Am a Church Member where he…
Read MoreTeaching Civility
Today I interview the fascinating Mark DeMoss, president and founder of The DeMoss Group, the leading public relations firm for Christian organizations. DeMoss has represented organizations such as The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Prison Fellowship, and The American Bible Society. A few years ago, Mark launched The Civility Project, aimed at shaping a more civil…
Read MorePeople Are Hungry for Substance
Today I interview Stephen Miller for Leadership Journal. Stephen is a singer/songwriter and the worship pastor for The Journey Church in St. Louis. I’ve enjoyed Stephen’s music and his leadership in the Christian music world. His latest book is somewhat provocative: Worship Leaders, We Are Not Rock Stars. You’re part of a growing movement writing hymns for…
Read MoreRelationships of Worship and Delight
This week I had the privilege of interviewing Gary Thomas, the author of several books, including, Sacred Marriage, Sacred Parenting, and others. My wife and I have been personally blessed by Gary’s work and we have used them in our ministry. I asked Gary about communicating a biblical model of marriage in a culture that has largely…
Read MorePeople Want a Church to Be a Church
This week I had a chance to interview Brett McCracken. Brett teaches at Biola and is a keen cultural observer. I’ve always enjoyed his work. He has written two books. The first, Hipster Christianity created quite a splash when it came out. He pushed back against the attempt by the Church to be “cool.” Recently Brett…
Read MoreFruit from Deep Brokenness
For my weekly Leadership Journal interview, I chat with Mary Demuth, a good friend. She’s a gifted author and speaker. Mary has a way of speaking from her own personal pain and brokenness into the lives of others in a unique way. I asked her about this: Your own story of sexual abuse has been…
Read MoreOut of Ur: Friday Five: Matthew Lee Anderson
Today, for Leadership Journal, I interview my friend Matthew Lee Anderson. Matt is a gifted thinker and writer. He runs the influential blog, Mere Orthodoxy. His first book, Earthen Vessels offered a terrific theology of the body and his latest work, The End of our Exploring is a look at how we ask questions. It was this book…
Read MoreLive What You Are Trying to Lead
Today for Leadership Journal I had the privilege of speaking with Bryan Loritts, lead pastor of Fellowship Memphis and the son of Crawford Loritts, the popular author and pastor. Bryan has written extensively and spoken on racial reconciliation in the church and pastors a congregation in one of the most racially tense areas of the…
Read MoreTie Your Flag to the Gospel Mast
Today, for Leadership Journal, I interview Owen Strachan, former director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and current Assistant Professor of Christian Theology and Church History at Boyce College. Strachan is also the executive director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Strachan is an extremely gifted and often provocative writer.…
Read MorePlay to Your Strengths
Today for Leadership Journal I interview the wildly popular author, speaker, and blogger, Jon Acuff. Besides being the proprietor of the very funny Stuff Christians Like blog, Jon is the author of several bestselling books, including his latest, Start. It was a wide-ranging interview in which Jon gave me some great thoughts. The first question I asked him was…
Read MoreLaboring in the Word of God
Today, for my Leadership Journal interview, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Philip Ryken, President of Wheaton College. Prior to coming to Wheaton, Dr. Ryken was pastor at the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. I’ve enjoyed Dr. Ryken’s preaching and his books. They seem to combine excellent scholarship with an easy-to-read pastoral…
Read MoreThe Story Overtook Me
Today for my Leadership Journal interview, I spoke with Rebekah Lyons, cofounder of Q Ideas and the author of a new book, Freefall to Fly. In this book she shares her personal struggles with anxiety, depression, and tensions between motherhood and ministry. I asked her about the writing process and she told me this: This story overtook…
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