Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
I’m reading Longing for Spring: A New Vision for Wesleyan Community by Elaine A. Heath and Scott T. Kisker. I was challenged by the authors’ description of discipleship when Christianity is popular. In its earliest days, Christianity was at times “illegal and semi-covert” until the conversion of Constantine in A.D. 312. Constantine made Christianity legal … Read more
Two years ago, Ethan started preschool, and last week, he began kindergarten. But today, it was Sarah’s turn. Today was Sarah’s first day of preschool! As soon as Ethan got on the school bus this morning, Sarah was ready to go to school herself. Here are some photos of her morning.
It’s been a slow-blogging summer, but as summer comes to an end, I thought I’d post some photos from our summer vacation in York Beach, Maine. Back in July, we returned to the same place as last year. Our time there was very relaxing, and the weather was great. It was hot the day we … Read more
We have reached another big milestone in our family’s journey. Today, Ethan began Kindergarten! Technically, tomorrow is the first day of school here, but Kindergartners went today for a half-day. They’ll be off tomorrow and then Ethan will go back Thursday for the whole day, and have Friday off (half of the Kindergartners will go … Read more
Recently, I’ve read certain verses of scripture and thought, I want that to be a description of me. Here are a few statements I want to describe me … “Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” (Luke 5.16, NLT) God’s description of David: “… a man after my own heart. He will do everything … Read more
I love listening to music, especially worship music. Songs have always played an important role in my journey. See Songs for Leaders. More recently, as I’ve been trying to manage stress better, some songs have been ministering to me. The first song is “Steady My Heart” by Kari Jobe. Of course, the song has a … Read more
The phrase, “Engage and disengage,” has been part of my vocabulary since I first heard it during orientation weekend for Asbury Theological Seminary’s D.Min. program back in January 2004. The phrase came from Dr. Anthony Headley. The idea is, our lives must include rest, as well as work. We must not only engage (work), but … Read more
Recently, I’ve been writing about my need to manage stress more effectively (see 3 Steps I’m Taking to Manage Stress Better and God’s Crushings). While journaling the other day, I reflected on a prayer I’ve been praying for at least the few months: “God, give me a heart like yours!” The prayer is based on … Read more
Last month, I wrote 3 Steps I’m Taking to Manage Stress Better (one additional step was the vacation that ended yesterday). In the days ahead, I will be writing more about my experiences and learnings over the last five weeks, starting with this one. This morning, while praying, I remembered listening to Chuck Swindoll’s talk … Read more
Over the years, some statements I’ve heard or read have stuck with me. One statement I read sometime around twenty years ago, I believe came from a book by James E. Means, Leadership in Christian Ministry (1989). The statement, as I recall, was … Great pastors don’t build great churches. Great pastors build great people, … Read more