Category: Church

  I wonder what our churches might be like if we responded honestly and seriously to the following… What if we didn’t care who got the credit as long as God got the glory? What if we told the truth about what was really going on in our lives? What if leaders of all kinds… Continue reading I Just Wonder…

One church that I visited while away was Waco’s Church Under the Bridge.  (This is a church which literally meets under the Interstate 35 bridge near the Baylor Campus.)  I’ve been once before.  I wanted to go primarily for the experience of just seeing the variety of people come together.  Poor and well to do. … Continue reading A Different Kind of Church

Today, I was listening to NPR’s All Things Considered.  As I turned my radio on, a commentary was already in progress.  A female voice was describing the church of her youth.  For some reason, that church experience felt familiar.  Sure enough, she was describing growing up in a Church of Christ in Tennessee.  (You might… Continue reading Remembering My Childhood Church

I spoke with a special friend on Tuesday afternoon.  Another minister, in another city, in another state.  I like my friend.  He is one of those people who I’ve known for years, yet rarely see.  When talking on the telephone, we can reconnect in a matter of minutes.  The other day, we talked about a… Continue reading The Church in Adolescence

I just finished reading Peter Scazzero’s The Emotionally Healthy Church.  A good read.  This particular paragraph in the Introduction caught my attention: The sad truth is that too little difference exists, in terms of emotional and relational maturity, between God’s people inside the church and those outside who claim no relationship to Jesus Christ.  Even… Continue reading Daring to Be Authentic

1.  The big question in the life of the church is not, "What can we do so that everybody is finally happy?"  The big question is, "What does God want?"  2.  The most spiritual people in any church may not necessarily be the people in church leadership roles.  They may be…but not necessarily.  Don’t underestimate… Continue reading 10 Truths About Church Life

I have been a minister for twenty-six years.  I suppose that in some respects that is not a long time.  Yet, today it feels long.  I serve God this way because I really believe that this is what he wants me to do.   Yet, I do this with much concern about churches today.  For a… Continue reading Is This Our Future?

What we say too much in our churches: 1.  "Some people are upset." 2.  "We’ve never done it before." 3.  "Let’s don’t do anything that might upset some people." 4.  "You cater to the younger people." 5.  "You cater to the older people." 6.  "You are keeping me from worshiping." 7.  "You know that many… Continue reading What Do You Hear at Church?

When it comes to today’s church, I feel such discouragement at times.  At other times I feel such hope.  Most of the time, the hope wins out.  I’m not specifically referring to the church that I am with (though I would include it in my concerns).  The concerns (and hope) that I have is much… Continue reading Discouragement and Hope

I am amazed at times at the people who God puts together on a Sunday morning.  A people who make up "church."  I can get  overwhelmed by the problems represented on any given Sunday morning: The couple listening on a Sunday morning for the voice of God as they struggle to heal from an extra-marital… Continue reading Encourage