Are you trying to play an infinite game with a finite mindset? Just less than a month ago, Simon Sinek released his new book The

Are you trying to play an infinite game with a finite mindset? Just less than a month ago, Simon Sinek released his new book The
Engaging Scripture creatively helps us engage it more deeply. Here are some of my haikus based on Jonah.
Scripture comes to life when we engage it creatively. Here is a collection of haiku poems I’ve written based on Isaiah.
Let me begin by saying, “Thank you.” Of all the ways you can expend your energy and talents, that you are using them in service
Leaders need it. Volunteers need it. Insiders and outsiders both need it. How do we best care for the people around us?
Salvation is not about emphasizing one particular action over another. It is about God redeeming your whole person.
Good preaching informs, but great preaching transforms. Dr. Rob O’Lynn shares his research, imagining how preachers can utilize transformative learning theory in how they help their congregations grow spiritually.
Our first post on Kingdom Upgrowth went live one year ago today. I wanted to take a moment to say “thank you” to everyone who
Short-Term mission trips have the potential to do a lot of good abroad, but also at home! Here’s something you definitely want to do as you go on your trip.
Dr. Anessa Westbrook shares her original research about what factors help young women to grow spiritually.
Fundraising is an essential part of mission trips. You cannot go on a mission trip without the means to get there. Since many people raise their funds through writing letters, I am offering some tips for how to write excellent letters that are more likely to get you the response you are desiring.
Here is a collection of Spanish Christian Children’s songs, ideal for learning with your mission trip team if you are going to a Spanish-speaking country.
Summer is approaching! More than 1.5 million North Americans will be heading out on Short-Term mission trips. Though everyone has access to standard packing lists,
It is significant that Jesus came in a physical body and physically died. These are reflections about Hans Holbein’s classic art work that brings out the grotesque nature of death.
Everyone deals with criticism. When someone criticizes you, how should you respond? Here are a few suggestions.
In Decline or Not? I can’t remember the source of the quote, but I heard someone say, “It used to feel like Christianity was the
Thoughts about the different ways we can be motivated to speak on God’s behalf and how in a vocation of preaching and teaching this develops over time.
The Old and New Testaments work together to provide a beautiful portrait of a loving God who has acted powerfully throughout history.
If you are wanting to teach a larger book of the Bible without overwhelming your listeners, here are three strategies for making larger, complex books more accessible.
A review of Mike Harland’s book Worship Essentials (2018).
Avoiding Ditches In my religious tradition (churches of Christ) we have had an uneasiness with the Holy Spirit. As with most areas of doctrine, when
How do we help our children’s faith become their own? Luke Dockery shares about his Youth In Family Ministry model as a deliberate way to
I was thrilled to have a conversation with Bob Turner about books and trends in Christian publications. Bob serves as the Library Director at the Harding
Note: This post is part of the 2018 blog tour What Are You Seeking? Hosea. A testimony to God’s steadfast lovingkindness towards Israel and Judah.
If there is anything that bothers me, it’s that I feel like I never have enough time to read. As I started compiling a list
Emeott, Bill. What About Kids Ministry? Practical Answers to Questions About Kids Ministry. Nashville: B&H Books, 2018. One Sentence Summary: A collection of mini-essays by
Having spent a lot of time studying the Enneagram over the last few months, I wanted to share a lot of my favorite resources in
Note: This post is part of the What Are You Seeking series. First Things First A long time ago, our friend Augustine talked about disordered
Note: This post is part of the 2018 Blog Tour: What Are You Seeking. What am I Seeking when I Study the Old Testament? The short
4th Place Disappointment In 2016, following an extended period of injuries, setbacks and a lengthy recovery, Kara Goucher attempted her comeback for the U.S. Olympic
Note: This post is part of the 2018 blog tour: What Are You Seeking? As soon as I heard the theme for this year’s blog
For this Research Spotlight, I had a rich conversation with Dr. Jason Bybee about discipleship. Discipleship is so much more than making converts. Through Scripture and
Note: This post is part of the blog tour series: What Are You Seeking? God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many
Not Employees Volunteers aren’t employees. When you’re leading in a church setting, there isn’t a single person involved who doesn’t have the real option of
Note: This post is part of the 2018 Blog Tour: What Are You Seeking? “You are what you love.” That’s the title of a book
The Enneagram The Enneagram is a personality system which groups people into Nine Types, partially based on their behaviors, but even more so based on
Note: This post is part of the 2018 Blog Tour: What Are You Seeking. Several weeks ago I was having a conversation with someone about
“It was in the last place I looked.” One of my least favorite expressions follows an anxious search for keys, wallets, and phones. Having scoured
For this Fall, some ministry friends reached out to me about a blog tour. I’m honored to participate. I’ll be sharing one post of my
The Shepherding Metaphor A good shepherd cares about his sheep. When we talk about leadership, we would do well to stay close to that imagery.
These days, talking about important subjects online is a lot like walking through a minefield. Matt Dabbs provides tools to help us with online conversations–and
What does it look like when you put Appreciative Inquiry into action? I’ve made lots of posts the last few months about Appreciative Inquiry, and
Ministry isn’t the only vocation where productivity, organization, and efficiency are important. Here are a few things I use to help me accomplish as much
CLICK HERE FOR THE AUDIO-ONLY PODCAST In this Research Spotlight, I am excited to share a conversation I had with Kevin Burr. Kevin is a Ph.D.
In the video, I walk through: Basic info about short-term missions and their rapidly growing popularity Brief information about the missional church movement, and why
When I was preparing to preach about the parables of Jesus, I came across John Dominic Crossan’s book, The Dark Interval: Toward a Theology of Story. The
I’ve enjoyed posting about the assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry. In this video, I explain how I utilized this method at the Old Hickory Church of
I’ve been making posts about Appreciative Inquiry, an effective method for studying an existing group of people and discerning how to implement positive change in
Churches are too cautious. People who won’t change can’t grow, because growth cannot occur without something being done differently than it was before. Churches that won’t
View post to subscribe to site newsletter.
I’ve been sharing reflections on the different assumptions of a group evaluation method called Appreciative Inquiry. One assumption that seems especially obvious is that in