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.
Author: Mark
I'm a devout Christian, a loving husband, and a killer guitar player. My desire is for God's people--individually and collectively--to flourish.
Responding to Criticism
Everyone deals with criticism. When someone criticizes you, how should you respond? Here are a few suggestions.
Navigating the Cultural Divide
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
On Being A Messenger…
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.
How the Old and New Testaments Work Together
The Old and New Testaments work together to provide a beautiful portrait of a loving God who has acted powerfully throughout history.
Engaging Longer Texts
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.
Book Review: Worship Essentials by Mike Harland
A review of Mike Harland’s book Worship Essentials (2018).
A Dwelling Place for the Spirit
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
Youth in Family Ministry with Luke Dockery
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
An Interview with Bob Turner
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
W.A.Y.S.?: Seeking God’s People by Christine Fox Parker
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.
My Favorite Reads of 2018
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
Book Review: What About Kids Ministry? by Bill Emeott
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
Enneagram Resources
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
W.A.Y.S.?: Disordered Loves by Rob Sparks
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
W.A.Y.S.?: What Am I Seeking When I Study The Old Testament? by Lance Hawley
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
Stacking Your Skill Sets
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
W.A.Y.S.?: Your Eyes Tell It All by Jonathan Woodall
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
A Mentoring Model for Intentional Disciple-Making: with Dr. Jason Bybee
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
W.A.Y.S.?: The Search for the Search by John Dobbs
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
Make Serving A Joy
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
W.A.Y.S.?: The Seeker’s Heart by Matt Stidham
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
Enneagram Ups and Downs
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
W.A.Y.S.?: What are you seeking…really? by Peter Horne
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
W.A.Y.S.?: What You Can Stop Seeking
“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
2018 Blog Tour “What are you seeking?”
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
Pastoral Leadership: It’s About The Sheep
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.
Having Productive Online Conversations: with Matt Dabbs
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
Questioning Forward: Appreciative Inquiry in Action
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
Tools & Tech for Productivity
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
Worship As Spiritual Formation: A Conversation With Kevin Burr
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.
Short-Term Missions for Long-Term Impact
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
Stories We Need To Tell
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
Questioning Forward: A Case Study for Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change
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
Questioning Forward: In This Together
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
Seven Mistakes Your Church Should Make
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
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Questioning Forward: Better Than When It Started
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
Questioning Forward: Speaking Your Reality
When Genesis describes God creating the universe, God is speaking the world into existence. “Let there be…” In the beginning was “the Word”, John tells
Spontaneity and Spiritual Growth
My family went for a period of about 2-3 months when we played Scrabble all the time. Many evenings when homework was done, we would
Questioning Forward: What Gives You Life?
People are like plants. We grow best when we are close to what gives us life. When it comes to sunlight, the scientific term is heliotropic.
Questioning Forward: Differences Matter
Differences matter, and it is important to value them. For smaller churches trying to grow, one way they undermine themselves is by insisting on uniformity.
Questioning Forward: Bringing What’s Best
Appreciative Inquiry assumes that people have an easier time moving into the future when they can bring parts of the past with them. Another slightly
Questioning Forward: How Tradition Can Help
Don’t be too hard on older folks. They’ve seen and been through a lot. It isn’t uncommon to hear someone throw the older generation under
Becoming Israel
You can’t really know you love God until you feel like he’s wounded you. That’s my understanding, anyway. There is a significance to the name
Questioning Forward: Inquisitive Impact
Working with people is much different than working with test tubes. A scientist can work with substances in specific amounts in controlled environments. He or
Would-Be Disciples, Beware!
If I ever make it to Greece, one of the places I most want to go is to the Monasteries of Meteora. This is a
Questioning Forward: The Power of Focus
Robert Cialdani’s book Pre-Suasion (2016) contains a staggering amount of evidence that a person’s focus shapes their reality. I would argue that this is the underlying
The Path Between
Most life paths are best traveled in moderation. There are two sides of any road into which one can tumble by means of “too much”
Questioning Forward: Every Group Has Its Strengths
One of the core assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry is that in every organization, some things work well. An unfortunate aspect of leadership is that it
Questioning Forward: A Series On Appreciative Inquiry
John Maxwell has stated correctly that change is inevitable, but growth is optional. No one in the world is safe from the effects of change.