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.
Category: Leadership
Short-Term Missions Shopping List
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,
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Millennials and Mission: A Moratorium
I’m ready to stop talking about Millennials. I couldn’t even tell you how long it’s lasted, but for years now, every week, I see at
When Churches Choose Faith Over Fear
Fundamentally, the church should be a community of people in whom the Spirit of Christ is alive and well. Where the Spirit of Christ is
Kindom Upgrowth
Where there is upgrowth, something noticeable has happened. To speak of the upgrowth of national trends or economics is to speak of something readily observable