In general, a sense of humor in the pulpit is not a bad thing. Sometimes humor by itself helps to release tension. And a funny story often helps us see a truth in a new way. We’ve all heard sermons where the preacher made us laugh and then came the “zinger” that flew in under the radar, sort of “a spoonful of sugar ma …
Yesterday Skip Olson drove down from Chicago to spend the weekend with us. When I sent him email instructions, they included 41 specific steps, starting with “Take I-57 south until it hits I-55 in Missouri,” which covers six hours of driving, and then “Stop at Lambert’s Café (home of “throwed rolls”) in Si …
It’s time to go for a bike ride. But first a few items on my desk . . . 1) Doug Bandow offers an up-to-date look on the struggle for religious liberty in China. Here is the money quote:Yet even as the PRC grows in international confidence, its Communist party remains paranoid, fearful of the very diversity encouraged …
We have just posted a new sermon on the website:When Christians DisagreeHere is an excerpt on three warning signs that you’ve let “your issue” impact your life negatively:Our danger is that not only will we disagree and separate, but that we’ll cross the line from justifiable disagreement to anger and bitterness …
The Korean version of The Incredible Journey of Faith has just been released.
Recently I reflected on the events of the last seventeen months and what God has been teaching us since we moved from Chicago to a cabin in the woods north of Tupelo, Mississippi. One thing is for sure. I’m no prophet. Before we moved, I told our friends that we would be moving to Mississippi for “four or five months, …
Several weeks ago I had the unique experience of witnessing my first infant baptism. I suppose that one statement says a lot about my own spiritual background in that I managed to live 54 years without ever seeing an infant baptism in person. I was raised Baptist and have spent my ministerial career serving in churches that …
“Why don’t pastors preach from the Old Testament?”The question came from the chairman of the pulpit committee of a large and growing church. In their search for a new pastor, they had interviewed the top tier of candidates, only to discover a disconcerting fact. “None of them preach from the Old Testament,” the chairm …
We have just posted a sermon called Letter From a Friend. It begins like this:”I need to ask your forgiveness.”Thus began a letter from a friend. The letter went on to describe a situation that was very understandable to me. During a phone call with someone else, my friend made a comment that he now regretted. And so he now …
If you have signed up for the weekly sermon emails, this note is for you. If you signed up but aren’t receiving the sermons:In early January we switched to a new system for sending out the sermons. Even though visually the weekly sermons look the same, we are using a new company and a different program to send them ou …