The Opportunity I Won’t Get Back

It was my first year in college and I had an important job interview with a Ramada Inn close to our house. I really wanted this job as desk clerk. I thought dressing up in a suit and handing out keys was pretty cool. I had an eleven o’clock morning meeting, which meant I had […]

Creative Tensions: Between the Editor and Your Voice

This is the third post in a series of posts on writing and the creative life. The other two posts are: “Between Annoyance and Passivity“; “Between Authenticity and Plastic.” Today I want to discuss another tension, the one that exists between your unique voice and the hot red pen of the editor. One of the […]

5 Ways You Can Love Your Church

As a pastor and a lifelong church-goer, I’m in love with the Church. Even though the Church has a thousand problems (and every week it seems another book is coming out extolling those), the Church is still Christ’s beloved bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). And every week, pastors of big and small churches labor to deliver the […]

Friday Five: Caleb and Brittney Breakey

As a pastor and author, I enjoy those who are passionate about helping others communicate the truth of God’s love to this generation. Which is why I’m pumped about the young husband and wife writing team of Caleb and Brittney Breakey. Caleb is an award-winning journalist who has been trained by bestselling authors like Jerry […]

Creative Tensions: Between Plastic and Authentic

This is the second post in a series on writing I’m calling “Creative Tensions.” The first was entitled, “Between Annoyance and Passivity.” It is some advice on nurturing relationships that can grow your writing opportunities. Today I want to discuss another tension you will need to navigate in your writing, especially if you’re writing (as […]

Do This For Dad on Father’s Day

Okay, so this Sunday is Father’s Day. We all know that Father’s Day arrives with much less fanfare than Mother’s Day. At church we usually hear a message citing statistics of how terrible fathers in the world are today or we hear a good inspirational message on fathering (my preference). At home, guys are just […]

Father’s Day Song

As I think about Father’s Day and my roles as a father of three (with one on the way), this song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean reminds me of the awesome responsibility. I enjoy it:  

Friday Five: Sarah Pulliam Bailey

She’s interviewed everyone from Barack Obama to Billy Graham and her work is featured by news organizations such as USA Today. Sarah Pulliam Bailey is the Online Editor of Christianity Today, where her interviews with newsmakers often make news themselves. She’s also a monthly columnist for the Indianapolis Star and a contributor to Getreligion.org. I’ve […]

Creative Tensions: Between Annoyance and Passivity

I’ve had some folks ask me to post a bit more on the writing life. So I decided to begin a series I’m calling, “Creative Tensions.” I’m not coming at this as an expert, as some kind of know-it-all bestselling author. My goal is to share what little I know about writing in hopes that […]

The Gospel and Relationships

Yesterday I preached a message entitled, “The Gospel and Relationships.” It’s a single message in a series of single messages until I begin preaching through the book of James in July in a series entitled, Authentic Faith. Ironically, I took my main text for this single message from the book of James, chapter 4:1-3. Essentially […]

Remembering Stephen Bly

I just found out that my friend Stephen Bly passed away. This is how I remember Steve. I never actually met him in person, but several years ago, while working as the editor of a devotional magazine, I read an article he wrote in Moody Magazine (no longer in existence). It was titled, “Leading from […]

Friday Five: Colin Smith

If you listen to Christian radio, you’ve likely heard the distinct Scottish accent and solid Bible teaching of Colin Smith, Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Colin was raised in a Christian family and felt the call of God to pastoral ministry from an early […]