Reflections on Waiting, Sources of Empowerment, and Uncertainty

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going. Heb. 11:8, NRSVUE It’s hard to wait… This is true for any of us whether we’re two or 82. Whether we’re looking for employment or the next chance … Read More

The Great Dechurching

The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? is a rigorously researched book that’s getting a lot of attention right now and says we’re at a crossroads: One path is to keep “fighting for power and influence in society.”  The other is to “embrace our position as exiles, exercising our … Read More

My 2021 Favorites

Happy New Year, dear friends! Besides a favorite pic of my grandkids above and one of our church plant below, here are my favorite quotes from 2021 on… How We Treat People: “The Bible calls on us to develop a theological imagination within which we see the world as a community and not a collection of hostilities.” -Esau McCaulley “Condemnation, … Read More

EXCLUSIVE PRAYER & MINISTRY UPDATE- 090121

Hi Friends! Here’s our latest: Care Net: It was great to be in San Antonio last week with dear friends, serving over 1,500 individuals from pregnancy centers and churches across North America and Canada. The theme of the conference was “Light in the Darkness”—an appropriate descriptor for these unsung champions offering compassion, hope, and help to women and men facing … Read More

Exclusive Prayer & Ministry Update- 112520

“As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both … Read More

Four Boards That Need to Stay Nailed Together

“Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” Acts 2:41, NLT I was reminded in a Zoom call led by Thabiti Anyawhile this week that in the verse above God gives pastors four boards that need to stay nailed together: Gospel preaching- “what Peter said” The cultivation of new converts- … Read More

The Legacy of Jim Crow, Part 2: Leading in Ways that Heal

As I continued my tour of the National Civil Rights Museum, I came across The Negro Motorist Green Book, something created “in 1936 by African-American postal carrier Victor Hugo Green. The travel guide was created to help African-Americans find friendly hotels, restaurants, and other businesses across the country, especially in the segregated South.”[1] Not only haven’t I ever heard of … Read More