• Tikkun Olam

    I am preaching again this weekend at Riverfront Family Church. The title of my message is “Tikkun Olam”. Tikkun olam (????? ?????) is a Hebrew phrase that means “repairing the world.” In Judaism, the concept of tikkun olam originated in the early …

  • More Meetings Rule

    Or at least, more rules for meetings! Yesterday I posted some tips here from Jason Fried about meetings. Today, I want to continue with some practical meeting tips from Patrick Lencioni, author of Death by Meeting. But first, a confession. I am so…

  • Meetings Rule

    As a pastor, I used to spend an inordinate amount of time in meetings. I was lucky, because at my last church we had banned committees (we only had ministry teams) and most of our meetings were productive. (Generally, committees talk about things …

  • When Jesus Confronted Homosexuality in the Gospels

    It is a common myth that Jesus never encountered the issue of homosexuality in the Gospels. In fact he did. I have written before about Jesus’ teaching about sexual minorities (including LGBTs) here. But the most direct confrontation with homosexu…

  • Remembering Katrina

    Today is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Let us remember that the work of rebuilding is not yet done and the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Region still need our prayers and thoughts.

  • Weird Flashbacks & Good Memories

    I came across this old video on an old YouTube Channel from the church I left. It was from our first year. A weird flashback and good memories — and made continually thankful for what God has done, is doing, and will do through His church. I alwa…

  • 08.28.63

    Saturday, August 28th, marks the anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr’s, game-changing “I Have A Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. This weekend is a good time to reflect upon the work, ministry and legacy of Dr. King –…

  • Happy 100th Birthday Agnes? Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

    One hundred years ago today, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, who would become known to the world as Mother Teresa, was born. If you know me, you know that she is one of my faith heroes. In fact, as part of an Advent/Christmas series I preached in 2009, I g…

  • God is a Jerk

    A real conversation I had not-so-long-ago with “Harry” (not his real name): Harry: “So yeah, gay people can’t be Christians. You can’t be a continual sinner and call yourself a Christian. I guess it is okay for gay people to go to church, but they…

  • More on the Mosque & Obama (via Colbert)

    I can honestly say I didn’t care that much about this issue until the force of the opposition became so loud and scary. It has now become an issue I care strongly about. More thoughts from Colbert: The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c T…