While I typically cannot sleep on Saturday nights, I have an extra measure of excitement when I know that I will baptize someone the following day. Church members seem to smile a little larger and shake my hand a little firmer on those Sundays when the baptistery is full of water. After the service, our entire church celebrates with a huge birthday cake for the one who just professed their faith. I believe that all churches should celebrate baptism. We put so much hype into a wedding (and rightly Read more [...]

If you’re a pastor, you know firsthand that some of the funniest moments in life occur in the church. One of these ‘moments’ came this Sunday in our church while singing during worship. My father and mother, visiting from Nashvegas, pointed out that we sang “all in common vice.” Apparently, the great PowerPoint typo this week was changing the word “voice” to “vice” in one of the worship songs. We got a good laugh at lunch when my Dad mentioned it. Of course, I didn’t even notice Read more [...]

Before I was called into the ministry, I worked for a commodities firm trading power and natural gas for large industrial end-users. During my tenure at the company, I was placed on a team overseeing some of the technological advances we would introduce to our clients. We ended up outsourcing a good portion of the work to a company in India. They would build the system overnight; we would come in the next morning and double-check their work. During this process, I interacted with several people Read more [...]

I was recently posed a simple question: “What makes a church innovative in fulfilling the Great Commission?” Innovation is making creative changes or introducing a new perspective on something already firmly established. The Great Commission is established in Matthew 28, right before Christ ascends into heaven, leaving the disciples to continue the good news message of great hope and security. Since Scripture is the incarnate Word, unchanging as God is unchanging, how does one innovate on the Read more [...]

I must admit to you an odd fascination. Ever since I was a child, I have loved looking at maps. My parents gave me a globe for Christmas one year, and what would have been a neglected gift by most children, I used frequently. Geography was one of my favorite subjects in junior high; my free electives in college were used to take geography classes. My addiction to the weather channel is directly attributed to the trance it puts me in as I watch weather patterns crisscross over the lower 48. Google Read more [...]