USA Today recently reported on research that correlates a thankful spirit with happiness. It states that people who practice outward gratitude on a regular basis tend to be healthier people: Practicing gratitude in systematic ways changes people by changing brains that are wired for negativity, for noticing gaps and omissions…When you express a feeling, you amplify it. When you express anger, you get angrier; when you express gratitude, you become more grateful. Makes sense. The problem is that Read more [...]

One thing that does not come naturally to me is spontaneity. I am a planner, scheduler, and organizer. I do very little on a whim. If the calendar on my computer were to crash, my world would crumble. My wife, on the other hand, is the queen of spontaneity. I know God has a sense of humor because He created the “opposites attract” thing. Erin likes to do things on the spur of the moment. I do not. [Interruption! As soon as I typed the last sentence above, my assistant told me that a man was Read more [...]

A new season of ministry brings no shortage of emotions. In my recent transition to Sarasota Baptist Church, I was excited, stressed, and itching to accomplish something. Any major transition in life can put people on edge. Leaders, in particular, face the challenge of visibility during these times of transition. The people are learning the new leader’s verbiage, mannerisms, vision, and leadership style. The leader, in turn, is assessing organizational structure, relationship dynamics, and culture. Read more [...]

For my book, co-authored with my father, our research team interviewed 394 rechurched young adults to find out why they returned to church. One myth that could be easily dismissed is that they were too angry at the church to return. In fact, the rechurched told us in overwhelming numbers that anger at the church was not a factor in their departures. Apathy tended to be the trump card over anger. Surprisingly, the dechurched often just needed a gentle nod to become the rechurched. And that gentle Read more [...]

From the Pew Research Center: people perceive others have more than they really do. Presented with a list of high-end consumer goods and services, and asked whether they have them and whether they believe most other people have them, most Americans tend to over-estimate what most other families have; for example, more than six-in-ten (62%) believe that most families have a high definition television, whereas just 42% of all adults say that their family has one. Similarly, about a quarter (24%) of Read more [...]