Cartographic Links

September 14, 2007

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 [...]

The Call to Comfort

September 12, 2007

Sermon squirming is many times a good thing. As a pastor I try not to lay guilt trips on my congregation – you can only guilt people into something one time, after that they lose motivation because the heart has not been changed. But challenges to the status quo often stretch people beyond their normal zones of comfort. And since Christ calls us to reach beyond the bounds of our normal lives, a little stretching helps to mature a believer. But a recent survey reveals that the Christian calling Read more [...]

Record Heat and Extreme Spiritual Drought

September 8, 2007

My yard is crispy fried. We are going through an extreme drought in Southern Indiana. This August was the hottest on record, and we are over eight inches under normal amounts of rainfall year-to-date. The grass has not grown in two weeks and is beyond brown, an eerie color which makes for a conspicuous “striped” look since we have a septic system and lateral lines that cross the backyard. We are praying for rain. Another drought is occurring in our great country, and one that has been in effect Read more [...]

Faith without Fear

September 2, 2007

I did not want to get off the sofa. But the cat kept “meowing” loudly. And I could tell that it was more of a distress call than a hunger call. My wife wanted a cat; I’m allergic. So we got a cat. The compromise was for him to stay outside. Erin was out of town with family this weekend, so caring for the cat was left to me. Abe and I get along, but I think he knows how to bug me. Every time I open the door, he’s waiting to skirt into the house. How he knows which door I am about to open Read more [...]

Seniors and a Renewed Temptation

August 28, 2007

Ok, so this subject may be a bit taboo – maybe a lot taboo…senior adults are having more sex than we like to think. While sexual activity reported among a survey of 3,000 men and women decreased with age, it is still much higher than expected. About 73 percent of those 57 to 64 years of age and 53 percent of those 65 to 74 years of age reported some level of sexual activity. While the church should celebrate long and healthy marriages, clearly the results of the next set of data are driven by Read more [...]

When Lightening Strikes the Church

August 26, 2007

Last Thursday a powerful storm front moved through our area and produced prolific amounts of lightening. One bolt literally struck our church. When we came in on Friday, we found an entire network fried. The projector was not spared the carnage. Since much of our worship centers around the ability for people to see words on a screen, we were in a bit of a quandary. Luckily, our music minister is quite flexible – we just dusted off the old hymnals and sang from them. And you know what? It wasn’t Read more [...]

Keeping College Students in Church

August 22, 2007

Most know anecdotally that the church is not assimilating college students. But perhaps not known is the gravity and pervasiveness of the problem. A new study reveals that 70% of young adults ages 23-30 said they stopped attending church for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. At my own church, the college-age slice of the church population is a relatively low percentage. And eight miles away is a large extension campus for Indiana University. We are just beginning a college ministry. Read more [...]

A Cry for Help – Part 2

August 17, 2007

At this time last week, a group from my church hit the streets of New Orleans to share the only message that can eternally save a person. We spent the first part of the week prying multiple layers of plywood from each other in numerous homes. I am most definitely not a skilled laborer, but I now consider myself to be an expert in crowbarring. As mentioned in my previous post, the most striking part of the trip for me was the unending destruction – street after street, block after block after block. Read more [...]

A Cry for Help – Part 1

August 13, 2007

Driving down Interstate 10 into the heart of New Orleans was overwhelming. The caravan of thirteen from our church had heard about the lasting devastation from Hurricane Katrina. But seeing it firsthand made several of us weep for a city still crying for help. Two years after one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history, The Crescent City is still trying to recover. Don’t let the commercials fool you – New Orleans is not “back.” The façade of the city, the French Quarter, Read more [...]

God Does Not Die (Even in Europe)

August 2, 2007

The European church has suffered a prolonged and wearisome decline since the 18th century Enlightenment. Following World War II, the decline became quite steep. For years, theologians, pastors, and churchgoers have bemoaned the inert state of the European church. A recent Wall Street Journal article, however, points to a possible brighter future. It seemed an inevitable conclusion that the church would become extinct in Europe. But now it is experiencing a spotty renaissance in areas that once were Read more [...]