What does it mean to age in a church culture that’s obsessed with and idolizes youthfulness? As most of you know, I recently reached my Big 7-0hhhhhhhh milestone birthday. Someone wrote, “life and time are ghosted creatures for us all. They belong to us and are...
There’s nothing like New York City during the Christmas season. There’s a certain magic to it. But it’s also one of the most congested places on earth. Even if you’ve done crowds in other cities, you have to channel your inner farm animal and be...
Leadership for me is more about the sort of person I am and how I respond to life and opportunity than what I know. Leadership springs from within. It’s about who I am as much as what I do...
The Rolling Stones sang: You can't always get what you want But if you try sometimes, well, you might find You get what you need I’ve found this to be particularly true of following Jesus… Eugene Peterson observed that Jesus, “doesn’t say the same thing to everyone, but he does...
When I first signed up to be a pastor it was with a sense of excitement, anticipation and commitment to a call to ministry – recovering the lost, making disciples, caring for souls, partnering with Jesus, making a difference for God’s kingdom. But along the...
Since transitioning away from the pastorate four years ago, I’ve had a lot more time to sit, pray and think. I have conversations with myself. That’s right, I talk to myself a lot. My former self – the younger, inner city, small church Pastor Mike...
What’s happened to Christmas? Commercial superficiality has intruded on this once hallowed celebration and hollowed it out. All that’s left is a non-stop shopping binge and way too many obligatory holiday events to attend, leaving all but the most ardent Yuletide devotees, worn out and...
Do you know what we’re asking when you pray, “Come Holy Spirit”?Do you understand just how risky it is? It seems safe enough. It’s a prayer spoken in lots of churches these days. But do we know what we’re getting ourselves into? Do we realize we’re...
What if you were stripped of all the props and scaffolding that make you feel good about yourself and your life? Would you become angry and miserable and stop trusting God or would you still serve him with all your heart? My wife and I were...
We can’t see mysteries, we can only trust them… One of the hardest, if not thehardest thing for me to believe is God’s providence in everything that takes place in life. By providence I mean recognizing God’s will in everything that happens to me and in...