A Joyful Mind
In his book The Naked Now, Richard Rohr asks, “What might a joyful mind be?”
Here are some of his answers…
- When your mind does not need to be… Read More
I Am From Dusty Streets
Our friend Moses Masitha spoke at NWLife Church yesterday. As he began his message, he talked about the importance of our stories. He said, “When you ask where someone is from, to simply answer ‘Renton’ or ‘Kent’ does not adequately answer the question. We are a collection of stories. I am not just from South Africa, but I am a collection of experiences and stories.”
He went on to say, “Our stories, brought together… Read More
Pork Chop Post (or why I am thankful for Pastor Troy Jones)
When I was in 8th grade, I started attending this “youth discipleship class” with some of my friends at the church on Tuesday nights.
We met in a classroom that was used during the day by the church’s private Christian school.
Three of my friends in the discipleship class were African-American. Their parents didn’t attend the church.
One night, we all arrived at the church a few minutes early. They were still finishing their dinner.
They were eating pork chops.
Before our class started (and before our Youth Pastor showed up), I noticed the pile of pork chop bones sitting there…
And mischievous inspiration struck… Read More
These Are The Posts I Liked. Maybe You Will Like Them Too.
It’s Sunday and I’m sharing – these are the posts I liked (this past week). Maybe you will like them too…
This post, “Overrated: The Hero Complex” by Eugene Cho. Actually, it’s a… Read More
Something Fun, Something Fascinating, Something Free
Happy Friday! Here are some fun and fascinating videos (and a chance to win a free book)…
1. VIDEO: LABEL IT.
Using fear in advertising (like to sell home security systems) isn’t cool – but somehow this advertisement for label maker brand Brother is.
2. VIDEO: ROOFER MUST DANCE… Read More
I’d Rather Be Herod’s Pig Than His Son
Caesar Agustus, a close personal friend of Herod was quoted as saying, “I’d rather be Herod’s pig than his son.”
The truth is, being a pig in Herod’s household would’ve been much safer than being a family member.
He killed his favorite wife, Mariamne (he had 10 wives), because he suspected… Read More
Insecurity is a Carnival Mirror
Insecurity is a carnival mirror…
It paints a false picture—a jaded one.
It exaggerates and amplifies the negative.
It attacks your sense of belonging and worth.
Insecurity makes you feel small and your problems insurmountable.
Consider these… Read More
List From Louise: This Will Keep Me Busy For The Rest Of My Life
Louise is a new friend of mine. She loves to read and travel, so we pretty much “get” each other. The other day, Louise shared a comment on my blog – actually, it was a list. She wasn’t giving me a to-do list; she was sharing hers.
Here’s what Louise said…
This will keep me busy for the rest of my life… Read More
The Question: How Would You Define Success As A Pastor? My Answer…
A few days ago, I was asked this question online: “How would you define success as a pastor?”
Before I could respond with a positive answer, my brain first went to all the things I would NOT define as success for a pastor (like celebrity status, number of church campuses, number of attendees, book on the NY Times Bestseller list, having a conferences for other pastors so I can tell them what they should be doing and how they should be doing it, building mega-campuses, being on TV, getting invited to preach around the world, driving a Bentley, etc.).
When I was done eliminating what success is NOT, I started thinking about the essence of what it IS to me.
What I came up with isn’t exhaustive – but it is the core of who I want to be and what I want to be known for as a pastor.
Here’s my reply… Read More
Good Reading This Week
On Today’s Sunday Shout Outs, I’m sharing four posts that are really good and worth reading. I hope you will…
This post, I Raise My Hands: A Prayerful Response To Ferguson, by Osheta Moore. Here’s my favorite line: “Today, I raise my hands because the truth is black lives matter and black kids don’t have to be college-bound for their deaths to… Read More