Recently, a group of my “besties” and I enjoyed a girls night at a business that has somehow convinced people to pay to work! We went to a venue where you preselect the project of your choice and, once there, you do all the work. Well, at least some of the work. You sand, distress, stain, paint, drill, and decorate. So why would people pay to do all of that? It’s because it is all prepared. The boards are already cut to the right length. The holes are marked and pre-drilled. The design is created on a stencil and the guesswork is taken out of the stain and paint colors.…

Recently, I heard an interview with a man who had written about the period of time during which thirteen English colonies in North America fought for the right to be free from the domination of England. During that interview, the historian used a phrase and introduced (at least to me) a concept I had never really considered. He said that we read the history of that time with “a sense of inevitability.”   The historian went on to explain what he meant by that phrase. From our vantage point, we have the luxury of looking back on those events. We now know that those thirteen colonies did, indeed, win that war and that they ultimately became…

Does anyone else remember when “all this” (as people keep saying in the South) was only supposed to last about 2-3 weeks so we could “flatten the curve?” That was in late March! Frustration is building in so many places, and, in most cases, for good reason. From politics to jobs to sports to school and beyond, decisions have had to be made, changed, updated, and cancelled. It is frustrating to know what we are to do or not do, almost on a daily basis. But in the midst of all this, leaders of churches–elders in the Lord’s Church–have had to do things they never dreamed they would have to…

I’d like to pose a few questions that might help all of us (including me) to think about our thinking. Specifically, I wonder if some of us may think more of the church as an institution instead of thinking about individuals – especially the souls of individuals. Maybe your list would be longer, but here are just a few questions designed to get all of us started thinking.   Is the church primarily a building–or–is it a family?Is the church an organization set up to meet my needs–or–is it a body of which I am a vital and functioning member?Does membership in a local congregation allow me to have privileges– or–does it provide…