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Ask the Readers: Too Few Deacons?
On our latest edition of iPreach, a topic was raised that is something I’ve thought about often. Before introducing the topic, let me hasten to say that this is not a “something’s wrong at Lebanon Road” post. Rather, this is something for my own study and thought. Comments would be very much appreciated. With that said… We were discussing creativity on the program and one of our guests gave one way to help creativity within a congregation. He said that he felt like most congregations have too few deacons, or, when we have deacons, the elders “micro-manage” and stifle creativity within specific areas of ministry. I started thinking of areas…
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Friday Links Roundup: Many Limbs Edition
We are in Alabama today, helping Leah’s parents clean up their yard. Earlier this year, their “neck of the woods” was hit by some very strong storms that left a large number of limbs and branches down in their yard. We are helping them clean up their yard as much as we can in a couple of days. We are looking forward to getting back to Lebanon Road for worship on Sunday. We have to say “goodbye” to Chris LaFever this Sunday. He has served as our summer youth intern and has done a very good work. We know he will do well in his future, but we hate to see…
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Welcome, Bible Money Matters Readers
Some of you are viewing our blog today because of our guest post on Bible Money Matters. A huge “thank you” to that good blog for allowing us to tell our debt free story. If you are new to our blog, we hope you’ll stick around awhile. We post 3-4 times each week on topics ranging from spirituality and the Bible, to book reviews, to pictures of our kids. Every week, we also feature a “Links Roundup” that is a reader favorite. (The next edition will be up around 8:30AM Central today.) You can subscribe to our blog via RSS by clicking here. We hope you will do that! Also, we’d love…
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How Can We be Lonely?
We live in the most “connected” society in history. Through such technologies as telephony, the Internet, and cellular technology, we are rarely without connections to many friends and family. However, we also live in the most lonely society in history. How can that be? While we “stay connected” through Facebook, cell phones, texting, and Twitter, we usually just stay on the superficial level, talking of what we are eating, where we are going, and other simple matters. We rarely truly get to know others. Today, have a deeper conversation with someone. Maybe it’s your spouse with whom you need to reconnect. Guys, don’t just tell her what your favorite team…
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"First," "Best," or "Constant?"
There are many advocates of spending the first few moments of the day with God. Some say that you should spend the first hour of each day reading the Bible and praying, so your first moments are with the most important Being in your life. Some, though few, even suggest that to skip this first hour (or other amount of time) is sinful! Others say that we should study our personality and give God our “best” time. If you are a morning person, for example, then you should rise in the morning and give that “best” time to Him. Others are night owls and, therefore, should pray and study deep into the night.…
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11 Tips for Better Meetings
It is well-known among the office staff at Lebanon Road that I despise meetings. Yes, I attend, and I am in charge of a handful each year, but I am not a fan of meetings as they are usually done. I often refer to them as a “necessary evil.” I know meetings are literally “evil,” but I think we waste a lot of time with many meetings. I love reading things that help me focus on how to make meetings better. The following list of suggestions are things that are not original with me, but that I’ve picked up over the years from various sources. If you know where these originally…
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Long Time Coming
I did something this afternoon that Leah and I have been working toward for quite some time. While we aren’t totally “done,” we are at a place we have dreamed of for many months. If you have been reading this blog (or have been around us) for any length of time, you know that we love Dave Ramsey’s teachings about money. We have been to a live event (in Birmingham, Alabama, about 4 years ago) and own the book The Total Money Makeover. Beginning in the next couple of months, we are going to coordinate a Financial Peace University class at Lebanon Road. Following the “Baby Steps,” we decided to…
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Give Away Day
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Friday Links Roundup: Visiting Edition
One of my goals this week was to visit more of our folks in hospitals and nursing homes. I try to visit as often as possible, but I like to take “chunks” of time to visit several. Yesterday, I took all afternoon and visited many of them. I made another visit on the way to the office this morning. I’m not saying this to brag. I’m saying it because these people need visits! Some are great at sending cards or calling. Those are needed, too. Take a few minutes today (probably no more than 5-10) and make a phone call or send a card. If you have a little more time (say 30-45 minutes), visit…
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"Why?"
Children sometimes ask questions that are far deeper than what they think. We listen to a lot of Bible-based music in our, especially when the children are with us. We listen to Hannah’s Hundred CDs so they can learn Bible verses (there’s nothing like hearing a tw0-year-old singing, “Thou shalt not commit adultery!”) and we listen to a lot of groups like Hallal, One Voice, and ZoeGroup. Recently, I was in the car with the kids while Leah was running into a store and we were listening to a CD. A song came on about Jesus dying on the cross. Mary Carol asked a very basic question at first: “Why…
