Every church tries to put something humorous in the content every so often. Well, this little story can be used (as long as the blog address is mentioned!), and it is funny. The best part is, it’s real, because it happened to us Sunday morning. Mary Carol is old enough that we are trying to teach her the names of the different avenues of worship. She’s got singing and praying down. She basically knows what preaching is. However, as with most children, the Lord’s Supper and giving are still fuzzy. To try to help her understand giving, we let her put our family’s contribution in the plate when it is…

Uplifting. That’s the best word I can think of to describe yesterday. Our singing at Lebanon Road is always good, and we are blessed with so many great song leaders. For some reason, though, the singing yesterday just seemed to be outstanding. That makes a preacher ready to go! I began two series yesterday on church growth, and both were received quite well. I truly believe that Lebanon Road is set to grow. Our elders have challenged us to that end, and we will work under their leadership to make it happen. It was also a privilege yesterday to speak at Sycamore Terrace–a retirement home about 3 miles from the…

If you have read the original 21 Irrefutable Laws, you need to find the 10th Anniversary edition and read it. John Maxwell jokes in the introduction that, even though these laws are “irrefutable,” a couple of major changes have been made since the original printing. Also, many new illustrations have been added, including a couple dealing with Maxwell and his work. I tried to read 21 with a view toward the local congregation. Obviously, a person in any leadership position would benefit greatly from this work. It is a quick, easy read, but contains some profound truths. Deep down, I believe that most of us know the major sections of…

I mentioned in the last post that I’m on Twitter. I forgot, though, to tell you how to “follow” us if you’re on that site, too. If you want to add us on Twitter, click here, and then click on the “follow” button. Thanks, and enjoy!

I always seem to be at least one step behind in the tech world (and if I’m only one step behind, it’s a good day!). It seems like, as soon as I add a device or application, I find out that something better just came out, or that everyone is moving past that application. Oh, well. That’s life in 2008, I guess. I enjoy the things I do, and I am always trying to look for ways to bring readers to our church website and this blog. It is also fun to do the “personal” stuff on the web, like Facebook. (If you’re not my Facebook friend, add me. Join…

A bill sits on the desk of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter which could dismantle any order that state has. Pushed through both houses of the state’s government by Tim Gill (an openly homosexual political player), Senate Bill 200 would basically eliminate gender from any part of life in that state. As of yesterday, Governor Ritter claimed he was leaning toward signing the bill. Basically, this bill would make it where any public place, from ball games to restrooms, would be available for anyone who “self-identifies” as a specific gender. In other words, if I am a male, but I “self-identify” as a female, I may go into a female locker…

Our “little” Turner seems to grow taller every day. He is getting close, seriously, to being as tall as Mary Carol, and she’s tall for her age. She is about 3’5″, and he is just over 3 feet tall! Maybe we should have named him “Yao.” Turner can show off his height now because he is starting to pull up on things. Here he is this morning: I promise he was smiling when I tried to snap the picture! (My favorite part is the wet spot behind him…maybe he’s not as big as he thinks he is!!!) Okay, I can’t get through this without showing you what our little Precious…

I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. We certainly did. Leah’s parents were with us for several days, now that her mom is finished with radiation treatments (yah!), and, on Monday, my parents came and spent several hours. It was a great time. We also had a wonderful Sunday at Lebanon Road. Our numbers were down just a bit, but not badly for a holiday weekend. We still had 324 on Sunday morning, and our brothers and sisters contributed a great amount of money to the Lord. On Sunday night, we held our annual reception honoring our high school graduates. We honored six young people (from six different…

Last Summer, when I was the youth minister at 9th Avenue, we had our first youth intern. Robbie Daniel did a great job, not only as a youth intern, but as the first intern. Our young people really liked him, and they came to appreciate his positive attitude toward both them and the Lord. Guess who our youth intern is at Lebanon Road this Summer? Robbie Daniel! He will begin Sunday (although he’s coming today to get settled in and set up) working with J.D. and the youth group. I know Robbie will gain valuable insights from J.D., as I have seen the job description and the calendar of events.…

If you read this blog often, you know how much I respect brother Wayne Jackson. He is true to the Scriptures, and is able to put forward some difficult lessons in a scholarly, yet practical, way. Before I Die continues that tradition. Jackson’s work is a commentary on Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. Honestly, my only complaint about this book is that it isn’t longer! Filling some 370 pages, Before I Die is the “meat” of these three epistles. For the Bible student, Jackson’s greatest contribution through this volume is a greater understanding of certain original words (without being so technical that the reader is bogged down). From time-to-time,…