Drive around for awhile, or pay attention to online ads for local congregations. Let the messaging really sink in. Sometimes, it is said explicitly, while at other times, it is more implicit. What you will see is that congregations often want to brand themselves what what they are “all about.” You’ll hear clear tones–and undertones–that say… “It’s about you.” This is the “come as you are” church. “We’re casual.” The congregation seemingly boasts about how they are laid back and how their worship and atmosphere isn’t “stuffy.” The programs are meant to make you feel better and you’ll leave knowing you’ve had an “encounter.” “It’s about the kids.” This is…

Have you heard about the stone that could have played a role in an international incident? It seems that a Belgian farmer got tired of a certain stone being in his way every time as he plowed his field. His solution was to move it about seven-and-a-half feet. That “simple solution” turned out to be not quite so simple after all. You see, that particular stone was a marker along the border between Belgium and France. His decision to move that one stone slightly increased the size of Belgium and decreased the size of France. The date on that marker was 1819. One can only imagine all of the negotiations that took place over…

As of 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, the school year was over. Well, except for teacher work day and the 2 hour report card pick up day on Friday. See, that’s part of the problem with earthly things. We think we know when they are ending, but there is always more to do.  At church, in our Bible class on the gospel of John, Ben Smith pointed out an interesting fact about the wrappings left behind in the tomb of Jesus. They were folded and the face or head cloth was laid separately from the other parts. Why? Because they would not be needed again. When God says something is over, it…

Over the last 6 weeks or so, I have heard something very similar to that sentence–“it’s time we got back to work”–about 5 or 6 times. Interestingly, each of those times was in different conversations with, or lessons by, different people, but they were all talking about the same subject. As I write this, the most recent occurrence happened with a man I had never met until just moments before. He was thanking me for something, and we struck up a conversation. I asked his name and where he was from, and, after giving those answers, he told me his “role” at the local congregation (which I’ll share in a…

Last week Jim and I got to spend four days with some of our dearest friends on earth. All of us are in the same age range, and all of us are Christians. We all (three couples) used to live in the same town when Jim was preaching in Missouri, and then we began to be separated by distance when we moved to Kentucky and another couple moved to Alabama.   One thing that never changed was our love for one another and the camaraderie we enjoy when we do get to spend time together. When we can’t be in the same location, we text, do group calls, and send each other silly…

You may have heard the one about the conversation that took place while a family was traveling home from a worship service. The adults were complaining about such things as the length of the message, the preacher’s grammar, and other things about the preacher that left a lot to be desired. They also had some derogatory things to say about the song leader. Not only did he select songs that did not meet their approval, he led them too slowly, his pitch was not “right on,” and his mannerisms were distracting. Of course, the men who helped serve the Lord’s supper did not escape a thorough review, nor did the men who led in…

Folks, it is definitely May. If you are an educator, that needs no explanation. If you aren’t, suffice it to say that May – while wonderful – is also challenging in the school world. And, if that weren’t enough, last week we had two bizarre mornings to add to the fun: one morning as students were arriving at school, the tornado sirens were sounding and we were quickly moving children to safe spots as the storm approached. Then, two days later, we had a zebra on the loose that had been tased and received a message to not approach the angry zebra … “yes, really.” While some of you might…