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iPreach Request
This Friday, Lord willing, iPreach will deal with a very specific topic. Because we will be focused on such a narrow subject, we need input! Dale Jenkins and I will be discussing the program Evernote, and how it can be used by preachers and churches. I use it for several purposes, and am growing more and more fond of it all the time. Here is where we need help. If you use this program, you can help us in one of two ways: 1. We could use you as a guest if you are willing and able. We plan to record around 10AM Central on Friday. We would love to…
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We Need More ______ Folks
If you are a member of the church, you can fill in the blank, can’t you. Nearly every congregation has heard someone say, “We need more young folks.” Usually, that person then lists one (or more) of the following “reasons” why more young folks are needed: They provide a needed energy to the congregation. They show a strength for future leadership. They often have children, which helps strengthen the future even more. They are creative. They will, then, reach out to more young folks. First, let me say that none of these things is wrong in itself. Those statements are usually true, and the desire for more young folks in a…
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Hunt or Haunt?
We often use the word “love.” In fact, we probably overuse it. We love our family. We love ice cream (mmmm….ice cream). We love football. We love God. We love time alone. On and on it goes. We love everything. Most of the time, though, we are able to distinguish which we love more. We don’t love ice cream as much as our family. We don’t love our car as much as our friends. Though we use the same word to express our feelings, we know where our priorities are and what is “higher” on our list. Do we love the lost? Where do those who have not obeyed the…
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Friday Links Roundup: Pass Along Edition
We’re excited about this weekend. We are headed to Lawrenceburg this afternoon for our niece’s 2nd birthday party (and she asked for brownies…she must be related to me!!!). On Saturday morning, I have my first (of 3) fantasy football draft. Wish me luck. I’ve spent about 20 minutes preparing. As long as I don’t draft Donte Stallworth, I’ll be okay. We’re calling this the “pass along” edition, because we are making an appeal to our readers to pass along the word about our blog. If you get the updates via email, will you send one or two of your friends a link to our blog? If you get them via Twitter,…
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Not the Exact Reference…
But it was close enough for me! We were driving last night to Woodbury, Tennessee, and enjoying some pretty countryside views. As we topped a hill, there was a little drizzle falling and, soon, we saw a faint rainbow. We made sure the kids saw it. Mary Carol piped up and said, “Daddy, I never see a rainbow before.” (We’re working on grammar!) After the initial excitement of seeing this beautiful wonder wore off, I asked her, “Mary Carol, what does a rainbow mean?” Her answer may not be the exact reasoning from Genesis, but it is close enough (and very true). “It means God loves us!” That’s close enough…
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15 Things You Can Do to Encourage
We love encouragement. In fact, we crave it. Encouragement is one of those things that can pick you up and get you through your day. Some, however, don’t see themselves as encouraging. “I just won’t know what to say” or “What if they are offended by me trying to pick them up” are phrases you might hear someone say. Here is a quick list of things you CAN do to encourage someone else. 1. Send a non-forwarded email. Take a minute to type out a favorite verse or quote and send it to someone who enjoys getting email. 2. Write a letter. Remember pens and paper? Getting mail is a…
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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…
