Uncategorized
-
"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.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Give Away Day
Uploaded by www.cellspin.net
-
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…
-
"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…
-
Book, Book, Book
Three quick reviews today. —————————— God’s Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible Adam Nicolson This is one difficult book to read, but it is informative. Lent to me by a member at Lebanon Road (with the warning that it was “a rough read”), this book gives a biographical sketch of several of those who played a role in translating the King James Version of the Bible. It is an historical book, focusing on the time in which this great volume was written. Though it is tough to get through, this book really gives one major point: it is amazing, considering the personalities involved, that this book was ever…
-
Friday Links Roundup: 10 Elders Edition
Sunday will be an historic day in Lebanon Road’s story. Lord willing, we will install three more elders to our eldership, giving us 10 shepherds. We are anticipating a wonderful day as we hear from each of the new elders. They will each speak for a few minutes about their hopes and dreams for Lebanon Road. Talks like that truly whet our appetite to work even harder in the Kingdom! If you are near Nashville, why not be a part of this very special service? We’ll start at 9AM. On to the links for this week: 1. Steve Higginbotham writes a wonderful response to a former President leaving his religious…
-
Ask the Readers: Encouraging Future Preachers
Tomorrow on iPreach, Dale Jenkins and I will be talking about holding preacher training camps. Several of these are held all over the country, and do a great work. (If you’d like to be in on the discussion, join us at 10AM Central on Talkshoe.com and then search for iPreach.) I’d like some help ahead of time, though. Besides preacher training camps, what are some “formal” ways you and your congregation encourage young men to preach? Most of us “informally” encourage by telling the young men they do well when they lead, or simply by encouraging them, but what are some ways you help them in a more concrete way?…
-
I Love Church Vans!
Sunday and Monday nights, I got to continue an odd “love” I have. We were at the Area-Wide Gospel Meeting in Paducah and, as we walked up to the Carson Center (a performing arts building), there were lots of church vans in the parking lot. When I see that many church vans, I read the names of every one I see. I saw vans from Fulton, Kentucky; Dexter, Missouri; Paducah; and many other places. Whenever we host something at Lebanon Road–and when we used to host things like our youth rally at 9th Avenue–it was my tradition to walk around the parking lot and look at all the congregation’s vans…
