Three years ago this week, I was blogging like crazy. One young person in my youth group said he could tell I was trying to keep my mind working because I was posting two and three things every day. The reason was that, it was three years ago this week we were in Kentucky waiting for Mary Carol to be born. Her birthday–and adoption day–are October 7. We thought the birth was going to happen early (all medical signs pointed that way), but she just waited until her due date! So, we were in Kentucky for a week waiting and waiting and waiting. It was wonderful to be with family,…

I’m so excited about the sermon I’m presenting Sunday morning at Lebanon Road. While it’s always an honor to preach, some sermons really are more “fun” than others. There are four preachers in my immediate family: my dad, Jim, who preaches in Paducah, Kentucky; Leah’s brother, Jason Moon, who preaches in Huntsville, Alabama; and my brother-in-law, Jeremiah Tatum, who preaches in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. We all enjoy preaching and are very thankful to have a “built-in” network. So, once each year, we all write a sermon together. This is the second time we have done this, and we have used a psalm both times (and will probably stick with that for…

We have added a new feature. Finally. I’ve been looking for how to do this for some time. At the bottom of each article, you will find several buttons. These are links to the various social sharing sites, like Digg, Del.icio.us, Technorati, and Furl. These sites are basically large sites where folks submit articles they like so others can more easily find them. If you use these sites, PLEASE submit our articles when you find one you like. This will help others more easily find our articles and our site. By the way, I don’t use these sites a lot, but, when I do, I use Digg. Thanks for your…

As is the case with many preachers, I like to read about leadership. I have several books (thanks to a generous gift from a friend) by John Maxwell and recently reviewed a book by Zig Ziglar. Most preachers enjoy reading these books because they are filled with principles that come straight from the Scriptures, and because preachers are leaders. I subscribe to two leadership podcasts that are brief but powerful. 1. Inspiring Words of Encouragement. Zig Ziglar’s podcast is wonderful! If you have never listened to Zig speak, you have missed a wonderful opportunity. These podcasts cover a range of topics. While most deal with the business world, there are…

No, Josh and Tiffany, we’re not having another baby (at least, not that we know of). The big news is that, for some time, Dale Jenkins and I have been working “behind the scenes” to put a podcast for preachers together. Now, it has become a reality! iPreach is a podcast designed for those who preach, but anyone will enjoy the podcasts. They are laid-back and fun. While we still have some kinks to work out, we have completed three episodes, and they are already on iTunes. Our goal is to put up one episode each week, but the first three were all “uploaded” at once, so you can get…

We didn’t have over 500 again, but we were blessed to have a good number with us for worship and Bible classes again at Lebanon Road. Things just continue to go well here, and we pray that it will continue right into October. We had 357 in worship yesterday morning, and we were also pleased to have 291 in our Bible classes. Our percentage in Bible classes continues to be good, and, while there is room for improvement, we are pleased that it is staying high. I think it shows a great emphasis on the Bible school program, and it is a testament to the work and ability of our…

With USC’s loss last night (hope I didn’t ruin a DVR’d surprise for anyone), the door is open for someone else in the national title game. In the pre-season, I picked USC to beat Oklahoma. I still think the Sooners are going. So, “who’s up next?” Here are the five teams I now think have the best chance…until they, too, lose. 1. Georgia. They play a very strong Alabama team this weekend, but, if they get past that, they have a very strong chance. Unless they lose to…2. Florida. It may very well be that the winner of this game is in the title game.3. Penn State. Yes, you read…

Zig Ziglar’s book, God’s Way is Still the Best Way, is a brief collection of stories of famous leaders in many areas of life who display the fruits of the spirit in their lives. Each of the stories gives a brief overview of the life and work of the person, from football coaches to preachers to businesswomen, then describes how each has used Biblical principles to turn a business around or stand for a belief. One of the great things about this book is that each section is very brief–less than 5 pages each. There are 2-3 sections in each chapter, which each deals with a different fruit of the…

I was listening to Ravi Zacharias this morning. He was talking about Elisha and Gehazi. After Gahazi went and got his greedy stuff from Naaman, he came back to Elisha and the prophet asked, “Where have you been?” Gehazi’s answer, of course, was “nowhere in particular.” Zacharias then said, “I am a parent to three children. When they tell me they’ve been nowhere in particular, I had better found out where they have been in general.” That’s great!

This will be a brief review because, of the four books by John MacArthur I have read thus far, this has been my least favorite. It is not that the content is not good. The book is well-researched and presented in a factual and straightforward way. The reason this book was not a favorite is because it is on a subject that is not one I deal with on a regular basis. In the first book, The Gospel According to Jesus, MacArthur presented arguments against the “no Lordship” idea; the idea that one becomes a Christian (is saved) and then, at a time later in life, makes Jesus the Lord…