I have to reflect on Thanksgiving Eve at The Scruffy Church before it goes into a blur. Read the rest of this entry

I’ve shared this story with a few people lately, so I decided to revive this post and move it back up the list.  Enjoy.

—- From 2009 Read the rest of this entry

This is a must read. This is the article I referenced in my message this past Sunday. This blog entry by Mike Breen is the trust thing I have read in a a long time. It resonated so much with me that I put all other ideas aside for this Sunday’s message and expanded on this article.

Please read it and pass it along.

http://mikebreen.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/dont-drink-the-water-how-culture-has-corrupted-the-american-church/

As we reflect on the completion of our 6th week caring for the homeless, it is critical that we also recognize our volunteers who made this mission possible. Whether someone washed the clothing of the homeless or took on the more complicated task of organizing and training, we witnessed God using each and every one of us in exactly the way He intended. Read the rest of this entry

As I have reached the ripe “young” age of 45, I have thought about God’s plan for me to grow beyond being a typical Sunday Church-goer. As I look back, I can more clearly see His desire to mold each of us more and more into His likeness, if we are willing. Read the rest of this entry

We need more loyalty in our world. There’s not much of it around these days. I think it’s time to craft a Sunday message on this topic. I just had to hear how a dear friend of mine was recently treated by someone and it really breaks my heart and quite frankly ticks me off. That’s loyalty. We should feel one another’s pain. Read the rest of this entry

I have to be honest, I am less than enamored with social networks. In fact, I have come to view them as little more than a necessary evil. I find myself needing to interact with my social networks because they are quickly becoming a somewhat necessary form of communication for my job, but boy do they ever cause a lot of trouble. It can be argued that it’s not the social network per se that is the problem but it’s users. However, the nature of the form of communication these networks employ is highly problematic for a number of reasons. Here are my top 5 based on my personal experience and a bit of random polling. Read the rest of this entry

What’s the point of having a church? You know, that’s a question I’ve pondered most of my adult life. There are a lot of different precepts about church out there. Some surround the idea of purposes such as worship, evangelism, ministry, fellowship, and prayer. I agree that all of these are absolutely important, however as the years go by I am becoming increasingly concerned about our “inwardness” concerning these purposes. Read the rest of this entry

Human nature is a strange thing.  Our nature often works contrary to our personal good.  This is most obvious when it comes to how most Christians respond in times of duress.  I have observed that more often than not, when a person goes through a very trying time, the most common reaction to the life stress is to stop coming to church.  I have often wondered why this is so.  Read the rest of this entry

I’ve been thinking about criticism a lot lately.  Yeah, I get criticized a bit.  Every leader does….but that’s not the main reason I’ve been thinking about it.  I’ve been pondering it because I’m as guilty as the next guy of easily falling into the trap of criticizing others that I feel are making bad decisions or who aren’t measuring up to my standards. Read the rest of this entry