Figuring it all out one day at a time
Please bear with me. This could get a little lengthy.
I have spent all but a few months of my life in the church. Between birth and graduation my family attended 3 churches for various lengths of time. In college, I worked or interned at several churches and since then I have served full-time at 4 churches. I am speaking from experience when I tell you….I’m afraid. [Read more…] about My greatest fear for the church
Here’s a video on how I started my own pastor’s coaching network. This is in response to a lot of questions I received on the Wesleyan Pastor’s Facebook page.
Today I went to the Newspring Leadership Conference in Anderson, SC. I love Christian Conferences and the people you meet there. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve been to. At every single one of them there was a life challenging nugget or a word from the Lord which is good because that’s why we go to those things. There are tears of joy, [Read more…] about The Day After a Christian Conference
I meet a lot of people at Christian Conferences. Today, I am attending the Newspring Leadership Conference (#nlc) in Anderson, SC at Newspring Church. I’ve been to all of them so far(this is year 3) and the speaker lineup includes Matt Chandler, Steven Furtick, Criag Groeschel, James McDonald, Perry Noble, Judah Smith, Andy Stanley, Judah Smith, and Jud Wilhite. The first 2 years were challenging and life changing and I will miss Mark Driscoll this year. I have been to a conference at Willow Creek before and that was incredible, but mostly I’ve stuck with local and denominational events. Our district has a yearly retreat that is required for full-time pastors and it is always refreshing. In 17 years of attending conferences, here are a few [Read more…] about The 8 People You Meet at Christian Conferences
Some people think that God set everything into motion and has been sitting back watching since Creation. I don’t think that’s true. I think He is always active, always involved, and always engaged in what’s happening in the world. People blame the devil for everything. Dead car battery? The devil. Runny nose? The devil
As a pastor, I get to see God transforming [Read more…] about The Devil is in the Distraction
Although I am not a youth pastor anymore I still am blessed to get opportunities to speak at a youth camp every now and then. As of this writing, I have spent 44 weeks of my life at various youth camps. I have tried just about every trick in the book to pack lighter and more efficiently except for one year. that year, another youth pastor and I packed all our stuff into 2 large plastic tubs and pretty much brought all our clothes to camp. As many Wesleyan youth camps kick off this week I thought I would share some packing tips for leaders and students.
A Bible and something to take notes with are a must. Sometimes a camp book is provided with note taking space and I have a collection of those dating back to ’91. It’s helpful to look back and remember key sermons and messages from the Lord.
Youth camp can be messy. Always take a pair of shoes you are willing to part with at the end of the week. For me, this is even more essential when flying. I typically have an old pair of sneakers that don’t make the trip back.
You’re also going to need some athletic shoes. Between team games and sports activities you are going to be doing a lot of running. You don’t want to spend [Read more…] about The Ultimate Youth Camp Packing List
