Ken Davis shared this experiment: We conducted a three-phase investigation at Rockford College and used over 100 college graduates preparing for youth ministry. In the first phase, We took a young volunteer from the room and blindfolded him. We simply told him that he could do anything he wished when he returned. He remained outside […]
Let us start this discussion by clarifying what constitutes Generation Z and how they differ from Millennials: Generation Z are people born in the late ’90s and early 2000s. In comparison, Millennials were born in the 1980s and 1990s. How Do Employers view them? “These generational representatives will probably tell you that kids these days […]
I am passionate about Christians sharing their faith with those outside God’s family. I am not a big fan of doing that without forming a relationship with people. I am not a fan of individuals pushing Jesus on those outside of God’s grace because I think that just turns people off to Jesus and paints […]
As schools are about to reopen in the fall, what are prospective parents looking for in a Christian day school? This post summarizes a presentation I gave at a teacher’s conference. The presentation was on what prospective parents want in a Christian day school. Some of you are thinking they want what everyone else wants. […]
You prepare a table before me (Ps 23:5) As the psalmist, David shifts his attention to protection from the valley of death in verse 4, the new metaphor in verse 5, God as the bounteous host. The psalmist paints this beautiful picture of a rich table where God can defy all his enemies. For one […]
There is much conversation in my church right now about whether we are a declining church body and whether or not we will survive this decline. So, surveyors of statistics tell us that we are in for a long, slow dip before we hit rock bottom and recover. That is not exactly the message you […]
In a magazine for pastors [Pulpit Helps, August 1997], one fellow wrote with one of those “you know you’re in trouble when …” lists. This one is, of course, addressed to preachers and is called “So Long, Pastor” You Know It’s Over When … You return from vacation to find the visiting preacher’s name in […]
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his […]
Sometimes, when I look back at my time in the parish, I feel for my congregation members. My parents raised me with the idea that “good enough” was unacceptable. Complacency is “as soon as you are comfortable with where you are, you are heading in the wrong direction.” The Signs of Complacency. 1) Satisfaction with […]
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as […]
