We see this refrain (or its equivalent) in Scripture over 75 times. We see it personally concerning the loss of loved ones. Whether it was by their choice or someone else’s. Whether it was through death or relational conflict. We see moments where the loss is personal and God’s response is the same... “I will never leave you nor forsake you...” (Deut 31:6,8) We see it prophetically. It can be a lonely place when God has positioned you to do a work that will prompt others to d

Tonight we were driving down the street and Charity, my middle daughter, was in the midst of telling me a story about something that happened in the Trainer's Room today after track practice when "Jesus We Love You" by Isabel Davis came on. She immediately stopped, said "this is my song," and turned it on full blast. The next song came on and she kept singing. And then the next song continued the pattern. I thought to myself, parenting is a journey full of mistakes, misfo

My youngest daughter had her first gymnastic meet of the season. At each meet, the goal is to get as close to an all-around score of 40 as possible. For my daughter's level, anything lower than a 36 is, to say the least, not a reason to rejoice. This means that she needs to average nothing less than a 9.0 on any event. She started the meet off on the uneven bars; not her strongest event. After her foot slipped from the bar, she was only able to earn a score of 8.6. We s

There is a new generation on the horizons of leadership in our congregations. While their permanent name will be assigned sometime in the future, researchers are calling them Generation Z, iGen, the Centennials or the Founders. For the sake of this article, let’s go with Gen Z. Most researchers have settled on Gen Z being born around 1995 – 2015 (although the final year is still being determined). They are characterized by being individuals who are too young to remember w

Anything worth doing, is worth reviewing, so we can see how to do it better. From worship services, to events, to camps & retreats, we have a responsibility to continue to improve and give God and our families the best experience possible. One of the ways to continually improve is to celebrate the wins and evaluate and plan for things that need improvement. Debriefing meetings designed to celebrate the contributions of your team, evaluate the furtherance of vision, and exam

We are halfway through 2017 and before we hit the end of another year I wanted to repost a blog I wrote at the end of 2016. The mid-point is a great time to look in the mirror and see how we are doing on a self-care and spiritual growth this year. So here's a little reminder... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We’ve made it to the end of another year, and this new year brings the opportunity for new beginnings. Before we set

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Day has always been my favorite time of the year. When I was a kid and when I was in college and graduate school, it was my favorite time of the year because I had the opportunity to rest, relax, spend time with love ones and do things that I didn’t get a chance to do when life was full of responsibilities. Over the past few years, this season has been one of my favorites because I was excited to get the chance to work uninterrupt

I received a text message from a colleague in ministry regarding judging the amount of Biblical support and relevance provided in a particular curriculum. They were concerned about the reviews of this curriculum discussing its “lack of Bible” and Biblical shallowness that doesn’t seemingly answer life’s tough questions. Let me say here that I love the Bible, I believe the Bible is God’s inerrant word and is the most important document we can use to teach our young people a

Awesome trainings keep me dreaming all night on Friday and then wake me up at the crack of dawn on Saturday. Whether attending as a participant or communicator, I am in love with the idea of getting better. In the same vein, the one thing that will raise my blood pressure is getting excited about a training opportunity that winds up wasting my time. All of the effective training events I have attended have two common components. They are purposeful and well prepared. Nothing

Arborists, people who work with trees and plants, understand that pruning is not something just done for the look of a tree but it is necessary for the health of the tree. Pruning is done with the end-result in mind: making the tree healthier and a better fit for the environment that it is growing in. This principle can be applied in many of the churches we serve. Pruning is done to keep our congregations, and the individuals that make up the entire group, growing in a health

Instituting Orange in two different church environments, both of which were over 100 years old, has allowed me to be a part of shifting some of the ideologies, methodologies, and aspirations of churches seeking to serve our next generation. In 2011, I was looking for a curriculum that took the truths of the Bible and connected them across several age groups to strategically make disciples of Jesus Christ. Before mastering the Orange lingo, I was excited that First Look introd

A building is best built on a sturdy foundation. A sturdy foundation without a viable building is not worth much. They are both worth more together. That is the image that comes to mind when one thinks of Next Gen Ministry! A Next Gen leader is an individual, within a local congregation, that is responsible for the discipleship programming and spiritual growth of children & youth, birth through twelfth grade. Ideally, this person is a main decision-maker and is in the to

While I have been a huge fan of the TV series, “Being Mary Jane,” almost 48-hours later I still find myself struggling with her “It’s okay to be #2” speech to a group of high school girls. While I understand this show is aimed at capturing the reality of black single women, has our opportunities for a healthy, viable, loving, (and because we are discussing the context of the show, not for debate) and heterosexual relationship become so hopeless where NUMBER TWO is the best m

Today, Jude reminds us of the power of the God we serve: Now to my Savior that is able to keep me from falling – falling away from the plow, falling into temptation, falling onto depression, and falling toward despair And to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy – joy because the mistakes of my past, present, and future, are covered by his 2,000 year old sacrifice, that allows me to be present in His glory To the only wise God who is