The stats are in, and those 18-30 are increasingly unlikely to "go to church." Recent polling shows 30 percent of this age church claims no religious affiliation at all. And in my own fellowship, Churches of Christ, this age group (and even Gen X, my own generation), is deserting our fellowship in droves. This saddens me greatly, and it is laid upon my heart to do everything possible to reach these generations. 

Why are they leaving? A variety of…

To whomever wrote this, thank you. There have been many years when I have not attended church on Mother's day due to the hurt I felt when women stood and I just sat there. Not having children wasn't my choice, but I know that God has other plans for my husband and me. I also felt guilt in not being there to thank my own mother and support my friends who do have children. Please don't get me wrong, I truely believe that motherhood (and fatherhood) should be celebrated and rejoiced over, but I…

Mothers are so precious! None of us would be alive without a mother (and a father--but it is Mother's Day today). We all have a mother. Our parents had mothers. Our grandparents had mothers. Jesus had a mother. Only Adam and Eve did not have a mother. And yet, they were both made in the image of God.

The creation account in Genesis says this:…

Frank Viola is the author of "Pagan Christianity" and numerous other books. He and I have become Facebook friends over the past couple of years. I have appreciated some of his recent works with his approach of looking at the narrative of Scripture through a Christological lens, too.

Frank has just…

One of my minister friends posted a link to this article, which I have reposted below. Here is the original link: I do think it is okay to honor certain people. The Bible says to give honor to whom honor is due. We can find ways to honor and those those who are not mothers, and many of the suggestions in the article I think can be…

Today I arrived in Malibu to go to the Pepperdine lectures. The Pepperdine lectures are my favorite of the lectureships in our fellowship. I love the weather, and I love the beach. I don't ever actually get to go to the beach, mind you, but I like the thought of it. And the scenery is nicer on the…

One of the great joys of my ministry is helping people discover their Spiritual Gifts.  This helps people see how God has made them, how they can serve in God's kingdom, and where God is already at work in their lives.

Some people rarely are affirmed. Or they have been forced into a box. Or tried to be made a teacher or…

In the book, Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication by WIll Mancini and Leonard Sweet and…

Whenever I do Missional Outreach Seminars, I divide the participants in smaller…

This essay is prompted by a paper entitled "Moving from Solitude to Ministry," by Henri Nouwen. (1) In this paper he states:

"But in the spiritual life, the word discipline means "the effort to create space in which God can act."  Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied.  In the spiritual life discipline means to create that space in which something important…

Easter Sunday was our first official Sunday as the new Senior Minister at the Grapevine Church of Christ in Grapevine, TX. What a great day! Not only did God bless us with a great…

In the United States "individualism" has historically been one of the foundations of society. " John Locke (1632–1704) is among the most influential political philosophes of the modern period. In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. He argued that people have rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that have a foundation independent of…

Yep. It's true. Francis Chan and I have decided to tour together and speak at the same workshop. Now, it is true that we have not spoken to each other about this. And the "tour" consists of one stop. And I don't think that he has ever heard of me. But, hey, we are both speaking at the Tulsa Workshop…

The answer depends upon what one means by the Restoration movement. “The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone-Campbell Movement) is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. The movement sought to restore the church and "the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the church of the New Testament.” It is an attempt to return to apostolic…

In many congregations members elderships and staff are viewed as the "decision-makers".  If something is done in a congregation--in worship, use of the building, ministry tasks, etc--it must first be "approved" by the elders before anything can be done.  In other cases, members look to the senior minister to initiate all programs and activities. In essence, this is "top-down" management.  

But, is this what God intended for congregations?  Certainly, from one standpoint it is God who…

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ― Albert Einstein

"Change is a challenge. Many want change until it is required of them!" - Me

Jesus' greatest challenge was the religious status quo of his day. His inaugural message declared the Kingdom and addressed…

In case you missed them, here are the first two blog posts in this series:

Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking - Part 1: A Left-Brained Fellowship in a Right-Brained World…

In this post I examine whether we have missed the mark in how we have interpreted the Great Commission in practice.

What do you think?

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The movie "Safe Haven" is popular movie that many Christians are attending. The plot is summarized as follows:

"When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young…