It’s something I have done since my first ministry. On Fridays I walk through the empty sanctuary, sit in each pew, and pray. I pray for the people who will sit there, whoever they may be. I pray that something happens to touch their hearts, strengthen their faith, or encourage them to live radically for …
I grew up southern. Even more significant, I grew up Virginian. The foothills of the Blue Ridge were my playground, the red clay of the Old Dominion was my sandbox, and the countless historical sites and landmarks were my classroom. I cut my teeth on the stories of the settlers of Jamestown. I can trace …
Ah, conventions. We church leaders love them. Leadership. Church Growth. Church Planting. Name the flavor and preachers, ministers, youth and worship leaders will flock to them. The best worship bands, well-known authors, preachers, and teachers will fill our minds with ideas and our hearts with zeal. And there in the seats we sit, with our …
The question stared up at me from the computer screen, the blinking cursor was begging for a response. It was not the first time I had been asked the question, nor was it the last, but for some reason, this time I carefully pondered my response. I had been ‘chatting’ with a friend from Bible … Continue reading
I am 6’7″. It’s no secret that I am tall (in fact it’s rather obvious), and the reactions I get when I first meet people range from ‘You’re a big one aint’cha?’ to the ever popular, ‘How’s the weather up there?’ At least once a month I am approached by an elderly person in a … Continue reading
Ask someone to describe Jesus in one word and you may get responses like: Merciful Loving Compassionate Righteous Kind Caring Okay, you get the picture. Our overall perception of Jesus is that of a ‘nice’ guy. A man everyone wants to like. But that’s not the picture that I get when I read the Gospel … Continue reading
This edition of Potent Ponderables are questions that are centered around the ‘missing’ years of Jesus’ life, namely age 2-12 and age 12-30 (age 12 is when He was left behind at the Temple). I realize some of these may stray from traditional teachings concerning Jesus, but I can’t help but wonder. We know your … Continue reading
It has often been quipped that preachers are the biggest plagiarists in the world. I even heard of one church, during a remodeling project, jokingly suggesting changing the nameplate on the minister’s study to one that said ‘Copy Room.’ Recently one of my former Bible college professors posted a poll question on Facebook that asked … Continue reading
I often jest that I have a list of questions that I would like to ask God when I get to heaven. The fact is we all have questions, and another fact is, some we may never find the answers to. But I hope that one day God will reveal to us ‘the rest of … Continue reading
I am thrilled to be writing my first post for my brand new blog. As I type this I am excited to begin anew, to have a clearer focus and a new zeal for writing. My hope is that this blog will prove to be provocative, not for the sake of controversy, but for the … Continue reading
Recently I read two articles (one on msn.com; the other on csmonitor.com) that examined the downward trend of marriage in our culture. One article revealed that now,barely more than 50% of adults aged 18 years or older are married (compared with 71% in 1960). The other article revealed that adults under the age of 30 … Continue reading
It’s getting to that time of year where I start looking back and seeing what I have learned over the past 12 months. There have been dozens of books read and scores of sermons and lessons prepared and presented. There have been nearly 60 articles written for three different blogs, including a few that were … Continue reading
We got the note a couple of weeks ago. In the precise handwriting of a second-grade school teacher were the words, “Savannah is having trouble seeing. She needs to have her vision checked.” This was paper-clipped to the school nurse’s report that recommended an immediate visit to an optometrist. We called, made appointments, and last … Continue reading
The Pondering Preacher 