The following is a series that was formerly created as a paper for the Perspectives class. I went through training to be a coordinator for this excellent, missions-intensive seminar, and we were required to write a paper upon completion. I chose to focus my paper mainly on the youth of France. I took three years [...]

Within the last week, we’ve sold our 2002 Toyota Sequoia, and we’ve bought a 2001 Toyota Prius. We are decelerating in our desire to save on gas and have no car payments. It’s become pretty apparent in the last months that it’s doable but difficult to be a one-car family in Blacksburg/Christiansburg – especially with [...]

We’re almost ready to pull the trigger on an iPad at our house. Carolyn and I are going to “share” one as our 18th anniversary present. But we’re selling stuff first. Here’s where we need help… With the new data plans from AT&T announced this week for iPhones and iPads, should we: 1. Get rid [...]

We’re picking up where we left off in this series about leaving the church. In this entry, we simply want to recognize the obvious: in order to leave your church, you have to have been a part of one. One of the most-often quoted verses in the New Testament in regards to church attendance is Hebrews 10:25Hebrews 10:25English: World [...]

The Last Christian: A Novel by David Gregory Imagine a world in 2088 where everyone has neural implants enabling them to enter VR (virtual reality) and access the Grid (internet on steroids) at any moment. Because of the implants, a human can process information much faster than ever before. In this same world, Christianity – [...]

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt This little book can destroy your way of life as an American. If you’ve embraced “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as yours by right, then you should continue to do so without the message of David Platt, pastor of The Church [...]

The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love With the God Jesus Knows (The Apprentice Series) by James Bryan Smith Let’s be real clear at the outset. My three stars out of five are not for our good and beautiful God. It’s for the book called “The Good and Beautiful God” by author James Bryan [...]

This is my last conference for the year. In the past 10 months, I’ve been to Catalyst in Atlanta, Exponential in Orlando, and today and tomorrow, Cody and I are attending the Innovate Conference at Liberty University in Lynchburg. We weren’t really planning on attending Innovate until we learned it was only $50/person, and Chuck [...]

Three years ago, I wrote a short entry called When it’s time to leave your church. I’ve been amazed at the amount of traffic that entry continues to receive. Invariably I notice that people find it after searching the web with “how to know when to leave my church” or “how to leave your church.” [...]

For those of you who are regular readers, you may have noticed my lack of blog productivity over the past month. I’m going to blame this one on another house – our new home in Blacksburg, Virginia. We were blessed to finally (after nearly 8 months of active looking) find a wonderful home in the [...]

There is a house near the southern edge of Arkansas. That house no longer contains the magic and mystery and comfort that it once held. It sits vacant now. It has done so for several years now. Although its interior has changed little – furniture sitting unmoved since the days of my childhood, its transcendent [...]

The Red Sea Rules The Same God Who Led You In Will Lead You Out by Robert J. Morgan This small book makes for an easy read, but I encourage you at the outset to not plow through it just to say you’ve read another book. Rather, chew through it, and reflect, enjoy, and drink [...]

Last week was astonishingly full. It culminated in a Baptism and Celebration Service on the football field behind Blacksburg Middle School. It also included a trip to Orlando with some of our church staff and volunteers for the Exponential Conference. Throw in a massive laughfest called our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Saturday night at NLCF‘s [...]

Louie Giglio is now a church planter. He is the lead pastor at Passion City Church, but you may know him best from his leadership of Choice Ministries in Waco, Texas many years ago or of the Passion Network these past 13 years. He’s been a huge influence in my own discovery of the joy [...]

Mark Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC and also the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. As a church planter and pastor, he shared with us the unique story of the talking doney in Numbers 22. It’s an unusual passage, and as Mark shared [...]