As one who has read N. T. Wright would expect, this book is brilliant, accessible, and challenging. Wright’s ability to frame the ministry of Jesus…
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While out shoveling snow recently, I had Pandora playing in my pocket. The station was one of several I have based upon a worship artist. I was concentrating more…
Leave a CommentI have been thinking about eschatology, a seminary word for the last things, lately. Don’t worry. I haven’t gone all “ivory tower” on you. There’s…
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We all knew before it even started that the Most Valuable Player of the big game (am I allowed to call it the Super Bowl without paying the NFL?) would be the one who made a big play worthy of celebrating. Quarterbacks have won more than half of them, that number increasing with Eli’s naming last night, with running backs and wide receivers taking most of the rest.
But could the MVP have won the game without the 53rd man on the roster? There are a lot of players on a championship team that seem far from the spotlight. We know the Bradys and the Mannings that do amazing the things with the ball, but what about the right guard that protects their blindside when they drop back to pass? Without that guy doing his job, they wouldn’t have time or space to do the things they do.
2 CommentsA couple of weeks ago, I was privileged to be invited to the offices of Group Publishing to observe a field test of the programs…
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From time to time I hear from associates about how their ministry is not respected by their congregation, their organization, or someone on the staff. As a youth pastor I had a janitor try to ban the youth from using the sanctuary because they sometimes made a mess. Others I know felt that their lead pastor or their supervising board did not respect what they did – asking for time sheets, wanting office hours posted, or scheduling other things in conflict with their ministry events.
I have learned over the years, not to get too excited by every compliment I receive. There was a time I believed each one was about me and my greatness. Then something strange happened that had me looking at both my compliments and critiques differently.
I regularly preach in the congregations I serve, sometimes as the primary speaker at an alternative worship service, other times to fill-in when the lead pastor is away, and other times as part of the regular rotation. At one church, I would receive compliments after I preached about the way I told stories in my sermons. I heard how I connected with people where they were, and made the gospel easily applicable. I was beginning to think I might be the next Billy Graham. Then, suddenly, the compliments started to change. I started to hear from other people about how good I was at preaching the Bible – sticking to and expounding upon the text. No more would I be Billy Graham, but now I might be the next N. T. Wright. What changed?
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