How do you get mice out of a church building? You make them members, then you’ll never see them again. It’s a sad, but funny joke pastors tell about the annoyance of church membership. The truth is, being on a membership list at your church doesn’t really mean you’re a church member. It just means…
It’s the most stressful time of the year. It used to be the most magical time of the year, but at some point it became stressful. Christmas should be a time of caroling and goodwill, instead it has become a time of grumpy people and bad drivers. (Am I the only one who feels this…
I see many people who have stopped pursuing their dreams. And I think I’ve noticed the thing all those people have in common—they don’t surround themselves with the right people. Consequently, they don’t have the guidance or the instilled confidence to follow through on their plans. It’s sad, because dreams aren’t all that hard if you go…
Being self-employed, one of the biggest things I struggle with is getting motivated when I need to be. And it can be especially difficult right after a long holiday break. I know I’m not the only one who deals with this. So what do you do when you need to get motivated? How do you reset…
It’s a somber, scary time right now. After the ISIS attacks in Paris and no end in sight on that front, then political fighting, along with other tragic events raging around us… It’s hard to think about what there is to be thankful for. Sure, there’s family. There are jobs, friends, and other good things.…
Let’s be honest: Most of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) back in the day was just songs that copied secular songs and added a Christian theme to it. I’m not saying there wasn’t artistry or validity in the music. But the Christian market mostly wanted Christian alternatives to the music they really wanted to listen to, so…
In Mark, Jesus told a man, “Anything is possible if a person believes.” We love writing that on sticky notes and tacking them to our mirrors, but I don’t know many Christians who live lives where anything seems possible. Most of us live ordinary lives that don’t really go beyond anything anyone else experiences. And I…
I’m a bit of a dreamer. And last week, I almost got derailed by an email. One of the folks who are supposed to be one of my biggest advocates told me they didn’t really believe in me. That led me down a spiral of worries that almost made me want to give up on writing.…
Note: I actually wrote this last Wednesday, planning on posting it today, unaware of anything that would happen in Paris. On one hand I don’t want to capitalize on the Paris tragedy, but on the other hand I believe this applies now more than ever. So I’ve decided to keep it posting on today’s schedule.…
We’ve become a nation of lifehackers. We all want to get the most out of everything. And for many, that means working the system. Heck, I work the credit card system. I frequently get free flights and hotel stays because I do things like buying gifts cards instead of directly buying what I want… It’s…