I don’t do bubble baths. Come on, you know me, I’m way too tough for that. However, the other day I was listening to a track and thought: “this song is so mello and chill, it makes me want to take a bubble bath.” Now, of course I didn’t go take a bubble bath. Remember: [...]
Are Christians intolerant? 1 of 3
An increasingly common refrain (in this instance, from the NY Times): People who think they have the truth are dangerous. Everyone has the right to determine what is true for him or herself. No one should try to press their view of truth on others. Hmmm…Is this not someone attempting to make a statement of [...]
Build this House 7 of 7, bottomline.
Joshua 24:15 “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the [...]
vineyard labs: texting in church
Welcome to the lab! I need feedback, and a little bit of help testing a new idea we’re working on. One of the things we’re always kicking around is how to keep vineyard peeps well-informed, without being annoying. We killed the bulletin a while back in an effort save time, save $, and save a [...]
Porn on the Preacher’s laptop
I had a disturbing experience a while back. While sitting at my desk at the church, I followed a link to read a blog post that caught my eye. I was bored soon and started to look for something more interesting. Figuring I might have the luck of the draw I clicked the “next blog” [...]
Build this House: 6 of 7
Joshua 24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat [...]
Mom Makes Teen Wear Sign Confessing Sins:
An interesting, if not mildly disturbing story I ran across: Mom Makes Teen Wear Sign Confessing Sins: A Tennessee mother fed up with her daughter’s misbehavior took an unusual tack in for latest punishment, making her stand on a busy street corner with an attention-getting sign. Tashara Wilkins, 13, held a sign Sunday reading, “I [...]
What's keeping me up at night…
I’ve tried to use a measure of discipline and not use this blog as an outlet for shameless Maryville Vineyard promo. Instead, I want this to be a place where I can share what’s on my mind. But here’s the deal: what’s happening at the Maryville Vineyard is what’s on my mind. In fact, it’s [...]
Build this House: 5 of 7
Parenting and leadership wisdom from Joshua Now that the Lord has given the land to Israel, and taken Joshua off of the battleground, the rest of the book (chapters 13-24) focuses on Joshua’s leadership as he establishes the house of Israel. His role shifts from Patriot to Papa, and he does it brilliantly. Joshua 22:1 [...]
Why I'll never ever be APASTOR!
As a pastor, there are few things I hate more than seeing someone become APASTOR. Here are five reasons that one might want to become APASTOR: They want to be a punchline. They prefer extorting over exhorting. They want to validate the caricatures of clergy found on shows like Family Guy and South Park. They [...]
Build this House: 4 of 7
Parenting and leadership wisdom from Joshua Now that the Lord has given the land to Israel, and taken Joshua off of the battleground, the rest of the book (chapters 13-24) focuses on Joshua’s leadership as he establishes the house of Israel. His role shifts from Patriot to Papa, and he does it brilliantly. 19:49 When they [...]
@ the Lab: Your thoughts, please.
I love change. I rearrange furniture for no particular reason. My office floats around the county (as long as it’s got wifi and it’s in a different place than yesterday, it’ll do!). I jack with the seating in our sanctuary for no good reason. I rework my weekly calendar…er, uhm…almost weekly. I just love change. [...]
