The world is full of traditional pairings. You know, stuff that just always seems to go together. PB & J Parties & regrets Jordan & Pippen Dating & drama etc… You can’t seem to have one without the other. Sometimes that magnetism makes for great things (i.e., PB & J) and sometimes not (i.e., dating [...]
Continue Reading →There has always been a debate about how to apply what we read in the Bible about politics. Israel was a theocracy. That meant (among other things) that the Church and the State weren’t separated. Taxes and tithes were all dumped into the same pot! But that system changed when Israel demanded a king. At that [...]
Continue Reading →Yesterday: some different forms of God’s will. Today: a false distinction between forms of God’s will. I’ll keep this simple: The oft-discussed ‘perfect will of God’ is a redundant statement. If it’s his will it’s perfect, by default. The problem with the phrase is that it gives rise to a false version of God’s will: the [...]
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Limos don’t age well. I drove by an older one a few weeks back. It looked terrible. And not for reasons you might think: It had been maintained well. It was clean and free of dents. It was driven by a professional-looking, kind-faced chap. It wasn’t even that old, actually (it was probably newer than [...]
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The baptism in the Holy Spirit is certainly one of the most polarizing issues in Christianity (I feel dirty calling it an ‘issue’). There’s tons of confusion, a fair amount of accusation, and not nearly enough open and thoughtful dialogue. As with any polarizing ‘issue’ people tend to run to one side or another…and then [...]
Continue Reading →Steve Jobs and the Apple Corp. planned to revolutionize higher education, and they just might. But Christian education’s going to be revitalized first. Why? Because the Church is filled with some of the most innovative and creative people in the world…and they’re not nearly as concerned about who owns the content. When it’s not about [...]
Continue Reading →The other day I asked Matt, “What are church bands going to do when it’s not cool to rip-off U2 and Coldplay anymore?” It sounds angsty in print, but it wasn’t. It’s a legit question, ‘cause the day is coming…in fact, it might already be here. It’s been a good run (I’d say a good 10-12 [...]
There’s plenty of debate about whether or not the iPad’s a big deal. But as a pastor, it’s been a pretty big deal for me. Here are 9 ways I use it to do ministry that have made a significant difference: Teaching notes. Sometimes I need nothing more than an index card for sermon notes. [...]
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 [...]
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” [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Aaron McCarter is the Lead Pastor of Maryville Vineyard Church in East TN.