Adam McLane

Tag: hope

  • 3 Things I’m Wondering About What Church Leaders Believe

    Yesterday, Kristen and I went to the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. It’s an event I’ve always loved… I’ve gone 3-4 times in the past decade and the years that I couldn’t make it I always wanted to. Looking back, it’s an event where I always learn a lot. I’m probably a lot like you. […]

  • The cup is 95% empty

    “Adam, why are you always assuming that the cup is half empty?”  Youth workers say this to me over coffee. Their lives are run wild with activities, planning, teaching, and meetings. Their ministries are full and something I’ve said has called that busyness into question. My response, not trying to be trite, is “Oh no, […]

  • The Hopeful Lean

    He leaned across the table and told me a secret in a hushed tone. “This neighbor loving neighbors thing. It really works. It’s incredible!” He then went on and talked about all the things that are going on in his neighborhood. Over the past months I’ve had several conversations that essentially went the same way. I […]

  • A Fall to Grace

    One day morning will dawn, your eyes will open, and you will awaken with the literal reality that the dream you had for yourself is over and it’s time to move on. I can think to specific days in 2000, 2003, 2008, and most recently in summer 2011 when I rolled out of bed with […]

  • Deliver us from evil

    Lawsuit alleges sex abuse at Concord Church Former Danbury youth pastor accepts deal, to be sentenced November 2nd Youth Pastor suspected of preying on North Bay girl Former youth pastor arrest for theft Youth pastor sentenced for sexual assault If you hang out in Churchland you’ll almost never hear of evil in the church. We […]

  • Dispatches from the land of Hope

    My dear friends of Despair, I know you are tired. Despair is an exhausting existence. As you know I was a resident there for many years. I know that each day is much the same. You spend countless hours looking for nourishment, feeding on things of no nutritional value, then falling asleep with the horrifying […]

  • I choose hope

    Our culture loves despair. We ignore the facts and choose lamentation. Listen to an hour of the news and you’ll hear how dangerous our country is. (Crime is down significantly over the past 30 years) You’ll hear how horrible the economy is. (The image above shows the NASDAQ Index the past two years.) Public school […]

  • Hope reigns over youth ministry

    Hope makes humanity unique. No matter how bad things may look, you can always choose hope. Hope is the reason a widow can smile at her spouses funeral. And hope is the reason a woman living in a tent can shock you with a smile and call out to God with thanksgiving when she is […]

  • Fire is Free

    I was listening to a message by Rob Bell a few years ago and someone posed the question to him, “Why do people drive for hours to be a part of Mars Hill.” His answer was profound and simple: “People will drive from miles around to see what’s on fire.” Very true, isn’t it? When […]

  • Apocalypse Now – Life and Theology in Haiti

    24 hours into my second trip to Haiti and I started crafting this phrase: Theology and culture always co-mingle. You just hope that theology and culture never conspire against the goals of the church. In America: Theology and culture conspire to destroy the church through our belief in the American Dream and pursuit of happiness. […]