First he glared at me. Then he puffed, “I hate church. I don’t want to go.” When we told Paul, my 10 year old, that the regular parts of kids ministry were taking the day off and church would have family worship on Sunday, Paul protested. Stupid. Boring. I hate this, I hate you, I…… Continue reading I need my kids in worship with me
Tag: Worship
Unleashing a Feeding Frenzy
Last night, we dropped a bucket of chum in the tank and ran away. Back in December we introduced Inductive Bible Study at our winter retreat. It wasn’t anything fancy– in fact I thought it was a little cerebral for a retreat. (This coming from a guy who did a high school retreat based on…… Continue reading Unleashing a Feeding Frenzy
What is worship?
A youth worker in Minnesota asked me to share my definition of worship with her as part of a lesson she’s preparing for her youth group. I thought it’d be fun to post my response to her (with her permission) for a couple of reasons. I hadn’t thought about it like this before. I like…… Continue reading What is worship?
Picky, Picky
Apparently contentment is not a Christian virtue anymore. If you hang out with Christians for any length of time, you’d think pickiness is a requirement of the faith. “I really wasn’t into the message on Sunday. I mean, 95% of it was cool… but he said something about fathers I didn’t agree with. So I tuned…… Continue reading Picky, Picky
5 Things I Love about my Church
This Easter marks roughly two years since I turned in my Pastor Adam card and went from church staff to church attendee. (I was officially done June 1st, but it was during Easter week that the offer to come to YS came, which completely changed everything.) In so many ways I’ve re-learned what it means…… Continue reading 5 Things I Love about my Church
Our God Reigns in Haiti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCq4YL2jTh8 It is logical to assume that my trip to Haiti, 4 weeks after an earthquake which killed more than 200,000 people, would be marked by people mourning in the streets. That’s what I expected. This is what I saw. People praising Jesus in every church, in nearly every tent, and in the streets. Today…… Continue reading Our God Reigns in Haiti
Ephesians 5:14 and You
“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14 I first memorized Ephesians 5 with Kristen in 1995. We were dating and we had discovered that memorizing Scripture together was a way to channel our, um, energy for one another. It worked! This passage of Scripture has been…… Continue reading Ephesians 5:14 and You
Prayer for NYWC Atlanta Attendees
David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn…… Continue reading Prayer for NYWC Atlanta Attendees
Don’t Promise, Deliver
If you live in the United States, you are the proud owner of the second largest pool of retirees next to the federal government. And as a bonus you also get a small and dying breed of cars formally known as General Motors. We just spent over $80 billion to bailout a company that is…… Continue reading Don’t Promise, Deliver
Rock that Quirky Church
I think some of my harsh criticisms of the evangelical church come from a love of our church. The mission of Harbor Mid-City is one that is quirky by design. We have a hyper-qualified staff brought together despite significant theological difference who lean into that tension for the sake of the Gospel in the neighborhood.…… Continue reading Rock that Quirky Church