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Leadership Principles from the Vending Machine – The 85-Cent Principle
I recently went to a vending machine to purchase a snack. The Twix bar in slot B-3 was calling my name. It cost eighty-five cents. “Eighty-five cents?” I thought. What an odd price for a vending...
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Friday Stream of Consciousness – 152
Here’s what’s on my mind this morning: I’ve spent this week with an uncatchable lizard I named, “Cholula,” running around my car. Yesterday, she ended up, alive, in the cup of water I keep in my car...
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The Monday Rule
The simple implementation of the Monday rule can change the climate of your church for the better significantly. New Vintage Church has worked, unofficially, at creating a “Monday Rule” culture. We’ve...
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No Ordinary Sunday
Yesterday wasn’t an ordinary Sunday at New Vintage Church…and I love our “ordinary” Sundays. Yesterday, I postponed the sermon I’d prepared on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that I’ve wanted to preach...
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Friday Stream of Consciousness – 153
Here’s what’s on my mind this Friday morning: I’m feeling a bit serious this morning. Pokemon-Go seems like geo-caching with cartoons. Click for click, the best “Old School” video game is probably...
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The Obedient Pastor
Most pastors I know have a more up-and-down devotional life than most church members think they do–but a deeper relationship to God than they themselves think they do. What any of us think isn’t the...
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Our “Outrage” is Making Us Less Honest
In this culture of constant outrage, we are finally running into unintended consequences. Here is the biggest: We are becoming less honest. The post Our “Outrage” is Making Us Less Honest appeared...
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Friday Stream of Consciousness – 154
Here’s what’s on my mind this morning: One way you can tell a religious movement or church that is doomed: when confronted with decline, they don’t seek people who have “done it well” for a long time...
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Friday Stream of Consciousness – 155
Here’s what’s on my mind this Friday: Every now and then I like to remind readers the views expressed in this stream are both mine alone, and written in a free-flow format. This is not a carefully...
View ArticleHow to Plan Your Sermons a Year in Advance
I've extolled the virtues of advanced message series planning for years on this blog, but I realized I've never really described the process in detail. So, here it is. This is only my process, but I'm...
View ArticleListen to These People
More than perhaps anything else, who we listen to will determine the trajectory of our ministry. If we listen to godly, wise, smart people who have our best interest and that of the Kingdom at heart,...
View ArticleFriday Stream of Consciousness – 156
Here’s what’s on my mind this morning: Clowns? What’s up with that? Let’s pray for those in the way of Hurricane Matthew. One I’ve been thinking about this week: “Discipleship is the process of...
View ArticleNo Fighting on Everest
A few years ago, I was struck by a news story reporting a fight near the top of Mount Everest between climbers and their Nepalese sherpas. A brawl at more than 25,000 feet, close to the summit (29,029...
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What’s Your 95 MPH Fastball?
A couple of months ago I had lunch with one of those Yodas--those wise, older pastors who have been in ministry so long they ooze wisdom without knowing it. This gentleman could offer commentary on...
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How to Get Along with Your Worship Leader
Certain ministry roles have more conflict between them than others. Senior Pastors and Youth Pastors, Church Administrators and Youth Ministers, for example. There is also sometimes significant tension...
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Friday Stream of Consciousness – 157
Here’s what’s on my mind this morning: It has been a while since I’ve posted completely original content. It’s been two months since my last stream of consciousness. Remember, the thoughts are my own,...
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My Top 5 Books of 2016
It’s that time of year when all the “Best Of,” lists come out. So, I’m putting together a mini-series of “Top 5″ lists as we head into the final stretch of 2016. My hope is that by doing Top 5 lists...
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Thank You, Martin
I attended Long Beach Poly High School in Long Beach, California. The school was located on the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Pacific Coast Highway. Ironically, our school was nearly...
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Planning for “Whatever”
Leveraging one’s schedule is vital to effective ministry, and there’s one tool that’s helped me a lot: blocking out certain times for “whatever.” It’s not an elegant name for it, but it accurately...
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The 85-Cent Principle
I recently went to a vending machine to purchase a snack. The Twix bar in slot B-3 was calling my name. It cost eighty-five cents. “Eighty-five cents?” I thought. What an odd price for a vending...
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