Get Lost, Part 1

I recently read the an article from David Francis, LifeWay Director of Sunday School. In the article he took a reverse approach to the topic at hand. Instead of talking about ways to make guests feel welcome, he listed ways to make guests feel unwelcome and not return to the…

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Never Forget (WARNING: Very Graphic)

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  Psalm 103:12 (NIV) One of the latest songs from Casting Crowns entitled, East to West, continues to remind me why we should continually strive to live holy lives that are pleasing in…

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Gettin’ In Shape

When I was a young man in my twenties, I decided to take up running. I discovered that I not only loved the sport, but I was a halfway decent runner. I built up my endurance to the point that I averaged about 40-50 miles of running each week. I…

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Follow Me

This evening I’m sitting in a great little espresso bar in Black Mountain, North Carolina called Perks. The next time you’re in town, stop by, give a shoutout to Peter (the owner), and have a coffee or smoothie in a really cool environment surrounded by the Black Mountain Range. While…

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Conditions of Discipleship

This week I am teaching at Ridgecrest National Conference Center as a part of LifeWay’s Discipleship Week. Pictured here is Dennis Rogers, Discipleship & Family Ministries’ Specialist from the Georgia Baptist Convention. This week, in the main discipleship session, we are taking a close look at a newly published LifeWay tool,…

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Food Show Mania

Recently, I’ve developed a casual interest in a variety of television cooking shows. Ironically, I can’t cook much of anything–I specialize in eating. Oh, I can serve a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich along with a decent pot of coffee, but that’s about it. I’m not sure why I…

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State Discipleship Leaders Meet

This week I am meeting with the Southeast Discipleship Leaders from the Southern Baptist Convention in Atlanta. Jay Johnston, LifeWay’s Director of Evangelism and Discipleship, is meeting with us today. We are discussing how to help our churches become more effective in making disciples and producing spiritually mature followers of Christ.…

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The Power of Sunday School

Robert Raikes is known to be the father of the Sunday School movement. He believed that education was an effective tool to battle moral decline and determined to develop an experimental school to test his theory. Initially, he was legally barred from developing the school until England passed the Enabling…

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Relationships Matter

In his book, Concentric Circles of Concern, Dr. Oscar Thompson says that the most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is the word “RELATIONSHIP”! I believe his statement is true in a number of areas related to the church. Evangelism. Although I am not opposed to…

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McIntosh Study: The Importance of Preaching

I recently hosted Dr. Gary McIntosh at the Kentucky Baptist Convention building for a conference that discussed assimilation principles taken from his book, Beyond the First Visit. Fortunately, while he was here, Dr. McIntosh unveiled the findings of a recent national survey he conducted. I’m going to discuss some of the findings…

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