Have you ever looked carefully at the structure of 1 John? The first time I read it I thought the author was just repeating himself. Yet on more careful examination, he is working through the same three themes more and more deeply with each round so that it becomes a...
For me, seminary preaching classes were a painful experience. The worst part was when I had to go to the preaching lab to be videotaped as I struggled to deliver a message. Having to listen to myself on tape seemed bad enough, but having to see myself too was just too...
How’s this for kicking off the new year? A book on making change lasting and effective. When you train people, most of the time you need to explain and describe. Some of that is necessary, and it results in intellectual knowledge. But if you want the result of your...
I recently read Exponential by Dave and Jon Ferguson. They talk about the 5-step model of Jesus, which I’ve used for years, but they did make one very helpful addition to it. They insert “we talk” between each of the original steps: I do, you watch, we talk. I...
Recently I watched a baby of about one year old who was trying to learn to speak. As conversations were carried on around him, he mimicked the sounds and actions he was observing. When people were talking, he would make word-like sounds in their direction as if we...
Which is harder for you to give—your time or your money? In a lot of cases, time is the more precious resource. I’ve often found it easier to give money than time: “Why do I have to spend four hours washing cars at this youth group fundraiser? Can’t I just write a...
