Serendipity

On Monday my Friday was wide open.  The only thing I had scheduled was a hair cutting appointment at 11 AM.  But that was five days ago.
But lots can change in five days, and they did.  At 7:15 am I called to set up the first meeting of the day.  I had my first appointment at [...]

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Monday

It’s Monday morning, and I’m planning my day.
Pastor’s often take Monday as their day off because they feel so toasted after a full day of Sunday preaching and activities.  It has been documented that the adrenaline rush that comes with preaching results in a “crash” after the adrenaline subsides.
I can testify that the adrenaline crash [...]

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New Book

A few months ago I bought a book on a whim from InterVarsity Press.  IVP is a really great publishing company, and they consistently print thought provoking and balanced books on a variety of subjects.  Fabricating Jesus is no exception to this.
The author, Craig Evans, is Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity [...]

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Four Weddings and a Funeral

Last November I met a pastor from Chicago’s Willow Creek Church.  We were both at a conference in Seattle.  He told me about a project he had started called “Wedding Pastors USA dot org.”  He also invited me to put my own page up on the site.
The impetus for Wedding Pastors is that many pastors are [...]

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Divine Ignorance

When I went through church planters “boot camp” everything was pretty theoretical.  In some ways it was like reading the travel books Bev and I used to prepare for a European trip.  It wasn’t until our feet were on Parisian streets that we really understood how it all worked.
Before we moved we were warned by [...]

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Eucharist

Adam did the “table talk” Sunday.  The table talk is the brief talk that is done just before we have the Lord’s Supper.  LifeSpring observes the Lord’s Supper weekly.
Some people call it Eucharist.  It is a symbolic meal consisting of a symbolic piece of bread and a small cup of wine or grape juice.  It [...]

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Conversation

I’ve had a very busy day.  It began with an 8:30 meeting.  A city official brought together a group of pastors to talk about faith-based initiatives and how churches could help the city.  It was a good meeting, and it was also heartening to hear a public official talking about the role of faith in [...]

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Radio

I got an e-mail from my radio guy recently. “I don’t think your 30 second spots will work,” he wrote. “They’re not direct enough.”
I appreciated his candor. I know he wants to see the spots succeed. I also liked the fact that he pushed me to defend what I am doing. [...]

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Easter

When I got up this morning I had no clue what to expect at today’s worship service. This was the third Sunday in our Grand Opening month, but the past two Sunday’s have not been a speck different than any other week.
I left the house at 6:35 am. That was a good bit [...]

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A Good Day

Sunday morning began at 5:45. By 6:45 I was dressed and ready to leave for Playhouse Merced, our church home. I have a regimen that I complete every Sunday: unlock Playhouse and turn on lights, put out our four outdoor signs, set up greeters table, preach through the morning’s sermon, help set [...]

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