Scenes from the start of the school year: I walked into work this morning and saw two girls sitting a few seats apart from one another in the otherwise empty chapel. They weren’t speaking to one another. They were just sitting companionably in the dark, in the silence. Intense conversations, everywhere. All the time. It…

The last week and a half has included: – Moving my youngest son Jacob into his first apartment in a brand-new town for him, where he’ll begin classes this week. He doesn’t know a single person there. I’m praying… – An early-labor scare from my daughter; she’s due October 10. – A very steep learning…

As part of my 3-4 times a year update to those on my e-mail list, I sent the the following post. Read on to the end to find out the suggestions I got from those who responded to my question. I sweetened the deal by offering readers an opportunity to win one of two $15…

There are hundreds of church growth seminars offering church leaders enough “tools for their leadership toolbox” to stock a Home Depot. I’ve never heard of a seminar telling church leaders how to shrink their congregations…or even to kill them…but this happens A LOT. Stagnation, shrinkage or complete collapse may be more common than the stunning…

Quite possibly, the wackiest headline I’ve ever seen.

An African guest at our church stood in front of the congregation this morning, reading…no, proclaiming…today’s New Testament selection. His richly-accented English brought the passage alive for me in a fresh way. It was verse 15 that struck me: “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and…