Within a 30-40 minute drive of my home, there are at least 3 non-denominational evangelical megachurches with multiple sites. (If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of multi-site churches, you can learn more here or here.) Detractors use words like “McChurch” or “Microdenomination” to describe these efforts, while champions of these plural congregations celebrate the big…

If you’re a writer living within driving distance of Chicago, here’s something just for you: I’m a part of the team coordinating this year’s 14th annual Karitos, the Christian Arts conference to be held July 31-August 2 in Bolingbrook, IL. Last year, nearly 500 people attended Karitos, and attended workshops taught by expert instructors in…

…these recent reads: Writing Tides: Finding Grace and Growth Through Writing by Kent Ira Groff (Because I need an occasional writing book to push me in new directions as a scribe) 11 Indispensible Relationships You Can’t Be Without by Len Sweet (Because Len Sweet is a master of synthesis, a good thinker, and sees the…

At the end of this month, it’ll be four years since we left WI. Depending on how you look at it, it was either a hasty departure (our house sold one day after hitting the MLS listings) or a long time coming (we lived there for 9 challenging years – and those years were shaped…

I was reading John’s account of how Jesus turned the ancient equivalent of a Fish McNugget Happy Meal (sans the movie-themed toy) into a party for 5000 men, plus the women and children accompanying them. Today I was struck by these verses: “When they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover…

I received a survey from the editorial team at this magazine in the mail yesterday. They were looking for information about my response to the most current issue, as well as seeking to obtain some general feedback about both the magazine and current evangelical topography. One question I particularly liked was the one where they…