We focus on a little Baby during this season. That little Baby came to us on a mission of love: “…the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10) I’ve had the opportunity to meditate deeply on just who it is that Jesus loves. Today is part one of…

We climbed into a cab in Jerusalem early one morning and after asking where we were headed, our driver launched into an impassioned monologue about the wrong-headed thinking of some low-level bureaucrat to send the street cleaners off to work at 8 a.m. on a work day. “They should be cleaning the streets in the…

…stays in Vegas. Clever ad slogan. The guts of it apply to lots of things. During the times I experienced intense church conflict in the past, the battles were weighted in my mind with what was eternally important: theological big stuff like the proper way to preach about repentance were freighted with far more spiritual…

I heard Dr. Ron Martoia speak last month at the Story Chicago conference (I mentioned him in #12 of my blog post about the event here). I happened to receive an advanced reader copy of Martoia’s new book a couple of days after the conference, and was really looking forward to reading it after hearing…

I’ve heard of church and community leaders coming together in the wake of a crisis (weather, violent crime) to serve and to pray. And I’ve heard of pastors coming together in small groups to encourage one another. Crisis or ministry affinity often brings together believers from different backgrounds and church traditions. But yesterday’s Catalyst Forum…

‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ – Matthew 18:11-12 NLT It is oh, so obvious…