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Think about the last time you tried something new. Maybe you tried a new hobby like rock climbing or cycling or scrapbooking (my personal favorite). Maybe you recently tried out a restaurant for the first time or got into a new show on Netflix. Have you thought of your new thing? Now that you have thought…

I hate mess. My parents love to tell stories from my childhood of times when I would go to great lengths for the sake of avoiding a mess. I never ate sauce on my spaghetti noodles, because it was messy. I didn’t eat buffalo wings until I was in my 20’s, because you have to…

So January’s over. That went quickly, huh? As we enter month two of 2017, one point of emphasis for 801South at Matthews (the modern worship venue I have the great privilege to lead) is how to best tell our story. Just to clarify…in the church world, we have to use the language of storytelling. The…

I have the incredible opportunity to travel several times each year. My travel is sometimes related to mission and outreach opportunities. Other times, I travel for continuing education and leadership development. Although I hate being away from my family for any amount of time, and almost equally dislike all aspects of traveling by air, I…

I can’t believe I’m even getting into this. There are some who would love for me, as a pastor, to lay out my personal perspective on American politics for all to see and hear. I rarely do and certainly never for a crowd (online or otherwise). There are several reasons why I choose not to.…

This post is the second in a two part series. Read the first part if you have not done so already. So now on to the process. I carry a Bullet Journal and I tried to use it as intended, but I’m just too digital to fit into an analog system. If you hand me…

With the changes in our culture today, and more importantly, with the speed at which our culture is changing, the church is in dire need of leadership. This is especially the case for traditional and denominational local churches. There was a time, perhaps as recently as 15 years ago, when pastors could do just that:…

Life is better with one another. I know this because I have a tendency to go at it alone. Every time I find myself on the journey alone, I also find myself not well. Thoughts of insecurity, inadequacy, failure, and an overall victim mentality prevail when I am not intentional to be in healthy community.…

I am a local church fanatic. Some people have Star Wars (none of which I have ever seen), some have gadgets, others have sports. I am borderline obsessed with studying local churches as organized institutions. This research includes streaming several worship experiences to my iPad in the kitchen while doing dishes or even the bathroom while…

What holds you back? If you are anything like me, which I’m sure you are, then you have stuff in your life that is holding you back. My natural tendency, however, is to hold on to the stuff. I have thoughts, behaviors, habits, and more that keep me from my preferred future. So just “let it go,” they say.…