Today, Pastor Gordon Carpenter shares some of his favorite resources for the season of Lent. Officially, Lent started last Wednesday, but there is still plenty of time to work through one of the resources below! There are so many devotionals written for Lent that it’s hard to choose one. I have used many of them […]
Even though Presidents’ Day is not until February, it is worth a side trip to Abraham Lincoln before I share a few thoughts on sanctity of life. Lincoln was a profound person. He was a man of character, wisdom, and spiritual sensitivity. It has been long debated as to how “orthodox” Lincoln’s faith was. If […]
Resources to Help You Go Deeper Biblical instruction. Theological training. Spiritual formation. Moral renovation. The church has a responsibility to teach, train, equip, explain, guide, motivate, illustrate, illumine, and generally communicate the entire Word of God and the things of God to the people of God. We also have a responsibility to do this missionally. […]
Three Books on the Pursuit of the Virtuous Life of Christ In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul provides a short list of virtues. Here is how it reads in The Message: Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not […]
What people are thinking about the purpose of going to college Barna Trends identified 10 Reasons for Going to College. Here are the top three reasons Christians believe college is important: To prepare for a specific job or career – 70% To increase financial opportunities – 56% To stay competitive in today’s job market – […]
Not only do I read biographies on individual presidents, I also read studies about the presidency. A brand new book is out (over 500 pages) titled THE PRESIDENTS: Noted Historians Rank American’s Best – and Worst – Chief Executives. Here are the Top Ten presidents of the United States. Abraham Lincoln George Washington Franklin D. […]
A minor part of the Sunday message was on social media usage by children, teens, and adults. Here are basic assumptions I have about social media. ONE: It is not going away and it should not go away. It is important, valuable, and can greatly enhance just about everything. I am not against using social […]
The Prodigal Prophet is a collection of sermons and reflections by Tim Keller on the prophet Jonah. If you have never read anything by Keller, I recommend you check out any of these other books: The Prodigal God, about the lost son and elder son parable. Counterfeit Gods, about the idols of our time (like […]
When I was in Amsterdam doing a leadership retreat, one idea we talked about was: Speed of the leader, speed of the team. Heart of the leader, heart of the team. You can’t take people to places you have not been. The organization cannot rise higher than the leaders are going. I am constantly paying […]
I am currently working on several writing projects. My early morning routine consists of devotions, reading, and writing. Seasons of life vary for me. There are times when I do more reading and less writing. Then I will cut back my reading so I have more time to write. Right now I am in a […]