When I meet with church leaders, they often ask me to help them devise a strategy for increasing giving among their members. While there is no simple plan that works everywhere, there are several ways to cultivate positive attitudes about…
Fasting from words with friends
“This is the big one, Elizabeth!” I could feel it. It had to be the fasting. Okay, it was only fasting from Words With Friends… for a week. But it’s harder than it sounds. For a Sunday School lesson on the…
Name Them One by One
As a child growing up in the rural church, I remember singing the old hymn “Count Your Blessings,” written by Johnson Oatman Jr. in 1897. The words of the song urged us to “Count your blessings, name them one by…
‘Time was’ won’t hold
By Bill Leonard “Time was, when the population of many regions of America was almost entirely religious; it is not so now. Thousands there are, even of those who regularly attend public worship, who have no theology, no family prayer,…
‘Time was’ won’t hold
By Bill J. Leonard “Time was, when the population of many regions of America was almost entirely religious; it is not so now. Thousands there are, even of those who regularly attend public worship, who have no theology, no family…
‘Time was’ won’t hold
By Bill J. Leonard “Time was, when the population of many regions of America was almost entirely religious; it is not so now. Thousands there are, even of those who regularly attend public worship, who have no theology, no family…
A theology for worship announcements
A church member greeted me after a church service in my usual location, the back exit. I embraced her and wished her a blessed week. She had strange look on her face and said, “You know, I really don’t like…
The both/and life of faith
By Bill Wilson Polarities are ongoing, chronic issues that are unavoidable and unsolvable. They are the hardest issues we face. Attempting to address them with traditional problem-solving skills only makes things worse. There is a significant advantage for those leaders,…
Raising a lover – not a fighter
Chances are you haven’t met my almost five-year-old, except for those obligatory readers from my extended family (hi mom!). I happen to think he’s amazingly brillant and brilliantly amazing. I’m sure this is why he has a healthy self-esteem. Every…
Equal time with Al Mohler
By Miguel De La Torre Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., was quoted widely concerning the re-election of President Barack Obama. If afforded equal time, here’s how I would respond to comments attributed to him…
What do you get when you focus on conflict? More conflict!
I’m sure you have probably heard the old adage that says Baptists are like alley cats. You know what you get when cats fight an alley on Saturday night? More cats. Conflict is similar to this because the more you…
James Bond’s gospel of resurrection
By Darrell Gwaltney The latest James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” delivers the anticipated Bondsian formula of chase scenes, exotic scenery, beautiful women and villains. It also delivers resurrection and a little classic poetry along the way. Bond, James Bond, is making…