Finding God in the Boring
Had a chance to interview my friend, Michael Kelly about his new book, Boring, which you should buy. Michael is a Director of Discipleship at Lifeway Christian Resources. He’s a creative speaker and author. If you have not read his book, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal, you should. In that book, Michael walks thru the difficult journey he and […]
Mark Buchanan’s Writing Rhythm
Mark Buchanan is one of my favorite authors. He’s a pastor, a teacher, and a man who can really turn a phrase. I had the chance to interview Mark last week for Leadership Journal. One of the questions I asked was this: What is your writing rhythm? Are you an early morning writer, a late-night […]
5 Tips to Establish Yourself as a Writer
I have people ask me all the time how to get started writing. I suspect there are many who enjoy putting words together and just don’t know how to get going. Maybe they are intimidated by the idea of writing a book or a long-form piece to a journal or magazine. Or even the idea […]
Why You Can’t Push Kids Into the Kingdom
In a piece for Her.meneutics, Jennifer Grant cautions parents against trying to “bully their kids into belief,” writing: “Between the extremes of bullying our children into faith and neglecting to teach them to pray is a wide expanse.” I completely agree, and I suspect most parents would too. And yet…in our practice of parenting, we […]
The Most Anti-Female Practice In the World
Yesterday I interviewed Marian Liatuad, editor of Today’s Christian Woman and Church Law and Tax Report for Christianity Today International. I was excited to interview Marian, because she has fascinating interests. Besides her writing and editing, she’s a marathoner, running to raise money for charity water and she’s an outspoken advocate for the unborn, particularly against sex-selective abortion. She […]
Shaping Minds Thru Fiction – A Conversation With Trevin Wax
I had a chance to interview my good friend, Trevin Wax about his brand-new book, Clear Winter Nights. Trevin is one of my favorite bloggers and authors. He’s also the managing editor of The Gospel Project curriculum from Lifeway, a fantastic tool that I highly recommend churches use for all ages. In this video conversation, I talk to Trevin […]
5 Things to Consider Before Rebuking a Christian Celebrity
The new online world has flattened leadership. Most of the time this is good, increasing accountability and allowing undiscovered talent to rise. But there is a downside. Criticism now comes easier, with the click of a “send” button on a variety of media tools, you can “call out” Christians with whom you disagree. I would […]
The false gospel of cynicism
Today, at the ERLC blog, I talk about the mandate for joy in Philippines 4:8: Yet Paul, without denying the misery of life in a fallen world, seems to say to followers of Jesus everywhere: “In light of what we have in Christ, let’s think on these things: truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness, what is commendable and […]
Jesus and the Digital Pharisees
It’s kind of ridiculous to ask, “What if Jesus were on Twitter?” But indulge me for a second, anyways. I’ve noticed something about our generation’s engagement online and with those we consider “Christian celebrities” – famous pastors or church leaders who have big platforms. There’s a tendency among those of us who blog, tweet, write, […]
Your Family is Not a Problem to Be Solved
In a symposium published by The Guardian, novelist Richard Ford was asked to deliver his best advice to aspiring writers. Forgive me for quibbling with the wisdom of a celebrated muse, but I was offended by his first two pieces of advice: 1) Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer’s a […]
Getting Free by Pursuing Jesus
Chances are you have seen Jefferson Bettke’s viral video: “Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus” which has now been viewed almost 27 million times. A lot of has happened in Jefferson’s life since the release of that spoken word video. God has given him a great platform to share the gospel in unique and […]
The horrible social costs of gambling
I’ll never forget the one time I visited Las Vegas. I was in town for a wedding and was awed by the amazing architecture. It seemed to me, at the time, that no expense was spared by the developers. But while Christians can admire the beautiful architecture of Vegas, we must admit that there is […]