This obscure and little-known word in many ways captures the essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and live a holy life.

Just as a forgery is not the same as the original painting, so a religiously pious person is not the same as a genuine follower of Jesus.  How can you tell?

The pending retirement of the manager of my favorite MLB team, and the timing and circumstances of his decision, highlights an oft-overlooked principle of effective leadership.

Perhaps the easy-departure mentality of many churchgoers isn’t a byproduct of their character but, rather, things the church has done over the years.

You’d never think something as innocuous as a church worship folder could send subtle clues regarding what’s most important.  But it can … and does!

Next time you go to the theater, you will undoubtedly experience something that is a powerful analogy of the role of the church in our society.  And it has nothing to do with the movie you chose to see.

I sometimes wonder if the gospel we embrace is a limited and abridged version that falls far short of the holistic and comprehensive message Jesus proclaimed.

You wouldn’t expect SportsCenter to pass along a story that speaks to a principal way that followers of Jesus can validate and substantiate their faith.  But it did!

You don’t hear about this a great deal, but this is perhaps the biggest source of relational dysfunction and leadership breakdown out there.

If we want to be an effective leader, we simply can’t know and control everything that’s going on in the organization.  Yet many of us often try.

Why is it that some people are helped immensely by someone’s preaching ministry and others complain about “not being fed”?

I fear that many of the shortcomings of professing Christ-followers can be traced to a single cause—namely, a loss of the sense of the awesomeness of God.

In this day when climate change is such a hot topic (pardon the pun), does the protection and care of the planet in any way intersect our faith?

In pastoral ministry, what works for you in your upper 30’s to early 40’s works against you in your upper 50’s to early 60’s.

It’s a word that often makes us feel apprehensive and shaky.  But it’s actually a very important component in the process of progress and development.

Does prayer change things?  Do our choices matter?  An understanding I came to embrace because I’m convinced the answer to both questions is “Yes!”

Various people left the churches I pastored over the years.  I developed a strategy for what to do in the wake of their departure.

The lofty virtues of our day, when carried to their logical conclusion, actually create an unhealthy and hurtful world.  But the gospel addresses that in a compelling way.